I'm sure you could go around the table and collect $1,000 right now.
The federal and provincial governments hold the keys you need. One of those keys is to accredit you quickly, not in six months, so you can issue tax receipts. That's the least the government can do. Here's tangible and immediate action that can be taken. Don't ask the Ontario government to give you money; just ask it to let you issue tax receipts. I can't believe they'll deny you that. These are things that can be done right now.
I got an arena built when I was mayor of La Pocatière. On January 1st, 2007, I had no idea how I was going to raise $1 million, which was the private fundraising goal we had set for ourselves. On February 14, I and two other guys named Bernard, who were honorary presidents like I was, kicked off the "Un amour de projet" fundraising campaign with the Club des cent, which consisted of 100 mothers and grandmothers. We raised $1 million in six weeks in a town of 5,000 inhabitants.
When I talk about the momentum I see right now, I'm talking about momentum all across Canada. There are 622,000 francophone citizens in Ontario, but there are millions of francophones and francophiles in Canada. So we can do it. Quebecers are ready and would be enormously pleased to take part in your project.
I'll tell you one thing: don't miss this opportunity. It's here, and now's the time to move quickly. I'm convinced that, in three days, the federal government could take the necessary steps so you could issue tax receipts. You have to take advantage of the opportunity to raise money. That will help both the Université de l'Ontario français and the francophonie of Ontario. It will definitely tell you whether Doug Ford's government resents the francophonie or the university. There's a serious problem if it can't even invest $5 million over 10 years.