Other potential celebration activities could include anglo-initiated bilingual projects to increase visibility within the majority language community. Building from ELAN's ACCORD, arts and community culture on the road, project, there could also be many fruitful interregional arts exchanges, bringing cultural celebrations to the English-speaking communities outside Montreal. In the urban setting, there could be innovative cultural exchanges between anglos and ethnocultural immigrant communities that present the real stories of minority communities in Quebec over the last 50 years.
Tourism is an important economic activity and employer in many English-speaking communities outside Montreal, such as the village of Wakefield, where I am from. The regions of Quebec are historically important to the story of Confederation and could directly benefit from tourism marketing initiatives focused on the 150th anniversary.
The history of the English-speaking community of Quebec predates Confederation by more than a century. Our story is an important and integral part of Canadian history. We hope this committee's recommendations reflect this reality and lead to an anniversary that truly celebrates the heritage of both our official languages.
We will be happy to answer any questions you may have after the break.