Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Jolin, Mr. Hominuk, thank you for coming today. We know that it was perhaps difficult to find the time to come and testify and we are grateful for your presence.
You have shown exceptional leadership on many issues. I would just like to remind people that the protest had been prepared within a month. We should thank all Canadian francophones for their support, but also people from Quebec, because it is rare, and I don't mean to insult anyone, that Quebec supports minority francophones. I am very pleased to see the support and it will perhaps set a precedent that will lead to a wonderful future. I would also like to congratulate you on all the work that has been accomplished previously. We tend to forget, because we are mostly thinking about Black Thursday, but before 2012, there were complaints, work was done and an expert committee was set up. You are the one behind all those efforts and have been for a long time and I do thank you.
The second thing I would like to say is that I was not expecting Ontario, such a well-to-do province, to behave this way. The analogy that I like to use in certain instances, as is the case today, is that when there's less water in the lake, the animals gather around the lake look at each other differently. Governments sometimes do not show leadership or comprehension when it comes to their obligations towards the two founding peoples. When the economy is not doing as well as they would like, they make cuts that hurt minorities. This is exactly what has happened here and proves the lack of leadership on this issue.
I would also like to say something else. I went to school in English, from kindergarten to grade 12, because there were no French schools. Afterwards, however, I was able to study in French at the Université Sainte-Anne in Nova Scotia and at the Université de Moncton. If these two institutions had not existed, I would probably not have done my post-secondary education in French. I would therefore not have reached the goals I had set for myself, and let's not forget that I have many others to reach!
This is why I come back to the needs of students in Ontario and in the rest of Canada who will choose to study there. We are not seeking here to know if whether or not we should have a French-language university, but rather to respond to a need, a willingness. Look at school boards in Ontario, where school populations have grown exponentially, to the point that schools are being built every year. If this French-language university does not come into existence, students will go to English-language universities, they will be assimilated and they will not speak French, they will not contribute to the communities' vitality and the francophones will suffer another blow. This goes beyond the simple opening of a French-language university of Ontario. This is why this issue is so important and the refusal to go forward with this university could cause irreparable harm.
The former federal government abolished the Court Challenges Program which caused a whole lot of problems. Moreover, the census does not ask the right questions to determine the right to education in the minority language set out in section 23(b) of the Charter. Your movement is very important.
My introduction always takes longer than my questions. I am now going to ask you three questions in a row, and you may answer them in the order you wish.
First of all, you said that you have not received any response to your letter. But are there other ways to continue to exercise pressure?
Secondly, you spoke about the government's next steps, but what will be your next steps and those of the community that is following you in Canada right now?
Thirdly, you spoke of the federal government's leadership, but should you also to continue to lobby the Ontario government so that it may sit at the same table as the federal government and thereby ensure that your efforts are rewarded?
Over to you.