Official Languages committee  Together with that, do you have the mechanism for distribution? No. Therefore, what is the mechanism? In the presentation, we say that this is improvised and there is no serious action with an analysis of actual needs. If you conduct the analysis and then examine the situation per capita, it will probably be much more than you have right now in light of the brief analysis you have before you.

Official Languages committee  No, with a satellite, we will have access to the Olympic Games in French.

Official Languages committee  Why fix something that is not broken? If something is not working, then just tell us. We know—and I think that we mentioned this—that there have been extraordinary results for linguistic duality. Where is the problem? Why change it?

Official Languages committee  I think we have gone backwards. In the past, the Learning and Innovation Seed Fund made it possible, mainly in Saskatchewan, to truly examine these issues with the federal council and to show leadership. Unfortunately, since the elimination of the Learning and Innovation Seed Fund, the committee is virtually non-existent.

Official Languages committee  Yes, everyone will be able to see them.

Official Languages committee  It is a necessity. It has to happen. That is what we gave you earlier. As a matter of fact, I will give you the documents that I was not able to submit in both languages. Even the officials of the Department of Canadian Heritage who work in our area, who have inter-ministerial responsibility, could do so with the Innovation Fund.

Official Languages committee  If the only criterion used in calculating the distribution of resources is based on the size of the population, the analysis will really be rather rudimentary. I think we must take into account the adequacy of the community's institutions. What we need is a type of equalization formula.

Official Languages committee  You gave the two examples that sprang to mind immediately when we were talking about this. In the case of Justin Bell, the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise had to take over. These are development tools for us. If we do not defend our rights at the political level, we can still turn to the courts.

Official Languages committee  If the agreements went through the provinces, the provincial government would become responsible to the public. We have worked, with regard to the Mercure case, to ensure that our province is bilingual. Approximately two months later, after the Supreme Court handed down its decision, the government ensured that the province was unilingual.

Official Languages committee  I can give you an example with regard to workers. Responsibility for workers has been transferred with obligations. So, in terms of workers, we are working with the province and we get to have our say. To be frank, when it comes to the administrative complexities, it's much easier to deal with the province than with the federal government.

Official Languages committee  Consequently, we have a better partnership and we are working with the overall department on the issue of workers. What we're doing in our province is even being repeated elsewhere, and we find there is a better synergy between the community and the province. It's become normal to be French-speaking in Saskatchewan.

Official Languages committee  It's one and the same. Immigration in our neck of the woods is going very well: 100 new families have arrived. This is, nonetheless, something new in Saskatchewan: 100 new families settled there last year. The problem is that this leads to other difficulties and other priorities in terms of needs.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  There is no comparison in my opinion. There is no shortage of institutions. An anglophone in Quebec can get a post-secondary education in English, is entitled to better hospitals and so on. Furthermore there is a sea of English-speakers in Canada and, consequently an anglophone in Quebec doesn't feel like a minority as is the case for a francophone in Gravelbourg, where we are alone and isolated.

Official Languages committee  Most people who live in Saskatchewan, even in Regina, receive their television signals via satellite. It isn't necessarily because they live in remote areas, but because satellite television is becoming more and more common. For local news, the best source is the Internet, at least for those who have high-speed access.