Official Languages committee  Yes. As I indicated, our funding is very diversified. At present, less than 25% of our funding comes from the agreements. On the cultural level, for example, we receive funding from the French Embassy to organize CINÉ-France, a French film festival. The French Embassy supports this initiative.

Official Languages committee  No. Nine men out of ten in western Canada are married to an anglophone—I am as well—and do not pass on their language and culture to their children. Can I appear before you and say that I am not pleased to acknowledge that my two children speak French just as well as anyone in the world, that I have a francophone school in the Yukon, that I have just attended a Francophonie festival, that I can celebrate my culture and my language, that the Government of Yukon has proclaimed May 15, 2007, as Francophonie Day in the Yukon?

Official Languages committee  Things are going well because in fact we are dealing with our own members. We are labelled an association, but we are a kind of francophone community assembly, an integrated Francophonie. The association, which is the mouthpiece, includes what we call sectors. The cultural sector of the Association franco-yukonnaise is responsible for developing cultural projects.

Official Languages committee  Les EssentiElles is the women's advocacy group.

Official Languages committee  The name is a play on words given that women are essential. At the Association franco-yukonnaise, the cultural committee in fact organizes or oversees the activities. It does not always organize them, but it does overall coordination. In March, there were more than 16 cultural celebrations, including an informal talent night.

Official Languages committee  Several agreements were reached with the federal government, but the financial mechanisms and forms are different in a number of cases. In fact, there are 26 different forms. It is a bit strange to think that one department can provide us with funds every month while another makes us wait five or six months.

Official Languages committee  Indeed. Moreover, the projects are viable when we submit them, but they become difficult to carry out once we receive confirmation of their acceptance. That is the case, for example, if a project must begin on October 1, 2007, but I receive a response in March 2008. I then have to prepare my project retroactively and change all the budgets.

Official Languages committee  In fact, there have been improvements, and we do take all that into account when we draft our applications.

Official Languages committee  The funds that we obtain through the Canada-community agreements are used as a stepping stone. They allow us to hire a permanent employee in the cultural sector. That person has to work incredibly hard to obtain funding from the Canada Council for the Arts and Yukon Arts Fund, among others.

Official Languages committee  There were three people from the Yukon and approximately 25 from British Columbia.

Official Languages committee  Normally, we receive the signed agreements in our offices five months later.

Official Languages committee  Yes. Someone mentioned that it was a mechanism that had been used in the past and that had yielded meaningful results.

Official Languages committee  The mechanism has been improved somewhat.

Official Languages committee  We met him in Vancouver and we invited him to come to the Yukon next time. He was very receptive. We were told that during the pan-Canadian tour, there would be a visit to the north. The north makes up half of the territory of Canada. We were very happy to have been invited to Vancouver.

Official Languages committee  We face similar challenges. For example, it is difficult to explain why these multi-year agreements are often received and signed during the summer.