Senator Jane Fraser:

I thank the Chairman and member for receiving us. I will comment on one or two of the points that were raised. The Vice Chairman referred to the impatience of the Canadian Minister of Finance, Mr. Flaherty, MP. I think in truth the whole world has been tense, not to say impatient, about Europe's trouble in responding as quickly as the rest of the world thinks it should have.

Canada is a federation and we have some understanding of how difficult it is to get many partners together around the table. We have ten very strong provinces and three territories in addition to a federal government. We are familiar with the complexities of these negotiations. I do not think it was just Mr. Flaherty, who can be blunt and tends to say out loud what many others are more diplomatic about. We, in contrast to Europe, have been extremely impressed by what Ireland has achieved. Ireland faced a terrible crisis and has responded to it with necessary but terrible austerity measures, yet has maintained social peace. The country is getting there. I cannot imagine how difficult it must have been for many thousands of people, but it is an amazing and in some ways a humbling thing to see what this country has managed to do in facing up to a terrible crisis. I would not want members to think we are sitting here being nasty, rude and critical about Ireland. That is very far from the case.

Deputy Crowe mentioned the peace process, which is another movement the whole world has watched. As Deputy O'Reilly will recall, one of the first things I do is ask Irish people what should I do when I am in Ireland, and the other day in response somebody said I should take the train to Belfast and see the Titanic museum. Is that not wonderful? The past is gone, I am sure it will never be entirely gone but to see what has been achieved is very moving.

I will now respond to questions on whether Canada is family-friendly. As Mr. Tilson said, many jobs are in the construction industry, they tend to be in the oil sands. People from the poorer regions of Canada are flocking there too. There is work in developing the oil sands themselves and the construction of the communities that are needed to support that. I believe Canada is a family-friendly country. Fundamentally, Canada is a friendly country that has been built on immigration over the centuries. We welcome and integrate people from areas as diverse as Hong Kong and Somalia. For Canadians, the Irish are just like their cousins and they are made welcome by the Canadians who are delighted to see them. We believe that the Irish people who stay in Canada will be wonderful Canadians and we are lucky to have them.