Official Languages committee  That is true.

Official Languages committee  Implementation budgets are always important.

Official Languages committee  We saw your report with the many recommendations from this committee relative to that. We are still in the process now, but yes, things seemingly did improve in the months after we made the presentation here and in the months during which this committee made its report. In his comments, the minister has promised that this is something that will be very much improved in terms of next year's funding.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Blaney. I just wanted to tell you that my mandate as president of the QCGN will end in mid-June with our AGM and new elections. I wanted to say what a pleasure it has been over the last three years to come here. Last but not least important, I think if we had, as our community groups in Quebec, across Ottawa half the support we've been getting from this committee, we would be a very, very happy organization.

Official Languages committee  It's not the answer, but it's part of the puzzle. There could be financial incentives for students to help them come back. We have seen in the Gaspé region very interesting and proactive measures involving getting students from the community to come back. I used the term “out-migration” in my speech.

Official Languages committee  When the bill was first announced, we took the issue to our board and supported that approach in principle, except that there has to be an implementation phase, and there are different ways of doing that. You can get a judge who comes in at 50% bilingual. They can be brought up within a period of six months.

Official Languages committee  In terms of the road map?

Official Languages committee  Obviously, if you're not at the table, you're not a serious part of the discussions. When the non-mention--if I can use that term--in the throne speech of us officially as being one of the two official minority languages communities.... I'm not afraid to say that I'm naive enough to say to my DG, when I found out about it, that, well, maybe it's just a slip; maybe they're so used to saying francophone communities that maybe for once....

Official Languages committee  Yes, I could answer that. We said in our speech that it's not a question of language. Obviously, language is a factor. Language is always going to be a factor. But feeling at home in your community is not going to be measured, for us, in terms of community vitality in our English communities across Quebec, on how much integration there is in the francophone sector.

Official Languages committee  I'll just say something quickly, and then maybe Sylvia will also comment. Mr. Bélanger, I think it's a question of what we keep saying, that community vitality is the big issue. Yes, in terms of languages, as I said in my speech, we live in the reality of North America. Everybody with cable TV and satellite has 200 or 300 English TV stations, so there's no lack in terms of language.

Official Languages committee  Not every day.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Blaney, and thank you, once again, members of the committee. Welcome, once again. I would like to begin today by briefly summarizing our community's experience with the Official Languages Act. That's the point of the meeting. I would like then to move on to how some of these experiences have impacted the English-speaking community of Quebec, and describe some of the barriers to our collective vitality and sustainability.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Blaney, could I ask a question? When these meetings take place with the representatives of the government, would that be an open meeting like today's meeting?

Official Languages committee  There is stress, which you just talked about earlier. That's always a problem. There is the ability to produce, as Mr. Godin was saying before, and although I wouldn't go as far as to say “unable” to produce, it vastly diminishes their ability, because you work very hard in putting together a one-year plan and then you get funding for six months, or it comes six months late, so you readjust and you start to cut things.

Official Languages committee  It's simply process. The response I get is that it's process.