Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech.
I know that he has always stood up for francophone rights across the country. He knows that several million people now speak French outside Quebec. There are of course francophones outside Quebec, but there is also a growing number of young francophiles across the country who are learning French in immersion schools, and who have an appetite for and interest in the French language.
I wanted to ask my colleague a very simple question. I know that he has travelled a lot through Canada and he knows where these pockets of francophiles and francophones are. Is it important to him that we continue to provide resources to increase the presence of francophones outside Quebec, but also that of francophiles who are learning French and want to learn and improve their French?
Is it important that the federal government play a key role in this?