For committee work, we're here and we're happy to be here. I think what is important is the notion of outreach.
For the English-speaking community, we are in Montreal. The issue is on our access and our potential to come to Ottawa regularly.
This is all to do with fact that we are in Montreal. When we have to travel, it is expensive. And when we plan to travel, we have to make sure that it is done in the most efficient and productive way possible.
So it is more helpful if departments and ministers invite us in for consultation. It's the notion of outreach, and not just once a year. Things happen throughout the year. You have to have an outreach strategy. For English-speaking communities of Quebec, if you think there is maybe a problem, then maybe the impact of the Official Languages Act is not working as well in Quebec as somewhere else.
For the moment, in terms of our evolution, you would think there would be a bigger initiative around outreach. I can tell you there is no perceived significant outreach strategy to the English-speaking community of Quebec--like how we are different, how we can speak to you. I'll give you an example of the dialogue days. In Quebec we're not structured as well because of history, because of structure money. We don't have certain structures, so for us to go to that day it's a little more complicated to bring people in. We have to figure it out. To bring 33 people to that dialogue day the other day, my structure is not capable of doing the same thing. I can't just bring 32 of my members in, because for it to be really good for the department and beneficial for all of us, I have to figure out, if there are 40 people to come, who should be there. Where are my strong sectors? Where are my weak sectors?
I must have spent a week talking to people, bringing them in, making them understand what official languages are--I called it my Love Boat connection. That is very time-consuming. When we talk about asymmetry or we talk about a different perception in Quebec, we have to consider that. For us, the outreach strategy for Quebec has to be considered differently.