It's really incredible to see the extent to which your needs are really essential needs — things that the citizens of an organized country would consider to be elementary. You know what you need, and I am stunned to see that what you are lacking, in a developed country such as ours, is the money to meet those basic needs.
Mr. Hubert talked about philosophy at the outset, and I think that is really where the rubber hits the road. There really is no philosophy outside Quebec with respect to developing Francophone communities. In Quebec, we have one because we took matters into our own hands. I won't repeat what I said earlier, but basically, what we have to make the federal government understand is that the French fact is not something that involves only several million individuals; it is a Canadian reality. It is a basic notion in this country, which was founded by two equal communities. And there is the rub.
I hear the Conservatives say that the Liberals did nothing for 13 years. That is the phrase I have heard most often since I was elected. I have only been here since January, and as a result, I am still quite candid. If I can tell you a secret — which isn't really, because you hear this every day on radio and television — it may well be true that the Liberals did nothing for 13 years, but now what exactly are we doing? We're cutting programs. That just doesn't work.
I want you to know that I hear your cry of despair. We will continue to demand, as we already have, that the Court Challenges Program be reinstated, that the budget cuts — not only those affecting Francophones, but particularly those — be cancelled, because you have rights under the Constitution and those rights must be respected. You have to be given the means to develop. In that respect, your message has come through loud and clear.
To have a clear idea of what that represents, Ms. Roy, I would like you to tell me what your organization's annual budget is.