Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to welcome Mr. Joseph Dicks, as well as Ms. Valérie Leclair and her colleague Ms. Marie Commance-Shulko, from the Edmonton Public School Board.
I will be addressing my questions to Mr. Dicks, and my colleagues will have questions for the school board representatives from Alberta.
In New Brunswick, students used to come into immersion in grade 1. Then, as you will recall, the provincial government delayed the entry point until grade 5. That decision led to protests in New Brunswick. Parents were unanimous in demanding that immersion start in grade 1. The government at the time made some changes and set the entry point at grade 3. That happened in 2007.
Why is it important to have early immersion starting in grade 1? I have been a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages for a long time. We have had the opportunity to question professors from the University of Ottawa, the University of Toronto, the University of British Columbia and elsewhere. They have always said that the earlier children begin, the more chance they have to succeed.
Do you agree with that statement? What do you think about the position of the New Brunswick government?