For those who need translation, I will ask my questions in French.
First of all, I want to thank you for taking the time to come here to speak to us this morning. I know some of you got caught in traffic on the 401. Back home in rural New Brunswick, there aren't many traffic tie-ups. When traffic is bad, it takes us seven minutes instead of five to get to work.
In previous submissions, you talked about the budget cuts a number of groups experienced following the government's announcement in September. I come from a Francophone minority community. As you can appreciate, these cuts have affected minority official language communities in particular and minorities in general.
Have the cuts to the Court Challenges Program, to literacy programs and to women's programs forced some of your groups to fight to preserve the status quo, rather than focus on building the future? Maybe it's not so obvious for certain groups. Nevertheless, generally speaking, in so far as disabled persons are concerned, are you not worried about these budgets cuts that affect the most vulnerable members of our society? Some of your organizations or causes could be targeted for future cuts.
The government sent out a negative message to the Canadian public in late September. As a Liberal member, this worries me a great deal. Given how deep these cuts go -- something that was completely unexpected -- I wonder what we can expect next? Basically, it was the same as being hit over the head with a shovel when you least expect it.
I'll give you a chance to respond.