The events of 2018, including the comments on the program Tout le monde en parle, have actually had a positive effect, in the sense that they have created solidarity between francophones from one end of the country to the other.
Immersion is an interesting phenomenon. In the last four years, registrations have increased by 20%. More than 430,000 students are registered in immersion programs in Canada. The problem has more to do with the lack of teachers of French as a second language. Recently, we conducted a study on the problem that earned us extraordinary media coverage. The study was launched in Vancouver because they are crazy for immersion programs there.
Immersion is an important factor. It is a lever that we have to use to promote linguistic duality. To do that, we have to make sure that French as a second language programs have the resources they need to provide quality education. In the past, that was one of the shortcomings. Young Canadians were not given sufficient opportunity to learn the second language, resulting in the fact that, today, everywhere in Canada, we now have a lack of bilingual personnel.