Mr. Speaker, I am quite familiar with my hon. colleague's concerns about French schooling in Laurier, Manitoba.
It is essential that French-speaking children be provided with suitable accommodation and access to the necessary services to get a good education. Discussions were held between the Franco-Manitoban school division and the Turtle River school board to find a mutually acceptable solution for this year.
The parties reached an agreement providing for portables to be installed on the grounds of the Laurier school and for francophone students to have access to the school's washrooms, gymnasium and library.
All those concerned realize this is only a temporary solution. We urge the Manitoba Minister of Education to look into the case so she can respond to the needs of the francophone community in Laurier. We are convinced that the problem will be settled to the satisfaction of all concerned.
I would point out that this government has made a firm commitment to official language communities and will continue to support them. We have an agreement with Manitoba,which provides for assistance in observing section 23 of the Charter and putting in place structures for school administration. We also have an agreement with the province for the provision of provincial services in French.
The federal government also supports many projects which the community feels are important to its development. For instance, a federal contribution of $1.5 million was made towards the construction of le Centre du patrimoine franco-manitobain.
We also concluded an agreement worth $10.2 million over a period of five years with the francophone community to help with its development.
All these interventions reflect the federal government's firm commitment to a flourishing Franco-Manitoban community.