I'd like to thank the committee for agreeing to hear our opinion on the situation of remote Francophone organizations. This is the opinion of representative Francophone organizations like the various Ontario ACFOs, particularly those in remote regions.
As you can see, from the briefs presented, the ACFO community organizations have played and continue to play a really very important role in the development and vitality of the Franco-Ontarian communities. The provincial ACFO, but especially the regional ACFOs, which are separate entities, have been very important instruments for making our demands. The gains they have managed to achieve through their keen work include French-language secondary schools in Ontario in 1968-1969, community health centres, Francophone day care centres, literacy centres, cultural centres, French-language newspapers and, most recently, Francophone colleges. The goal in this last case was to ensure that all Francophones, all those who could contribute to Ontario society, obtained complete and adequate training in their language.
Many challenges remain. We don't have community health centres or French-language newspapers in all regions. We must also fight the downloading of provincial government services. That phenomenon hit us particularly hard in the 1990s. I believe the Liberal government will be transferring Service Canada to the provincial governments. The ACFOs must be vigilant and ensure that, in the context of this downloading of services to the municipalities and provinces, the Francophone community has access to French-language services.
We must also create a socio-cultural environment conducive to the economic development and cultural vitality of the remote communities. We must fight assimilation, which is a major challenge. What makes matters even more difficult is that our communities are going through profound economic restructuring. I won't even discuss the crisis in the forest industry: it's already quite obvious. We must diversify economically, and the presence of the Francophone communities, whether it be in artistic creativity, tourism or any other area, can be an advantage.
Securing funding for these organizations so that they can play their role is the biggest challenge we're facing. Obviously, we could discuss at length the $4.2 million envelope that Canadian Heritage grants to Franco-Ontarian organizations as a whole. It is distinctly inadequate. There are 500,000 Francophones in Ontario, and yet we receive the same amount as Francophones in Alberta. It's not that I want to take away anything from them, but we are scattered across the province. In the minority regions where there are obvious needs, we need more resources so we can play our role effectively.
In addition, we experienced major cuts in the 1990s. If you look at that chart that shows Canadian Heritage grants, you'll see that there are figures from 1985, when we became organizations independent of the provincial ACFO, until 2006. These are solid and established figures, based on the grants that have been made by Canadian Heritage. In the chart showing Canadian Heritage grants, you'll see inflation-adjusted figures in the red part. In 1985, for example, the $50,000 amount is a grant that the Timmins ACFO received. To achieve an equivalent action capability and purchasing power in 2006, we would need the figure in red that appears just above, that is $86,000.
In 2006, we received exactly $37,100 in grants. In 1985, a $50,000 amount enabled us to have two full-time employees. Since the early 1990s, our employees have been part time. We're forced to work on projects associated with Service Canada or other institutions in order to have permanent staff. We have to implement projects in order to exist. Of course, those projects are positive.
The second chart, showing the various shades of blue, shows revenue sources. You can see Canadian Heritage grants in dark blue, money we received from the community, friends of ACFO and economic institutions in lighter blue and, in very light blue, the first peak represents the money for the Clin-D'oeil day care project. All this revenue totalled $180,000, and we were able to operate for four or five years.
In 1996, we fell into a no man's land. We subsequently obtained funding for other projects that met the community's needs, but we had to work very hard. At that point, we were unable to work on all issues affecting the French-language services of the municipalities. It seems to me the figures are quite clear and eloquent.
Let's take a look at what ACFO can do and provide for these regions. It is an essential instrument in the development of Franco-Ontarian societies. The problem is that we don't have the financial means to do our job. We owe our volunteers a lot. I'm a teacher and I have a life outside ACFO, but I have to do what I've previously called extreme volunteerism. If I didn't do that kind of volunteer work, like all members of the board of directors, there wouldn't be any ACFO, and we would have closed up shop. Today, we're in a serious crisis. The ACFOs of Supérieur-Nord, Kirkland Lake and Cochrane-Iroquois Falls have received an incredible grant of $18,000 for one year. What can you do with $18,000 in 2006? Receiving $37,100 in a town like Timmins with a population of 19,000 Francophones is hardly any better. What can you do to ensure that that population develops and gets the French-language services it deserves? It's quite difficult.
We're a grassroots, close-to-the-people organization. We're close to the community. I think we should be adequately funded. Being close to the community, we're able to respond to it, express its needs and find adequate solutions to its problems. We've proved this in the past.
The solution we're proposing is simple. Adequate and direct funding should be provided to the communities. Not all the money from the agreements that have been signed, as well as other sums that have been allocated through Mr. Dion's plan or through the Canada-Ontario Agreement, has made it to the organizations that do the work in the field in the North. If I were realistic, I'd say that $50,000 in 1985 is worth $86,000 in 2006. That's what we're requesting, but we're fiscally responsible. We're asking you for $60,000, with a variable formula thereafter, based on community needs. In the regions where there are no services, no support, there should be a little more money. Additional funding should also be granted based on the number of Francophones served, the number of Francophones who will receive those services. I have nothing else to add on this subject. I await your questions and I turn the floor over to Suzanne.