L Ian Macdonald: Canadian Governments

Celtic Tiger Dept: L. Ian MacDonald eloquently captures the plight of today's young Irish. The general rate of Irish unemployment has soared from four per cent in 2007, at the end of the "Celtic Tiger" era, to over 14 per cent today and, among people age 15 to 24, it is 24 per cent. However, the Irish diaspora in Montreal is reaching out to help the new Irish coming to our shores, according to Montreal Gazette. Many of the Irish coming to Quebec arrive under an international-workexperience program jointly sponsored by the Irish and Canadian governments that allows them to work in Canada legally for up to a year. "" Re: "As Irish economy staggers, youth set eyes on Canada" Opinion, Aug. 31 . The St. Patrick's Society of Montreal, with the help of the Irish government's Emigrant Support Program, launched a project last year called the Irish Immigrant Integration Initiative to support those young Irish coming to Canada to escape difficult economic times. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.