Official Languages committee  We don't have a longitudinal study of that nature. We suspect our retention level is relatively good, but it's not recorded. I spoke earlier about the white paper. These may be requests that should be integrated into public policy. Perhaps we should invest funds to look at our ability to retain francophone immigrants and our strengths and weaknesses in that area.

Official Languages committee  I'll give you a concrete example. It's called a dashboard. We listed all the projects in the northern table, a region Mr. Lefebvre is somewhat familiar with. I'm not talking about it because he's here, but that's the table I saw at the office this week. We listed all the projects being carried out by community groups in northern and northwestern Ontario, whether they are being carried out by a cultural centre or another entity.

Official Languages committee  Yes, once it has been created, we can send it. I don't know whether it will be on time, but we can certainly provide some parts of it. It's one of our criteria or deliverables to receive funding. As I told you, we have just started. We have just completed a tour of the province, with our three tables.

Official Languages committee  There is a desire for one. Dialogue at the federal-provincial level has not been easy in the past. I think there's a new energy. Mr. Hominuk can talk to you more about it, because he was part of a group of experts.

Official Languages committee  Absolutely. Let's talk about the cost of the tests. To our dismay, we learned that in Ontario, the French language proficiency test is European. It's twice as expensive as the English test. It's a test in one of the two official languages. The French test is twice as expensive and takes twice as long to correct.

Official Languages committee  Why is that so? First, education comes under provincial jurisdiction, and the application is different. I think that, with its target of 5% for francophone immigration, the Ontario government is aware of the reality. In addition, Franco-Ontarians know that they need to speak the other official language to work, unless they have a job in education or in some health centres.

Official Languages committee  Not really.

Official Languages committee  Once again, I am happy that you are asking me this question. If I was to talk to you about success stories in francophone immigration, I would talk about Winnipeg and Manitoba. I will come back to what we are trying to do in Ontario. I am not a Franco-Manitoban, and I may give a poor rendering of the experience.

Official Languages committee  I have not analyzed the retention of immigrants in communities, but perhaps Mr. Hominuk has gotten hold of some files and could talk to you about that. In many cases, francophone immigrants have become the biggest activists when it comes to the language, especially in the regions of Toronto and South Central Ontario.

Official Languages committee  The short answer is yes. Having worked in the health care field in French, I have often said that Ontario has made progress in that area. Six planning entities spread out across the province have the mandate to inform the government of francophone communities' needs, including those of newcomers, and to implement the necessary health care services in French.

Official Languages committee  Yes, absolutely. We call that secondary immigration.

Official Languages committee  They come from Quebec for the most part, but also from elsewhere. Francophones sometimes arrive in Vancouver or in Manitoba. Immigrants do migrate within the country, but many francophones arrive in Montreal and, failing to find a job, they end up in Ontario because of Ottawa's proximity.

Official Languages committee  We have said a few things about immigration; I will not get into the figures. Francophones who are immigrants account for about 10% of the Franco-Ontarian community. There are 50,000 to 60,000 newcomers. That is the basis for our survival. Franco-Ontarians spoke to us during the consultations about demographic weight.

Official Languages committee  A planning committee has been created, chaired by former official languages commissioner Dyane Adam. The community was hoping to be responsible. We wanted a provisional board of governors to make the decisions. The government's response was to create this planning committee. I have not met Ms.

Official Languages committee  We hope federal support will be provided as it was when our colleges and school boards were set up, in the 1990s. Major agreements were concluded at that time relating to infrastructure, not always through Canadian Heritage, but also through Industry Canada or other initiatives.