What we're asking for in terms of amendments to the Official Languages Act is relatively simple. The amendments consist of changing one word for another and adding a phrase somewhere else. However modest that may be, it would have a major impact on an organization like ours. It would be the first time that there is a mention of francophone knowledge and research in French. It would be a plus for us.
We are asking that a little more be done to ensure that researchers outside Quebec, particularly in francophone minority communities, acquire better conditions as the years go by, in order to slow down or even stop the decline in French-language research in Canada. No one would benefit from the disappearance of research on local francophone, anglophone or other language groups. Different of points of view, multilingualism and multiculturalism in Canada are important. We need to make sure that there are studies done on those areas.
In our case, what we are defending is research in French. It's important for the studies and data to have an impact on the public policies that serve the population, the institutions and the organizations. The changes we are proposing go some way towards ensuring a better grasp of things so that all sectors targeted by positive measures are affected by our additional phrase concerning knowledge and the importance of producing and disseminating knowledge.
Have I answered your question?