Regardless of all our goodwill here in committee, I'm sure we will not be able to exert pressure or change things for this fall. The registration process is already under way right now. I am thinking more of next year or subsequent years. That's why I am very open to amendments, by the way.
In your riding, French speakers from Africa in a majority situation will often move to other French-speaking communities in Canada, and I am convinced they are facing this issue. Young Africans want to come here to study, precisely because these communities exist in Canada, but they cannot do so. We have actually heard that.
However, in Quebec, it is fundamentally wrong that the rejection rate is as high as 80% for students from some African countries. Why do we not want to welcome them? Is it a question of money? I need to know the real reasons. Surely there must be an evaluation grid on which public servants base their decisions.
One of the realities of CECEPs is that after a second or third application, all of a sudden students are accepted. It seems that age is one factor among others. In any case, some CEGEPs have reportedly been told that age is a factor. My mother went to university until she was 90. I don't know why anyone would get turned down at age 23 by a CEGEP or a university. It's completely ridiculous.