Welcome everyone. I am pleased to see some people here today whom I met during our trip.
As you know, we did a tour across Canada. We have listened to communities and have understood their message. The committee in the future will be able to work together to target what has worked and see what has not worked.
I would also like to mention to some people around the table that the federal government is currently working with the Northwest Territories to support the territories with French-language services. This is very important to us. We expect to reach an agreement soon. Actually, negotiations between the Northwest Territories and the federal government are doing very well. In fact they are ongoing.
I do not know whether some people have read this. But last December 2nd the Government of Canada and the Northwest Territories announced an agreement regarding increasing the size of the Alain-St-Cyr school in Yellowknife. That is another step. We want to work with you. For my part, I can say that I am eternally optimistic. I know that when it comes to the Francophonie, we still have a number of challenges to meet. When you do a cross-country tour, you see that things are not always that obvious.
What I would like to know from each of you, in your respective fields, is what you think the main challenges will be for communities over the next ten years. As a government, how could we help you improve the situation and find possible solutions, not on a short-term basis, but rather over the long term? We like to hear your suggestions.