Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I want to start by saying a big thank you to Ms. Nicolas and Mrs. Hickey. I think it's very important to hear from people on the front lines of this study. We have already heard from many people, including school board directors, the university sector and others. However, it's good to hear from two people who are on the ground. I know that Ms. Nicolas teaches because there is a labour shortage and that Mrs. Hickey does everything in our school. I think their contribution is really important for this study and for the recommendations we want to make.
I don't have much time left. Ms. Nicolas, you clearly indicated the challenges you are facing, particularly the labour shortage. I would like you to tell us about the importance of ensuring that francophone schools, in minority communities such as ours and in other rural and northern regions, have the financial support they need to hire the right people.
Do we need wage incentives? Do we need housing support, because we know that housing is hard to find in the north? We know that action is needed to put an end to the decline of French. We know that we need teachers. Is there a role for the federal government to fund those kinds of incentives and support to attract teachers to our region?