Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I would like to welcome everyone from the Office of the Commissioner.
At the risk of repeating what I have said at some of your previous presentations, Commissioner, I think that there is something that is not being addressed by the Office of the Commissioner. I am talking about studies on assimilation. I wanted to point that out because I think that it is worth repeating.
Since the first reports by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, we have never—or only rarely—had a precise account of the decline in the use of French, whether in Quebec or in the rest of Canada. Such a study would have shown that assimilation is still rampant and that there is still a lot of work to do to ensure an actual recognition of the French fact, as well as the English fact, over our entire land.
I see that you have budgets for such studies. There is the "study" component. I would greatly appreciate—this is a request that covers the overall project—if we could receive clear data on the political profile of that situation. That would be very helpful.
Canadian Heritage has long referred to the francophone retention rate. In Saskatchewan, I recall that it was 15% among young Franco-Saskatchewanians. Consequently, there was an 85% assimilation rate. What does that mean in the general scheme of things, in terms of ethnolinguistics and community life?
I am raising the issue because you have funds allotted to conduct studies. If there were more in-depth studies on that issue, they would have to be published and mentioned in the commissioner's report. I believe that would be an extremely significant contribution.
In light of what Ms. Zarac said earlier, we all know that the government is trying to reduce the presence of francophones and Quebec in the political arena—with the critical mass living in Quebec—as part of its bill on democratic representation. The bill is intended to reduce our political weight in the Canadian federation. It is therefore extremely important to have the right data with respect to that issue.
I am amazed to hear you say that you want to intervene with senior federal officials in order to promote language of work rights. They, above all, should be aware of those rights and ensure that government workers can work in the language of their choice. We know that that is not the case.
What do you intend to do so that government decision-makers ensure compliance with the French fact, that people feel comfortable working in their own language? I am talking about the French fact because it is French that is most often scorned within government.