Official Languages committee  Not yet, but people in my training workshops are talking about it. It's mainly French immigrants to Canada who are realizing they could also do business with their home country. People come for training and information. They want to know how it could be done. But logistics-wise,

Official Languages committee  In eastern Ontario, we don't have any mines or companies that are active in that sector, but we do have products. We have numerous consulting firms that support municipal governance development, local development and land-use planning, firms that sign many contracts with Africa,

Official Languages committee  That would help tremendously. Apart from what was introduced in the House this week, a few weeks ago, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, a loyalty card was issued for all francophone and anglophone businesses across eastern Ontario. Companies and individuals will be

Official Languages committee  The reason the Alliance française is generating revenue is that many people are learning French. That is happening all over the country now.

Official Languages committee  Francophone companies do not want to put up signs in French in some areas. When we were seeking funds to set up a company in Saskatoon, I met some entrepreneurs who did not want to put up signs in French. They were willing to invest in projects, but they do not want to have Frenc

Official Languages committee  That's it.

Official Languages committee  Yes, the number of francophiles is growing.

Official Languages committee  Having no access to good funding—be it in terms of grants or loans—and to the right information in French at the right time does have negative consequences. For instance, a francophone may be able to read in English. However, if they do not understand taxation—God knows it can be

Official Languages committee  My pleasure.

Official Languages committee  We are already part of an entrepreneurial Francophonie network. Entrepreneurs can also meet at the Rencontre internationale de la Francophonie économique—international meeting of the Francophonie on the economy—and a number of other events organized by associations. Events have b

Official Languages committee  Francophones in minority communities who own a business will end up providing their products and services in English, but often, they draft their business plans in French, and they have to be able to present them to various lenders or investors. A few months ago, I did some rese

Official Languages committee  I used to work in event planning. I organized the artistic programming for all events in the national capital—be it Canada Day, Winterlude or other events. When someone really wants to grow their business, they often need specialized support. When you create a company in the area

Official Languages committee  Is it for me that question? You know..... I switched to English. That's part of what being Franco-Ontarian means. We created a francophone economic space, some 15 years ago, when we decided to talk to governments and the community, and to create chambers of commerce and busin

Official Languages committee  About a decade ago, I was one of the people arguing for less bureaucracy. I felt there should be regulation, as long as it wasn't abusive. I also felt there should be tax deductions and tax incentives, which are not offered across Canada. If, as a business, I want to invest in my

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much for your question. It is true that I am an associate of the Canadian Centre for Community Renewal, which is a partnership enterprise. We do not seek funding.