This is part of the Canadian government's efforts to establish an umbrella organization designed to promote the coordination of research in Canada. We were greatly concerned about whether the official languages would be respected within this umbrella organization. We want the person in charge of this umbrella organization to be required to speak both official languages and to be able to work in both English and French.
Since we want the Canadian government to adopt a francophone lens in the field of research, we believed that the secretariat would be the best position to develop this lens, together with the Treasury Board.
This secretariat would also manage and coordinate, in conjunction with the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Canada‑wide coordination table on the development of French‑language education in Canada. It would also manage various programs, such as the francophone missions, together with granting agencies.
In our view, this secretariat would clearly provide added value.