Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Justin Kingston, and I am the president of the Fédération des associations de juristes d'expression française de common law, or FAJEF. I am accompanied by Rénald Rémillard, who is the director general of FAJEF and is also appearing by video conference.
FAJEF's mission is to promote access to justice in French in the majority anglophone provinces and territories of Canada. FAJEF represents the associations of French-speaking lawyers of seven provinces: the four western provinces, plus Ontario, New Brunswick and Nova Scotia. Our members also include the francophone representative organizations of the three territories and Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island. It is also a member of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, whose president is also attending today's meeting.
FAJEF unreservedly supports Bill C-316 for the following six reasons.
First, a court challenges program is essential in guaranteeing access to justice and honouring francophone minority language rights. Here are a few examples of the tangible consequences that have directly and indirectly resulted from various cases funded by the court challenges program over the years. French schools have been established in the three territories and in six provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia. There are 28 school boards and 740 schools—