Thank you, Mr. Chair.
People often say that we talk a lot in committees but that we don't act. Last week, I moved a motion to ask the government or Canadian Heritage to create a $2-million emergency fund for all minority official language newspapers, which you represent here today. And I thank you for being here today.
We refer to this as “a measure”. The government has a $50-million fund to ensure the survival of our organizations in the medium and long term. There is a problem related to the creation of that fund, however. Any normal government has to go through all existing processes to implement its policies and to ensure that the various stakeholders are treated fairly. That being the case, we will have to wait at least six to nine months before the money from that fund becomes available. It is a completely normal political and governmental reality. We are not complaining about it. It's quite the opposite; we understand the process.
Like Ms. Lapointe, I would like to be able to continue putting questions to you. Last week, we had the opportunity of hearing representatives from the associations that represent you. They let us know clearly that you, the members of those associations, were in agony and on the verge of closing, and that in September or November, it would be too late.
What we are proposing in our motion is quite simple. We are asking that the Liberal members support this request, despite the fact that tomorrow or next week...