Should we encourage bilingualism in the private sector or in other occupations in the same way we're trying to do in the federal public service? Certainly.
I think we should have more bilingual people in Canada, more people who speak French. A lot of anglophones learn French through French immersion programs. Unfortunately, they rarely have the opportunity to practise it because they work mainly in English. I think we should strive to ensure that workplaces in Canada become much more bilingual, as is the case in Quebec to some extent.
In Quebec, it's perfectly normal to work in both languages. For example, in restaurants in Montreal, they ask customers if they want to be served in French or English. I'd like us to do the same in Ottawa, and I'd like servers to let us to order in the language of our choice. However, we often don't do it because we're afraid the person won't understand us.
In my opinion, we should encourage more and more people to work in both official languages. That would distinguish us as Canadians. It would make us stand out from Americans. In Canada we speak two languages, and in the United States they speak only one.
Does that answer your question?