Thank you.
Mr. Lord, I was there when your contract was announced by Minister Verner in June, during the Francophonie Summit at the University of Ottawa. I would like to remind you that on the very next day, many organizations—this is something you can verify with the witnesses we heard here—did not believe their ears because they said there had just been a round of consultations and they had said everything they had to say. What is the government trying to do? It is trying to clear its conscience by trying to gain time and avoid having to present a second version of the plan. When we now see the results of your labours, and I said it very frankly earlier, we see nothing that could undermine the first report tabled. The report tabled after the automn 2006 tour among the communities was much more comprehensive. In fact, if we compare that report to yours, calling it comprehensive does not even cover it. I would like you to be aware of this, because it is a very important factor.
Communities are waiting for answers. They do not want the government to lose or buy time. In March, the budget had nothing for them, despite the promises the federal government had made them. This is a completely useless exercise that demonstrates the Conservative ideology, and shows how little respect they have for the French language, for minorities outside Quebec, and for the people of Quebec.
That said, with regard to immigration and migration among communities in primarily anglophone provinces, the figures show that francophones outside Quebec tend to be assimilated. They are assimilated by the dominant English-language culture around them. In very little time, they end up speaking English, the common language, even in the home, with their children. In too many communities, we are seeing a repeated lack of respect towards francophones minorities. Unfortunately, that is what makes up the fabric of Canada's history. We send people to other regions and tell them that they will be able to live in French there, while the social fabric is simply no longer there. Assimilation is a fact.
You live in New Brunswick, and know that in some regions, even in your own province, assimilation happens. So how can you tell us today that one can immigrate to Canada and settle in regions where French is the minority language, and where newcomes orientation and education in French are not available? How can you tell us that immersion can replace French as a mother tongue, and that it is a way of promoting French language and culture? The government would do better to give the funding to existing communities, and to inject large amounts to ensure that their institutions survive and that their young people can stay in the region, so that they can genuinely flourish.
