I would like to come back to the example of emerging communities that we gave in our presentation.
Earlier, a member of Parliament asked us about the number of francophones in the province. There is one thing that is remarkable. Between the 2006 and 2011 censuses, the francophone community in Newfoundland and Labrador increased by 36%. Some will say that it's because of the oil in St. John's, but when we look at the numbers very closely—which I did—it is surprising to see that over 40% of people are not in the traditional francophone regions. The number of francophones increased in all regions, including those not affected by the oil boom or the mining boom at the time.
In some regions, like in the Burin peninsula, for instance, the increase was even more than 1,000%. The numbers have risen from 10 people to 120. Many regions are not economically favoured in Newfoundland, but the number of francophones still increased significantly there. So this cannot be due solely to economic reasons.
How do you explain that? I think it's because of the work done in the past 40 years to promote a bilingual Canada, bilingualism and cultural identity. When people completed the census, they began to understand that their roots were francophone and checked the “French” box. Previously, they weren't interested.
Personally, that's what I am seeing, and that's what inspires me with dynamism. Among the emerging communities, I would mention Corner Brook. There is no school or organization, but from 2006 to 2011, there was a 59% increase in the francophone population, one that we are unable to serve today. Even the mayor of Corner Brook is francophone, but we can't provide services because we lack funding.