Official Languages committee  Thank you for your questions. I will begin with your second question. I agree with you that the francophone community, and in particular Saskatchewan's francophone community, is not a pawn in a political game. We are a vibrant community, essential to the lives of our children an

Official Languages committee  I will. Yes. Almost every agreement states that transfers must be made to the francophone community. They often clearly state what the funding is to be used for. However, nowhere does it state what that means exactly. For example, are we talking about a community in which French

Official Languages committee  You are talking to two provincial organizations here, but for most of our regional organizations, which are smaller, it is impossible to get a line of credit, for example. So many of their activities are just suspended until the funds are delivered. This 20% increase may seem lik

Official Languages committee  I will add a couple of things. First, I think we need to find a way to make it mandatory for governments to work with the Franco-Saskatchewanian community, the Acadian community and other francophone communities. Second, it is extremely important to note that in almost every ag

Official Languages committee  Yes, absolutely. These agreements raise the issue of matching funds. Provinces have to match the investment made by the federal government. What I would like to see is for all provincial organizations or departments to match the federal investment with an infrastructure equival

Official Languages committee  I have three. First, I agree that the act needs to have teeth. It needs something that will ensure it can be defended at all levels of government. Second, every province and territory should have an ombudsman or commissioner of official languages who is responsible for ensuring

Official Languages committee  That's fine. I'll have to skip a page or two.

Official Languages committee  The first francophones in the west were Métis. The ACF acknowledges that permanent dialogue must be maintained with indigenous people and Métis across the Canadian francophonie. The ACF signed a pact of solidarity with the Métis nation of Saskatchewan in 2012. It also recognizes

Official Languages committee  Excellent. Good morning,Mr. Chair and committee members. My name is Dennis Simard, and I am president of the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise, the ACF. I am here with our executive director, Ronald Labrecque. I will have to leave around 9:45. I work for Habitat for Humanit