Thank you for the question, Mr. Dalton.
It's true that francophones in western Canada, especially, have become increasingly urbanized. As you said, there were large families and small farms, whereas now there are large farms and small families. Francophones had to move to the cities, where there wasn't the homogeneity to preserve the language. The only place left to preserve it was school, which is why the school became so important. It's the cornerstone of language preservation, as recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada.
If there aren't any francophone educational institutions, from day care to post‑secondary, the French language is doomed in western Canada. The number of francophones is so small that the situation is becoming critical. That's why it's urgent to immediately build a complete network of francophone schools.
As the Supreme Court of Canada said in 2020, the fact that the assimilation rate is so high in British Columbia doesn't mean that we have to throw in the towel and say it's too late. On the contrary, we must work harder.
The situation is so critical for francophones outside Quebec that if the federal government, and the provinces and territories don't work together to sign a 20‑year agreement to build 100 schools, our language is doomed. Many of our schools are already overcrowded. In many villages or towns, there is only one French‑language school. Children in all households have to ride the bus for an hour and a half to get to school. This discourages parents, who move their children to the local school.
It has become very important that the provinces and the federal government to agree, in consultation with francophone communities, on where francophone schools or day care centres should be built, and how much money will be needed to do so within 20 years.
Right now, small francophone communities are left with the burden of demanding a school on their own. It's simply a waste of energy. Then, it's a matter of coordinating provincial funding with federal funding.