Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to the witnesses for being here.
It's excruciating to see just how difficult it will be to meet the target set for us by the government.
First of all, it's very difficult for foreign francophone students to be admitted to a Canadian educational institution. They are refused because the French exam is very difficult. I believe that 80% to 85% of our senior public servants would not be able to pass this exam. It ought to be one of the criteria required for government senior officials in Canada. That might shake things up a bit.
It is also hard to believe that these same students have to prove that they will return to their country and are not planning to stay in Canada. But when they have spent three, five or 10 years of their life studying here, they acquire Canadian skills and it would be much easier for them to find work in Canada.
The highly skilled people who come to Canada should have their qualifications recognized. They often have to start from scratch and return to school. That's another negative aspect that keeps francophones in foreign countries away from Canada.
But beyond all that, if the government were to fully exercise its political will and if all the departments were to put their shoulder to the grindstone on behalf of francophone immigration, would our postsecondary educational institutions, our CEGEPs in Quebec and our universities from one end of Canada to the other, be able to accept 35,000 or 40,000 francophone students per year?
I'd like to hear your comments on that.
Mr. Chair, please allow the witnesses to finish.