Official Languages committee  I don't think etymologically that's exactly how those words ought to be defined, but that's definitely the sense in which they're used in the political climate in Quebec. Consequently, people will be asked sometimes if they are anglophone, allophone or francophone, with the idea

Official Languages committee  Yes, but without the distinction.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  There is a very good case for there having been a restriction in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s, but there's a diminishing argument for its validity going forward. The French language in Quebec is in good shape, partly because there's a lot of vigilance to support it. We're not again

Official Languages committee  Absolutely. As we graduate high school students who are as capable of taking a job in the Quebec economy as the high school students that come out of the majority schools, the francophone schools, it will seem more and more irrational to have this distinction, whereby people are

Official Languages committee  Yes. They are Canadians who have a better knowledge of English or some affiliation with the language, but who may be from Asia or even the United States. Their first language could be Spanish, could be Swahili. In regard to their language package for Canada, they would identify

Official Languages committee  Yes. Right now, really, the census gathers only information about people who aren't eligible for English-speaking education in Quebec. We would like to have a series.... I think there was a study or a test survey done by Statistics Canada last summer that reduced the package of i

Official Languages committee  Absolutely.

Official Languages committee  If you have a community that has the right, literally the constitutional right, and it should be available to 100,000 students, but there are only 83,000 using it, that creates a situation in which you know you have objective data that will allow you to address that question. If

Official Languages committee  In order for the English-speaking population to be aware of their rights, there must be figures to show that a certain proportion of the population is entitled to the certificate of eligibility. Especially in rural areas, sometimes people are not aware that they have the right to

Official Languages committee  No, in many instances they attend English school boards. Our school boards are quite well organized to provide a variety of programs that target the populations, particularly first nations populations. They do a pretty good job of that. I'd like to make one other quick point on

Official Languages committee  Allow me to be clear. The Quebec Community Groups Network asks that children of all section 23 rights holders be enumerated by Statistics Canada by means of the short-form census, beginning with the 2021 census. A resort to the long-form census will neither suffice nor be celebra

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much. My name is Geoffrey Chambers, and I am the president of the Quebec Community Groups Network. With me today is Sylvia Martin-Laforge, our director general. Both of us will be delivering the presentation. Good afternoon, Mr. Dubourg, Mr. d'Entremont, Mr. Beau

Official Languages committee  You're right. It's deep in history.

Official Languages committee  It's overdue. The fact that you're raising it gives me the opportunity to say that it would be a very welcome event. Speaking for the constituencies that we represent and understand, I think it would be very positively received. It wouldn't be an occasion for friction, blame and