Thank you, Mr. Chair.
My name is Marie-Pierre Lavoie. As you said, last night, I was elected president of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique. So I'm very happy to be here this morning.
I am accompanied by the outgoing chair, Ms. Lapierre. I have some big boots to fill.
Dear members, good morning. I want to thank you sincerely for this opportunity to address you on behalf of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, the CSF.
Your committee is aware of the problems of the CSF and the francophone and Acadian minority school boards as well as the deficiencies of the act. Many stakeholders have long been asking that the government amend it.
The CSF is essentially asking that the Official Languages Act be amended so that it: requires that federal institutions consult minority school boards before they dispose of any immovable or real property; provides a clear framework for the government's financial support of minority-language elementary and secondary education, more particularly of capital assets and in the early childhood field; and requires Statistics Canada to enumerate all rights-holders under section 23 of the charter.
We propose amendments to the act for each of these items. Those proposals are set out in our brief.