Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Lord, welcome to the committee. I would like to congratulate you for your excellent work during the hearings. I have listened carefully to my colleagues and I would like to make some comments on their statements.
First of all, I would like to point out that it is quite normal for the government to receive draft reports. When the Official Languages Commissioner prepares the report, he sends a copy of it to the government. The Auditor General does the same. There is nothing odd in that—it is normal procedure.
Mr. Nadeau and Mr. Godin asked you a number of questions on the usefulness of your report. In my opinion, if there are similarities between your report and the committee's, that is a good thing. It means that our work is moving in the right direction. Moreover, the report states that organizations in our minority language communities are professional and well organized, because they focus on the same messages. That is also a good thing. Basically, the government is receiving the same message. That means the messages are converging, something we consider a good thing. There is nothing odd in that.
As for your report, I would like you to talk to us about immigration, which is a very important issue, particularly in minority official language communities. I would like you to tell us what you prefer during your hearings, and what specific recommendations the communities made to you. I would also like to know what you recommend to improve the situation.