Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ms. Bourget, Mr. Racine, thank you for being here and sharing your expertise with us.
The commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation will no doubt be exceptional for people of our generation, perhaps even two or three generations. Taking part in this type of celebration is a special opportunity.
I think it will also be a special opportunity to promote our linguistic duality and enable all our communities to be involved in this celebration. We need our minority communities to show Canada's character and our core identity. You mentioned that they had been invited to propose various projects. Has this process already started, or will it pick up steam in 2013 to allow people to get involved, to have their say and present their initiatives?
No doubt there will be projects in large cities, but the local projects are also important. It is important to remember the small communities that built our country. Think about the rural regions that fed our country in its early years. It's important because we have deep roots there.
In my riding, some areas are 375 or almost 400 years old. These regions also have treasures. How can we integrate all of that into the celebrations?