Official Languages committee  Air Canada has implemented recommendation 4, which asks it to “develop a new directive or policy that takes into account its structure and its realities, and and that covers all of its responsibilities as set forth under Part IV of the Official Languages Act”, namely services to the public.

Official Languages committee  That is the fate of any minority: to fight for recognition and equal status. The most difficult words in the Official Languages Act are “the equality of status and use of English and French”.

Official Languages committee  Only insofar as I have looked at some of the figures that show that a high proportion of health providers in Ontario are coming from francophone immigrants. I don't dare to try to quote you a figure off the top of my head, but francophone immigrants are making a significant contribution to the provision of health care, in French, in Ontario.

Official Languages committee  That is a very interesting idea. For a long time now, I have been talking about the importance of establishing stable and long-term funding for CBC/Radio-Canada. I think it was last year that I pointed out that, of 18 public broadcasters in the developed world, Radio-Canada ranked sixteenth when it came to funding.

Official Languages committee  My concern, in a nutshell, is that if you average across the country, francophones outside Quebec represent 4% of the population and are only receiving and welcoming 2% of the immigrants, and 98% of the immigrants are joining the English-speaking majority. At that rate it will be very difficult for francophone communities to reproduce themselves and to thrive and prosper.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  I think it depends very definitely on the region that you're talking about. If you're talking about Saskatchewan and Alberta where employment is booming, or has been booming—we don't know what the latest employment results are going to be—that's one thing. If you're talking about immigration to the Acadian peninsula, that's something different.

Official Languages committee  Absolutely. I think it is at discussions like this, discussions that I hope our studies and reports can foster, that will lead to a better understanding of best practices. You mentioned Moncton. I often talk about Winnipeg where there was also a very active process welcoming immigrants and refugees at the airport, accompanying them to temporary housing, registering their children at school, finding them francophone medical facilities, and also providing them with English lessons, but in the context of a francophone organization, because there was a real recognition that if they're going to be working in Winnipeg, they're going to need English.

Official Languages committee  This is always a decision that makes it more difficult to deliver services, hire francophone employees and retain a certain level of francophones. The same thing happened during the transfer of the Canadian Tourism Commission to Vancouver. Regarding the transfer of employees in Miramichi, this is not just about people in your riding—

Official Languages committee  There are also employees in Ottawa and Gatineau who are affected and who are facing that decision, namely whether to relocate or seek other employment in the area. This is part of a policy. There is a regional investment policy and a regional restructuring policy. The problem that occurs when a department undergoes regional restructuring is the following.

Official Languages committee  That would be a very desirable practice. There have already been similar programs. For example, there is a network of hotels and inns in Manitoba that signed an agreement with a school of hospitality in Belgium. Students come to Manitoba every year to work in small inns. All this is connected to a francophone tourism campaign organized by the CDEM in Manitoba.

Official Languages committee  In that regard—

Official Languages committee  I did notice one thing. The current government has renewed the previous government's action plan to produce a roadmap that was again renewed. this program is now more focused on education, immigration and support for communities. This represents a significant commitment on the part of the government.

Official Languages committee  I do not have the power to impose penalties, but I hope I have some influence. The discussion focuses on how to get results and the best strategy to follow. I think I have used all the tools at my disposal, whether in face-to-face conversations with deputy ministers or discussions with the departments' executive committee, or still through legal action in the courts.

Official Languages committee  I will not comment on the nature of the communications on the government's websites in general, but I would say that the information on the website is very individualized. It is useful to individuals, but not to communities. I think that that was one of the pillars of Canada's foreign policy in the past.