Mr. Chair, there is something unique to the Standing Committee on Official Languages, especially on this side of the table. There is Mr. Boissonnault from Alberta, Mr. Vandal from Manitoba, Mr. Samson from Nova Scotia, Mr. Arseneault from New Brunswick, and me from Ontario. I don't know when the last time was that this committee had five people from five different provinces, and from minority communities.
There is some concern, but we also see that there is an opportunity here. In a few years, the Official Languages Act will be 50 years old. It was passed in 1969. We talked about the influence it had. I often say that I'm a product of the Official Languages Act. I don't think I could have done my bachelor's degree in law at the University of Ottawa in a minority situation had it not been for the Official Languages Act. The act encouraged the provinces to create such programs.
Fifty years after the Official Languages Act was adopted, this issue is still being addressed using an approach that involves influence, especially among the provinces. My colleague Mr. Samson said that perhaps we should change course and influence the provinces, especially with respect to education and immigration. This could be done through tripartite agreements. We all agree here that things can be improved, but they aren't moving forward the way they should.
We can continue to use influence. However, in the next action plan that we are working on and that will be in our next report, I suggest that we start looking at things from a different perspective, that is, through tripartite agreements between the federal government, the provinces and the communities.