Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity to attend the annual convention of the Association canadienne-française de l'Ontario (Rive-nord) and the 20th anniversary of "L'étoile d'or" seniors' club in Elliott Lake.
As always, the members, volunteers and directors did a good job of representing the Franco-Ontarians in our region. As always, they have shown that the French fact is still very strong throughout Northern Ontario because the francophones in our region have great love and esteem for the distinctive features and wealth of their culture and heritage.
There is no need for Quebec to leave Canada in order to preserve the French culture. To the contrary, we believe that the French culture will have a better chance of surviving in a united Canada, as my friends from the ACFO and the seniors' club have demonstrated.