It's also important for western Canada.
I'm talking about my mother's side of the family, the Beaudoins, because that's part of who I am and part of the history of French culture in Canada, and therefore part of my identity. That's one of the reasons why I'm proud to be here.
What has happened? Here we're studying and discussing the increasingly difficult situation of small francophone communities because we can see they're depopulating. More people are settling in major centres like Edmonton and Vancouver, and the challenge for us is to determine what we can do to improve the situation. That's our responsibility, and it's part of our vision. How can we promote this culture and afford the francophone community opportunities to speak French? That's the major challenge that immigration represents. We're talking about all that and about how important the French identity is to Canada.
My father, on the other hand, was a Dalton. The first Daltons lived in the Montreal region in 1760. Edouard Dalton was born there. It's interesting to note that he was born before the Conquête, in 1760. The English invaded Montreal in 1761. One wonders how that was possible. The Irish didn't really like the English at the time and were quite close to the French. There's even a Rue Dalton in Montreal, which the members from that city may previously have crossed. When you see it, think of my family, who lived there long ago.
I'm still thinking about the Canadian identity. It's really personal for me.