Official Languages committee  No. They are standardized international and local tests. There are enormous fraud problems in all sectors, including this one. For example, impostors sometimes show up for the tests. When I was starting my career, visa officers were the ones who determined people's language proficiency, and they did it in interviews.

Official Languages committee  Yes, and the system has been in place since then. So it isn't new.

Official Languages committee  The non-economic programs are the family class and humanitarian class. For the family class, it can be someone who sponsors a spouse, grandchildren, or, in some circumstances, parents. The government doesn't decide where those people will live. It's never the federal government that decides where the people will settle.

Official Languages committee  The objective would be to provide equal services, equivalent to those of the organization that administers the IELTS test in English, worldwide. There are similar tests in English, such as the TOEFL, which is very popular in the United States. At a certain price point, this would probably be possible.

Official Languages committee  We don't have the numbers because, from the outset, we have encouraged other organizations to make us proposals for preparing the test. We've been in talks with those organizations for a few years. We're encouraging the TEF organization to offer its services. We're encouraging the people to change their pricing system.

Official Languages committee  The problem was to find a solution. We are working on it, but we have not managed to find one up to now.

Official Languages committee  We're considering these options. Our people have been working on them for quite some time, but the solutions are complicated. Ms. Beck might have a few words to add.

Official Languages committee  Thank you. We are well aware of this complex situation and we have been for over a year. We started using the standard tests for immigration in 2002. For the most part, these tests are meant for potential immigrants. The question of the availability of the tests affects the whole world and not Canada exclusively.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  For a long time.

Official Languages committee  Do you have a question?

Official Languages committee  You understood correctly. We have just received the report of the Commissioner of Official Languages. We have several tests for English, including the IELTS which is administered by Cambridge University. For French, we have only one test approved by the government of Canada, and that test comes from France.

Official Languages committee  That is correct. We have no official Canadian test. The test we use is not designed specifically to determine immigrants' language knowledge. They are also used in universities and elsewhere. The cost of it varies, depending on the market and the location where it is administered, whether in France, in Asia or in Canada.

Official Languages committee  Yes. Ms. Prince-St-Amand is in a better position to answer your question than I am.