Official Languages committee  I think we need to develop a policy that has national targets, as well as quotas. If we give immigrant selection powers to the provinces and territories, then fixed criteria and quotas for francophones are needed so that all of our communities can grow.

Official Languages committee  Several measures in the bill will get things moving. Is there something more we can do to stop the decline? Yes, absolutely.

Official Languages committee  I think the committee needs to think about one question: are we living in a country where it's possible, universally, to learn French?

Official Languages committee  It's going to be absolutely essential to properly fund this policy, up to a few tens or even hundreds of millions of dollars, through separate programs that will meet the immigration needs of the communities, with the leverage and powers required for francophone communities to select whom they want.

Official Languages committee  Our view is that language provisions definitely have to be included in the act and they can't be optional. I believe that there is already an official languages lens approach mentioned in Treasury Board studies on all the new policies and programs. Unfortunately, simply ticking a box to say that it did not have a negative impact is not the same thing as promising to meet the specific needs of the Canadian francophonie in a specific province or territory and how it is going to be done.

Official Languages committee  Our view is that Bill C‑13 is a good bill, but that it requires the clarifications that we are requesting. These are the six basic amendments that would do more to protect French-language minority communities in Canada. We believe that it's essential for the six amendments to be included in the bill.

Official Languages committee  We think it's important to persist in trying to strengthen French in the public service and federal institutions. That's why we did not propose a uniquely territorial model for the use of French in federally regulated businesses. We need French in federal businesses everywhere. That's also true for services.

Official Languages committee  We believe that the language rights of official language minority communities should be defended and that the minorities ought not to be excluded from access to a legal remedy if they feel that their language rights have not been complied with.

Official Languages committee  We do not unfortunately have an answer to that question, but we could provide the committee with a complementary document dealing with this issue.

Official Languages committee  In fact, it would be the extension of an existing power. The power to issue orders should apply to part VII of the act. At the moment, it applies only to parts IV and V of the act.

Official Languages committee  I think it's up to Quebeckers and Quebec stakeholders to address that issue. It doesn't apply to us.

Official Languages committee  We haven't studied part V of the act very much, and that's why we haven't proposed any amendments for the time being.

Official Languages committee  For now, yes.

Official Languages committee  I'd like to correct an assumption here. We never said there were 25 amendments either. A few years ago, we drafted a model bill in which we conducted a complete analysis of the Official Languages Act. Many of these requests were included in either Bill C‑32 or Bill C‑13, and now the six remaining amendments represent what's still to be done to produce the best possible bill for francophone and Acadian communities.

Official Languages committee  No. For the time being, these are the consultations referred to in part VII of the Official Languages Act. We incorporated all of the text describing what a consultation by a federal institution should look like.