Thank you, Mr. Chair. I'll try and speak more softly: it seems to disturb Mr. Lemieux otherwise. His hearing is too good and it hurts his ears. So I won't speak as loudly.
Let us use Mr. Lemieux's figures. Let's suppose for a moment that I accept them at face value. He said that the government has spent $810 million. However, $933 million was earmarked. Now even if we were to accept the figures put forward by Mr. Lemieux, there is a shortfall of $123 million. I'd be more inclined to believe the figures provided by our research analysts, but Mr. Lemieux then goes on with that piece on festivals. We'd have to check the extent to which their budgets were cut before they got the $30 million he referred to. Last year, the festivals didn't get any money, and they had to fight at the House of Commons. There is nothing to boast about.
For my part, I'm talking about teaching in the language of the minority. That is where the cutbacks were made, and that is where there was projected spending of $933 million. Action plan and regular program expenditures totalled $933 million, and yet the government spent $810 million. Now I'm not talking about festivals, that's something else. I'm talking about educating our young schoolchildren.
Mr. Fraser, you were clear when you spoke about the institutions. You referred to the Boréal College. I went to Sudbury, and I met the principals. Mr. Lemieux came with us, I think, when we went there. I think that he was part of the official languages committee at the time. He was able to observe the positive impact the college has on Sudbury and the surrounding areas, and how it's benefited Hearst, Kapuskasing, Timmins, and all of the northern Ontario region. All this was achieved because of these institutions.
Let me use your words. You said that francophones might be wondering whether or not to send their child to a school where he or she can't play sports, where there may be no library, laboratories, and where there aren't enough classes, etc. The reason why the action plan worked from a health care standpoint is that there was enough money set aside. The reason why it hasn't worked in the area of education is perhaps due to a lack of money, in fact a shortfall of $132 million.
I'd like to hear your reaction to this.