Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you for coming to this discussion with us.
Clearly, the reason you're here, as you may know, is that the government finances, subsidizes, some of the programs to offer education for health in French across Canada.
We heard of this issue, and you had heard of it before you arrived. It's a scathing report. They came to us and said that this is an emerging situation that is very, very concerning.
Unfortunately, I'm hearing two different things. Mr. Knowles, you're telling us, yes, it's an issue and you're looking at it and will study it, and it's not that pressing for you. Ms. Janes says her group has a recommendation and is asking for some help. Those are the two messages that I'm hearing.
Mr. Knowles, I think when you came in you told us that people will still have access to nurses who speak French. They may be trained, basically, but they might not write their exam. That's kind of what you're telling us.
It's kind of difficult for us here and certainly for me, as you can see, I speak English. I'm a francophone, but I can work in English as well. That being said, for people who require services in French by francophones, it's not the same thing. I'm a French lawyer. If I had not studied in French, I would not have been able to provide the proper services in French and I would probably work in English most of the time. So when you come here and say that regardless, the francophones can still provide services in French, that is very difficult for us to accept.
You heard the recommendations from Ms. Janes. Is there a possibility that Ontario...? I know you're saying that you want to further study this, but from what you've heard today and our concerns here, financing these institutions and saying, “Well, down the road who knows where we will be”, what are your comments? Is there anything from what you've heard today on how we can move forward and improve the current situation and crisis we are facing?