We are recommending that there be more meaningful enforcement of the Official Languages Act so that we can receive more services. We would also like to see better funding for Francophone associations and organizations, as well as better access. Sometimes the nature of our communities does not jibe with the application forms. And yet what we are asking for is logical and makes sense; we can provide a rationale. We do what we can.
We would like to buy some land in order to have a source of revenue. That way, we would be less dependent on grants, which would be beneficial for the government, but we don't have the right to do that. We are completely dependent on grant money. So, we do what we can with the little we have.
We would like to see increased funding for French-language programs, or at the very least that such funding be made available. Other organizations, such as municipalities, do not have the money to develop projects in French. If there were a program, a budget or at least some incentives to encourage us, that would be a very good thing. For example, the NWT Arts Council, which is responsible for arts and culture in the Northwest Territories, only operates in English. It would be wonderful for us if part of its budget could be set aside for French.
In closing, I would just like to say that we are an active population, a population on the move. We are only asking for a few services, so that we can stay here and make more of a contribution to the community's development. And, in a context where there is increased interest in resources development in the North, we feel we should be a key community getting involved in that development.
We are some of the first pioneers to have settled in the Northwest Territories; we can be that again. We just need some help so that we can play our part.