Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Still in the same spirit of collaboration, your proposal to provide the list of witnesses for the study on the decline of French in Canada by Thursday noon seems reasonable to me. This gives us the flexibility to hear witnesses on Tuesday as part of this new study.
I'd like to reiterate that I fully agree with receiving the witnesses who have already indicated their availability on Thursday to come and discuss the pandemic's impact on official languages. We're in the middle of it, and I'd like to tell you that we're wondering what kind of holiday season we're going to have in Quebec, because the opportunities to get together are shrinking by the hour.
Having said that, as for Tuesday's study on the decline of French, a lot of ink has been spilled and there's been some grandstanding, but it's important to be factual. In this regard, Statistics Canada is one of the committee's good allies. In the list of witnesses for the Conservative Party, there will be people from Statistics Canada, because the numbers on each community are important. That would certainly be a good way to start the study, especially since we're aware that we won't be able to finish either study before Christmas.
Early in the week, we could invite Statistics Canada's factual specialists. Statistics Canada has always been an ally for us and our analysts. It will enable us to produce a quality report. This report on the situation of French in Quebec will be important. This is unexplored territory for the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I believe that Statistics Canada will be able to make a considerable contribution.
I agree that we hear from witnesses on Thursday about the impact of the pandemic on official languages and that we hear from witnesses on Tuesday about the decline of French.