Thank you very much for coming today. I'm going to speak English, although I speak French, as you well know.
I believe in rules and regulations. I belive it is much more practical to serve this committee by following the rules and regulations, so I apologize for the outburst by my colleague. Nevertheless, we're going to continue.
I really appreciate that you're here today. I grew up taking French immersion, and I was in a school where
there were francophones with anglophones. So voilà, I can speak English and French. That's really thanks to the francophones and anglophones who promoted our program.
I'm very pleased that we have Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface in my community. We see a lot of promotion for our minority community and our anglophones to attend Collège universitaire. If Brandon students ever want to come, Collège universitaire is much closer, and I would encourage them to do so. It's a fantastic program. I myself went to Collège secondaire de Saint-Boniface, which was in the same school.
I understand how it's working in Saint Boniface. I know there's promotion there. But I see kids, as you said Monsieur Rainville, who are not taking the initiative themselves. There is an individual responsibility--I agree with you entirely--and choice to practise their French, but I think it's two-sided.
I think you're both right when you say it's two-sided. We need promotion by the university; we need leadership, but we also need the youths to take advantage of what is being promoted and to really insert themselves into the situation. I hate to say this, but unfortunately I see a lot of francophones speaking English in the hallways of their French schools, just as I see anglophones taking immersion who are still speaking English in the hallways.
So again, individuals have to make a choice. They have to do what they need to do to improve their French.
Would you say that, in general, because I don't really understand the situation in Quebec, anglophones are well served in Quebec? Can more be done for anglophones in Quebec?