Mr. Chairman, I would like to begin, if you don't mind. My name is Ms. Deschamps.
Welcome, Mr. Bradet. Thank you very much. I spent a few moments quickly reviewing the material you provided. It's very interesting. It conveys a message of hope. We are witnessing changes as some great projects get underway.
As you can see, I speak French. I am originally from an area north of Montreal, the Laurentians, where we are trying to organize educational projects with Africa and other partners.
There is one issue that does concern me at this point. In many Francophone African countries, ambassies have been closed. Furthermore, Canadian aid to Francophone countries has also gone down. Last week, a large delegation appeared before the Committee. I, too, was very impressed to see so many ambassadors come here to raise awareness of the problems they are currently facing, or could face, in Africa. Without wanting to sound like a demagogue, I have to say I find myself questioning a lot of things. It seems to me there is a major gap in terms of the amount of Canadian aid given to Francophone countries, as opposed to Anglophone countries. I don't know how that could be rectified. For now, we are asking the government to try to stop the hemorrhaging. The fact that eight Francophone countries have been struck from the list of those that benefit from international cooperation is even more worrisome.
Do you have any solutions to propose? We certainly understand the concerns of the African ambassadors — indeed, of African civil society as a whole.