Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to our witnesses for being here today.
You probably won't be surprised that I am focusing on the testimony of the members from British Columbia for two reasons. I believe that what you have said is very good for us, and I myself am particularly interested in the issue.
My family and I went camping at Guillam Lake in northern British Columbia. The trip was put together by the organization of parents who support French in British Columbia. My three children went to Pauline Johnson school in West Vancouver, where they were able to develop their French.
As well, it’s a bit of a unique situation in my riding. We have two mayors and a provincial representative who speak French. It’s perhaps the only riding where all three levels of government are able to speak French in British Columbia. This is something we are very proud of.
I have a few questions to ask you. The first question is this: is it currently possible to go to British Columbia to study French? There are now international schools that wish to attract students to study French in British Columbia. I personally believe this is a really good breakthrough for official language duality.
As for my second question, do you think we really need more regulation? If not, is this something that is increasingly rooted in the hearts of British Columbians who wish to study French themselves?
Regarding my third question, there is a growing trend to have children in British Columbia study Chinese. Do you think this could curtail interest in studying French? If not, will it help?