I'd like to thank you all for being with us today.
I am pleased with what I heard today. Since the beginning of our consultations on this subject, we met with many representatives from institutions such as museums, the NFB and others. Today we are meeting with two groups of people who love French and who like sharing their love of the language with young people. You are doing excellent work and I think it's wonderful that you are here.
When Statistics Canada published its recent data on bilingualism in Canada, I must admit that several of us were worried, particularly with respect to bilingualism among youth which fell from 15% to 11%. This is your target age group.
I personally think that the 150th anniversary of Confederation will be a great opportunity to renew young people's interest in learning languages. It's unfortunate that you didn't participate in the hearings for the 150th anniversary. After all, the future of this linguistic duality relies heavily on your organizations. The institutional sector can play a role, but there needs to be action taken at the grassroots level.
To date, I haven't heard about projects involving youth that would act as a game-changer and turn the tide. I think that the 150th anniversary should give 150,000 young people the opportunity to travel all around Canada. I'd like to hear your comments. What are your projects that would inspire people to participate in these kinds of activities?