I agree with you.
Some countries, such as the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are the reservoirs of current and future French speakers. Does Canada know this? I believe so. However, Canada too often lets France take the lead. I saw this a long time ago when I took part in a number of francophonie meetings, including the meetings on preparing the Bamako declaration.
There seems to be some backlash. These days, clearly France is facing serious challenges in its area, for a number of reasons. These reasons include colonialism and neo‑colonialism, currency and foreign intervention. As I said earlier, the context has changed, but not the practices.
If Canada doesn't take on a more leading role through Quebec, by better aligning the objectives of the francophonie with the vision shared by the African countries, French may be seen mainly through the lens of France. That said, I have nothing against France. I'm simply pointing out that, right now, any policy that goes through France is more—