Finance committee  I think it is central to who we are as Canadians, so it is important to protect French, and I agree with you that we also have to look at it from both the economic and the cultural perspective. There are so many places in the world where more than one language is spoken. In Canada, we sometimes get bogged down in the two languages.

Finance committee  I would just like to encourage you to consider the importance of the francophonie when you are preparing your submissions for the budget. It would be a good idea to make sure that all agreements signed with the federal government include language clauses. That is how we manage to get all these services and programs on the ground.

Finance committee  It is crucial and it adds value to Canada. When we look at the pillars of this country, we talk about the anglophone community, first nations communities, Métis communities, and Inuit communities. We also have to talk about francophones and the crucial role we have played in the past and we can continue to play in the future.

Finance committee  Our capacity to attract and retain immigrants is not high enough. In all honesty, we need to bring more immigrants to Alberta. However, I think it is important to point out that Alberta has a capacity to attract people, as we can see. The population in Alberta is growing very significantly, as is Alberta's francophonie.

Finance committee  There are language clauses in all the agreements, particularly regarding healthcare, where we have made major gains. Obviously, education is extremely important as well. The schools, from kindergarten to grade 12, play a key role in integrating newcomers. They have to be able to play that role properly.

Finance committee  That's right.

Finance committee  This is a huge challenge for us. We have about 50 francophone organizations, but many of them are quite small. We tell them they will be receiving more money but we do not know exactly how much they will be allocated or when they will receive the money. They will therefore have only a few months to spend it, and this puts a huge amount of pressure on them and really limits their capacity to build in the long term.

Finance committee  The situation is very critical. Francophone community media in Alberta are crucial for the survival of our francophone community. That is how we pass down our history, share our day-to-day experience, and reach one another in ways that we are not able to do in the major media, where we cannot be heard, or in the local media, where our voice is drowned out.

Finance committee  Hello everyone. Welcome to Edmonton, a very beautiful city in a beautiful valley. My name is Nathalie Lachance and I am president of the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta, the ACFA. With me is our executive director, Isabelle Laurin. I want to extend a warm welcome on Treaty 6 territory and the territory of the Métis nation.