Finance committee  Thank you for your question. Outside Winnipeg, a number of communities were founded by francophone families. We have to maintain that culture and be able to promote that heritage in those small towns. To maintain our pride in our shared history, we have to be able to live in these communities.

Finance committee  Sure. I often have the opportunity to sit down with people who talk about economic development in those regions. Culture is the last thing people think of. Mr. Ste-Marie raised the issue of immigration. People come to our communities to work, but we also encourage them to stay for cultural events.

Finance committee  Yes, and the key word is “inclusion”. I feel like you are people who talk a lot about the economy, but we also have to think about those who immigrate to Manitoba and who travel to the regions for their jobs. These people also need to experience their culture in their community.

Finance committee  Thank you for the question. It is going well, but we are still experiencing enormous difficulties, as is probably the case everywhere in Canada. The pandemic really hit us hard, especially in the cultural sector, because we could no longer meet in person. At the Association culturelle franco-manitobaine, the ACFM, we try to organize in‑person cultural events.

Finance committee  Obviously, we can talk about the budget. Since I'm not part of the management team, I'm not privy to our organization's budget documents. However, I do know that the funding we receive has not increased since our director general, Josée Théberge, was appointed, and that was 10 years ago.

Finance committee  Based on my conversations with our general director, the answer is no. We have been receiving the same basic amount for 10 years. Obviously, it is worrisome to know that we are eligible to receive that amount only, with no increase in sight.

Finance committee  It's easier in some places. The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine is one of our major partners. Schools in the regions enable people to live in their language. Obviously, we have to be able to access culture outside of educational institutions. I'm not downplaying the importance of what the division does, but schools can't do everything.

Finance committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning. On behalf of the board of directors of the Association culturelle de la francophonie manitobaine and Josée Théberge, the director general, who could not join us because of a trip, as well as my colleagues Martine Bordeleau and Kelly Bado‑Giesbrecht, I would like to thank the committee for inviting us.