Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Tremblay, Mr. Finn, Mr. Dusault and Mr. Fraser, good morning.
I am greatly concerned by the issue of official languages. There is a word that the Commissioner of Official Languages does not use, and that is “assimilation”. And yet, when you consider communities and even the French fact in Quebec, you find that there are language transfers and that French is losing out to English in everyday speech.
It is important to fight assimilation. I recall that the Association culturelle franco-canadienne in Saskatchewan, known today as the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise, had adopted a resolution to achieve 0% assimilation and 100% francization.
What can the Office of the Commissioner do to combat assimilation? It occurs mainly in areas where francophones are largely in the minority, although we do see it in the Pontiac, not far from here. There are Bilodeaus, Lalondes and Morands who no longer speak French. The Catholic archdiocese of Pembroke ran English-language schools in the Pontiac, and at the time, religion prevailed over language.
What is the Commissioner doing? And in your view, what more can he do? What can Canadian Heritage do to eradicate assimilation?