Official Languages committee  Youth employability is obviously a big challenge. The cost of living is rising all the time. So it's very important that young people have access to jobs in French in our communities. We can see that jobs are available, but they're not always well known. They're not promoted. We need to set up an internship program that highlights existing jobs or creates new jobs for young people.

Official Languages committee  These are obviously programs that are very important. They're part of the post-secondary environment. For francophone students who don't have the financial means to study, there must be jobs in French. Think of the foreign students who come to study at our institutions and can't work in English, because they don't speak the language.

Official Languages committee  Yes, we agree and support the recommendation of the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne, or ACUFC, to increase funding to $80 million per year for post-secondary institutions.

Official Languages committee  From Grand Falls, New Brunswick.

Official Languages committee  Indeed, that is a reality we have to face. There are students who go to high school in a French-language school, or even a French immersion school, and who don't have access to a French-language program at the post-secondary level. They can then end up losing the use of the language.

Official Languages committee  Of course, it's very important. French-language post-secondary institutions need more funding.

Official Languages committee  The scholarship program could be a solution, but it's mainly a matter of adequately funding our institutions.

Official Languages committee  Our organization does not receive funding to do research. We're a community-based organization. As for institutions, I couldn't provide you with an answer, unfortunately.

Official Languages committee  Our organization has members in nine provinces and the three territories. So they come from all over the country. We represent people from francophone and immersion schools. Others come from immigrant backgrounds. We have a bit of a pulse on people from very diverse backgrounds within our organization.

Official Languages committee  Our answer is the same. We see glaring problems in our minority post-secondary institutions. For example, there are fewer spaces available than in English-language post-secondary institutions. There are also few choices. As a result, students have to travel greater distances and incur additional costs.

Official Languages committee  Yes, that's right.

Official Languages committee  That's a very good question. You're asking questions about early childhood and you're pinpointing the right area. The important thing is to recruit young people at the beginning of the continuum, from early childhood, so that they then go to school in French and continue on to high school in French.

Official Languages committee  The program was included in the former Action Plan for Official Languages, the 2018–2023 plan. We're asking for a new scholarship program that would allow young francophones to pursue their post-secondary studies in French, since they face the same challenges.

Official Languages committee  That's right.

Official Languages committee  Currently, the scholarships are for students with French as a second language who are studying in French. In other words, students who attended French immersion schools or programs. However, the scholarship program is not intended for students who completed their high school education in a French school and whose mother tongue is French.