Thank you, Mr. Julian.
You can see just how passionate people become when discussing these issues.
Mr. Castonguay, you mentioned earlier that in the next census, the number of Francophones is likely to decline. The Petit Robert defines Francophones as people who speak French. We know that the number of Francophones in Canada continues to rise. People may say that their mother tongue is English, and therefore they are not Francophones. But they are Francophones: they consume Francophone cultural products and they contribute to the vitality of all Francophone communities in Canada, as do the members of this Committee.
What I found most interesting about Ms. Lamarre's presentation was her point that we need to change our definitions if we really want to strengthen the vitality of Francophone communities in Canada.
I would like to come back to the questions I asked previously. What types of programs could be introduced in order to facilitate discussion and debate between the various communities that make up Canadian Francophonie? What should be done to expand access to post-secondary institutions? That really makes a difference.
What more should the federal and provincial governments be doing? If we agree on the fact that we want a dynamic French language in Canada, I think we have to look at the steps that need to be taken, rather than throwing in the towel and just leaving Francophones outside Quebec to fend for themselves.