Good morning, Mr. Fraser. I'm pleased to welcome you once again to the Standing Committee on Official Languages. You always give us some good clues.
I'm one of those people who feel the glass is half full rather than half empty. I like seeing results. Unfortunately, this is an imperfect world, and there is always room for improvement. When we make decisions, there are always challenges, whatever those decisions may be.
Recently in the Senate, in response to a question by Senator Fortin-Duplessis, who commented on your last report, you emphasized that the $1.1 billion in government support for official languages was the largest amount ever invested in official languages by a government in the history of Canada.
With respect to official languages, you said: “We're already seeing some signs of improvement. When I consulted the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and the Quebec Community Group Network, both said they were seeing encouraging signs.”
There are definitely risks, wherever we go, when we make decisions. But do we give sufficient recognition to things that work well? Are people aware of what's working well? We often emphasize what's going wrong, and that happens everywhere, not just in government.
Sometimes it's nice to hear good news. Among the good news you've given us, there is the case of the 11 universities that have joined forces. Could you tell us a little more about things that are going well and about the positive effects of certain government initiatives?