Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentleman of the FCCF, in your brief, you say that the cultural sector relies heavily on funding from Canadian Heritage and, as was said earlier, there's limited access to programs from other departments. Is this still the case? Have you noticed any changes?
It's surprising, because in all the debates on the former Bill C‑13, and even before that, in the discussions on the former Bill C‑32, culture was often cited as a means to support the recognition of the minority nature of French in the North American context, even in Quebec. This was included in those bills, and it remained in the implementation provisions, which stipulate that Canadian Heritage may act for the following purpose, among others:
support the development and promotion of francophone culture in Canada, including through the activities of entities for which that Minister is responsible and by ensuring that the Government of Canada’s cultural policies are consistent with the purpose of this Act
So it's surprising that this isn't included in the regulations. It should be quite significant. Among all the cultural organizations in Canada, including the Canada Council for the Arts, there should be an obligation to take positive measures to support culture for francophones outside Quebec.
Do you think this should be in the regulations? Do you have any specific suggestions?