Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for being here. We always enjoy hearing from witnesses who can give us information that directly reflects the people in the communities. Oftentimes, we don't have all the answers, and we need to hear from people who know the challenges and can give us insight into those issues.
I'd like to make a few comments. Perhaps you will have some to add afterwards.
When I think about the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, I think about the rights that it grants. I am reminded of what the community was able to achieve with the Nova Scotia government, in terms of the questionnaire for school enrolment, be it in anglophone or francophone schools. If a French-speaking Acadian isn't aware of their rights when filling out the form, they may choose to enrol their child in a school closer to home. It's important, then, that people be aware of their rights. You talked about that, but I'd like to delve a bit deeper.
I can tell you that many Acadians in Nova Scotia still have no idea that the province has francophone schools and that they have the right to send their children there. Some are even under the impression that the French-language schools administered by the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial, the province's francophone school board, are private schools. That is what they think, and I have no idea why. That speaks to a lack of education and awareness-raising.
To let people know that they are rights-holders, the federal government agreed to include a question in the form asking whether they are rights-holders. That question appears in both the English and French versions of the form. A rights-holder is defined in section 23. I'm referring to all three paragraphs in the section, not just the first. It took a few years of squabbling to convince the government. As you can imagine, the English-language school boards weren't exactly thrilled. The information is found in the form they provide. How much effort goes into promoting that right? I'm not sure, but, at the very least, the questionnaire is helpful in letting people know about their right. It simply boils down to a right and the need to promote that right.
When it comes to education, I often compare the situation to that of children with autism. When a student is autistic, that child is entitled to receive extra support. It is not necessarily for parents to tell the school board or school that their child has the right to receive a particular type of assistance. The school has to come to that realization and recognize that the child is autistic and therefore has special needs; it is for the school to advise parents of the extra support available to the child. That's rather interesting, is it not? The school and the community are the ones that provide the information. It is a right, and not extending it is irresponsible.
The right conferred by section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is not really brought to the attention of community members; they are not on the receiving end of any announcements or promotion, and I find that deeply troubling.
To arrive at the necessary data, adding questions to the census would help tremendously. It would not solve the problem entirely, though. I don't want to single anyone out, but we all know full well that certain parents will fill out the questionnaire hastily without paying too much attention. They may not be as conscientious as others. At least the tool exists and helps make people aware of their right to have their child complete their schooling in their language.
I'd like to make another analogy, if I may, even though I am well aware that my colleagues will say that I tend to spend a lot more time setting up my questions than actually asking them. I didn't know this, but the parliamentary secretary informed me today that I even had the right to appear as a witness. Eventually, then, I will contribute to the debate as a witness, and you will have the opportunity to ask me questions.
All kidding aside, thank you for being here, Mr. Tabachnick.
I'd like you to make some general comments on rights determination, comments you haven't already made in previous answers.