Thank you.
Earlier I mentioned the fact that we know how important Africa will be over the next few decades in terms of demographics, the economy and the Francophonie. We often tend to reassure ourselves that French is the language that will experience the most growth in the coming decades thanks to Africa.
You mentioned that Jean‑Louis Roy pointed out last week that this was not a given and that, for French to continue to gain ground in Africa, it will have to be taught to millions of schoolchildren.
That requires that there be schools and French instruction in those schools. If French is not taught in African schools, young people will definitely speak Wolof or Swahili, but probably not French.
We need to make an effort. As one of the previous witnesses rightly mentioned, France has been somewhat discredited in a number of francophone countries in Africa.
Is Canada missing the boat when it comes to focusing on education, particularly in French, in Africa?