Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Allow me to introduce myself. I am Melinda Chartrand, chair of the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones. First of all, thank you for inviting us to appear as part of this important study on the enumeration of rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
The Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires is a non-profit organization representing Canada's 28 minority francophone and Acadian school boards. These school boards provide educational services in French to 160,000 students in nearly 650 schools.
The federation represents the interests of its members in nine provinces and three territories. Minority francophone school boards are responsible for providing their communities with the education system to which they are entitled under section 23 of the charter. Their mission is to counter assimilation in minority language communities and promote their vitality. In order to achieve that objective, minority francophone school boards need to know their potential clientele and, more specifically, the number of parents with rights under section 23 of the charter. This is why the subject of your study is so important to us.
I will now give the floor to Mr. Roger Paul, executive director of the federation, who will explain in greater detail why it is essential that the census be changed.