Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. Unfortunately, I cannot comment directly on the decision made by another member of our health portfolio. However, even though the program as such has changed, there is still access in the context of their broader contribution programs. I am not an expert on the program, but, with that access, the impact on Health Canada's programs is minimal.

Official Languages committee  From the point of view of Health Canada, there is a key difference in the level of funding that we now receive under the road map, which is significantly more than we received under the previous action plan. There are obviously opportunities for investment that come with that, which have allowed us to build on some of the successes and some of the platforms that I think were developed through the action plan.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I believe those are two important questions that we will address once we have the results of the assessment currently under way. However, there have definitely been successes. I am talking only about Health Canada, our program and our investments. We have built on the successes of the former program because we can see the long-term improvements, particularly in health.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. The short answer is yes, because one of the three components of this program, under the roadmap, is training health professionals and retaining them in both the francophone minority communities outside Quebec and the anglophone communities in Quebec.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I believe we have definitely had some successes under the roadmap. I know that many representatives of other departments have come before the committee. The fact that we are all here shows that we are working together to improve the situation and to put the emphasis on the priorities of the roadmap.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. In conclusion, I would like to mention that, in 2011, we consulted representatives of French-speaking communities outside Quebec and English-speaking communities in Quebec. The aim of these consultations was to learn their views on the evolving health care needs of communities over the 2013-2018 horizon.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. My name is Debbie Beresford-Green. I am Acting Assistant Deputy Minister, Regions and Programs Branch, at Health Canada. I am here today with Roger Farley, Acting Director General of Health Canada's Programs Directorate. First of all, I would like to thank you for inviting us and for giving us this opportunity to come before the committee and testify to the support that Health Canada provides to official language minority communities across the country.