Thank you for your question, Mr. Lemieux. If I may, I will comment briefly on your preamble.
I do not want to make assumptions as to what some committee members might have said, but if my report—my take on things—had been completely opposite to your report, they would have asked me why. Had there been no hearings, I believe some would have asked why the government had not held any. That is how things are. Debate is useful. We are fortunate to be living in a country like Canada, where we have rights, liberties, and a strong democratic system in which people can ask questions. I am very happy to be a participant in the process. I believe that is why so many people want to immigrate to Canada.
The issue of immigration was raised a number of times during our discussions, and it became fairly clear there were two sides to the issue. There was the immigration dimension, but a migration dimension as well. Migration is when Canadians move from one region of Canada to another. When we talked about francophone migration and immigration, it became fairly clear that people wanted communities in which immigrants will feel comfortable and be well received. We also wanted them to be informed, aware and cognizant of the choices they would have, for example the choice of sending their children to a francophone or to an anglophone school. In many communities, I was told that many immigrants came to Canada and settled here, but only learned six months or one year or eighteen months after they came that there were many choices they could have made when they first arrived. Perhaps if they had known about the choices available, they would have made different decisions when they arrived. So many communities made it clear was important to ensure that immigrants are well informed of the opportunities and choices available to them.
The issue of promoting francophone immigration, even in minority language regions, was also mentioned. For example, people talked about Manitoba's immigration program. If I remember the figures correctly, Manitoba's goal is for 7% of immigrants to be francophones, even if Manitoba's French-speaking population is below 5%. Manitoba was cited as an example, as a good immigration model.
Then there is the issue of welcoming immigrants, and of ensuring they have the information they need, the information that makes it possible for them to chose to live in the language of their choice.