Official Languages committee  That is a very good question. Right now, there is a reception centre in Edmonton that receives funding only to provide services for immigrants. Most people who have finished their three years of funding in Quebec then come to Alberta.

Official Languages committee  This is only done through the budget. Reception services are qualified as "services". We do what we can for newcomers. Even if immigrants have spent three years in Quebec before coming to Alberta, there is no more funding. So, our reception centre survives—

Official Languages committee  First, the province has to recognize these services. Despite the language barrier, the settlement needs still remain.

Official Languages committee  I don't want to confuse the phenomenon of migration and that of immigration, however I would say with regard to federal transfers to the provinces for settlement, it would be interesting to see interprovincial migration recognized. Cooperation with the province is the way to go i

Official Languages committee  Absolutely.

Official Languages committee  In Alberta, there are good relations with the Government of Quebec. I must say that the policy on the Canadian francophonie, in particular the promotion of the Canadian francophonie in Quebec, has been very well received. From our point of view, the best thing that can be done in

Official Languages committee  You cannot increase the number of associations to meet needs created by new arrivals. The limiting factor is the agreement, which is for a fixed amount. If we are to give money to one organization, we have to cut it from somewhere else. We have to make do with what we have. We ha

Official Languages committee  The network we are all a part of is now considering the issue. However, measures to reduce assimilation go beyond traditional economic and demographic factors. There are aspects tied to the vitality of communities. Sometimes, measures turn out to be useless, and sometimes, they w

Official Languages committee  I would like to clarify something with respect to the French-language school board in Edmonton. At present, we are absorbing newcomers through services. Take our student body, for example. The number of students in schools has tripled over the past 10 years. In fact, it went up b

Official Languages committee  If I understand correctly, you are talking about the fact that there is a minister who is directly responsible for official languages. Our approach to produce results on the ground is very often to take action on a daily basis, with departments that are on site. This is where we

Official Languages committee  When it comes to living conditions for seniors, homes were built all over the place. They're essentially apartment buildings. For instance, recently we managed to create the Centre de santé Saint-Thomas, a place where there is ordinary housing, in other words apartments designed

Official Languages committee  In my opinion, Bill S-3 made little difference. There is a great deal of inertia, especially among public servants. As long as there is no clear direction coming from above...

Official Languages committee  Things are going well for us too. There are a few indicators. Obviously, the dynamics are different because we not only have a strong community, but a growing community thanks to interprovincial and international migration to Alberta. We are starting to see the injection of fundi

Official Languages committee  I don't know if the agreement still exists, but it is not the same formula as it was at the beginning. We felt that it was essential to have this provision in place at the outset, because it helped us approach the department. Once that was done, we had our foot in the door, liter

Official Languages committee  I apologize for interrupting, but I would go a step further because there are sometimes massive investments being made. For example, I'm thinking of the Royal Alberta Museum, to which the federal government contributed a significant amount. If there is no obligation to at least k