Official Languages committee  Thank you Pierre. If I may, I would like to answer the question, Mr. Chairman. For the past 15 years I have been working with francophone and Acadian communities and the government in the area of economic development and if there is one thing that I have learned it is that the g

Official Languages committee  Yes. There are development corporations, the Community Futures Development Corporations, or CFDCs, which operate in rural areas.

Official Languages committee  And the RDEEs work with these people.

Official Languages committee  May I answer that question, Mr. Chair? I want to use the example of Agriculture Canada's Vision program. At the time, we identified this program, we went to see the people at Agriculture Canada and we talked with them. We said that this program could benefit the francophone and

Official Languages committee  In this region, RDEE Ontario worked with people from the community to build a slaughterhouse. RDEE Ontario works closely with communities to develop plans which we called Vision plans. Several communities were consulted on that matter, but compare to what happened in Manitoba, th

Official Languages committee  They're still the same people.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Chair, honourable members, we'd like to thank you for inviting us to testify before your committee. Your initiative attests to the importance you attach to the economic development of Canada's francophone and Acadian communities. I'd like to make an opening statement and then