Thank you.
In his presentation to this committee on April 3, Mr. Régis St-Pierre of the Association of franco-yukonnaise mentioned the research of Dr. Rodrigue Landry from the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities. Dr. Landry often states that institutional infrastructure does not necessarily equal community vitality, and that's what our interest is--community vitality. An empty school, an empty church is still an institution, but it cannot contribute to vitality.
The 2006 census definitely contained some good news for our communities. There was a net increase in population growth for Quebec’s anglophones. At the same time, we need to consider a few points.
One, among anglophones aged 25 to 29 there was a net loss for our community of almost 1,000 people. These are no doubt some of our brightest well-educated community members.
Two, among Quebec’s anglophones, 61% of those whose top university degree was a bachelor's degree had moved to other parts of Canada. Among those with a master's degree, it was 66%. Among those with a PhD, it was 73%. So who's staying? The category most likely to remain in Quebec, amongst the anglophone and English-speaking communities, is the high school dropout. Only 40% of those left. So you can see what it does to the community and the building of vitality.
I do not mean to sound alarmist or create a false sense of panic, but our communities do face serious challenges. The QCGN would like to add its voice to those of the many other groups that have presented to this committee in reiterating some key points.
One, one size does not fit all. The government must take into account the unique reality of each official language minority.
Secondly, regarding access to funds, these envelopes must be simplified. The government can play an important role by lightening the administrative load and simplifying the process. When an organization spends half its money filling out application forms and report forms, and the staff have time for only that, it hinders the ability to work and do well.
Finally, the QCGN is currently in discussions to move beyond being a regional client of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and consequently a regional client of all other Government of Canada departments, to become, we hope, an equal partner with the federal government and other stakeholders in national policy development. We are asking for your support, members of Parliament, in our efforts to be recognized at the national level, where the policy decisions that have such a profound impact on our ability to work on community vitality are made.
I would just like to take this opportunity to invite you, the members of this committee, to come for a few hours to Montreal if it can be fitted into your schedule. We would be happy to organize a meeting with a good cross-section of our 29 members so that you can hear firsthand portrayals and information on the issues and the concerns.
Thank you very much.