Mr. Chairman, I raised the matter of following the money sent to the provinces by Ottawa with the Clerk. It was explained to me then that the nature of current federalism and the principle of provincial accountability mean the provinces have full responsibility for the money they receive, including from the federal government.
Money is sent by Ottawa with an explanatory letter stating that the money must be used for minority language education or second language education. However, it is very difficult for me to know exactly how that money is spent, since I do not have the authority to investigate what is being done by a provincial ministry or a province. A provincial Minister of Education personally admitted to me that when a cheque would arrive from Ottawa, he tended to spend it for whatever he felt was a priority.
So, I can't give you a clear answer to that question. What I can say, though, is that the way the money is spent is often a mystery.