Official Languages Act  Madam Speaker, as my colleague said, we have francophones and francophiles here in the House who have travelled across the country. Bilingualism is important from coast to coast to coast. We have to find ways to promote French and protect minority communities in Quebec, and we have to work together to find ways to support minority communities across the country.

Official Languages Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for the work we have done together on several committees in the past. The Commissioner of Official Languages made several recommendations. Some of those recommendations were included previously in Bill C-32. We have listened to communities across the country and we have also listened to the commissioner during this time.

Official Languages Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her question. If we look at Bill C‑13, as well as minority communities in Canada and in Quebec, there are some positive measures that are proposed. The bill talks about a central agency and about federally regulated private businesses. We all agree that French is declining in Quebec and in Canada.

Official Languages Act  Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with the member for Kingston and the Islands. As a proud francophone from Nickel Belt and Greater Sudbury, a region with deep francophone roots, I am very appreciative of the opportunity to give this speech today. The Franco-Ontarian flag, which was designed by Gaétan Gervais, a history professor at Laurentian University, and Michel Dupuis, a student there, was officially flown for the first time in Sudbury on September 25, 1975, at the University of Sudbury.

Official Languages Act  Mr. Speaker, I have a question for my hon. colleague. At the Standing Committee on Official Languages, she mentioned the importance of francophone immigration. I would like her comments on how we might improve Bill C‑13 in that regard. How can we help community organizations from coast to coast to coast support and increase francophone immigration?

Official Languages Act  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for her French and for the work she is doing as a francophile for francophone communities across Canada and in Manitoba. My colleague and I have fathers with similar backgrounds. Her father was a member of the Manitoba legislature, and my father was here in the House when the Official Languages Act was enacted in 1969.

Official Languages Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for his work on the Standing Committee on Official Languages to protect the French language. As a Franco-Ontarian, I sometimes have a hard time understanding the Bloc Québécois when it talks about promoting and protecting French outside of Quebec.

Official Languages  Madam Speaker, I thank the member for his question and for his work on official languages. Our government understands the importance of the substantive equality of both official languages. This means strengthening the positive measures in the bill as well as co-operation with our partners and the provinces.

Official Languages Act  Madam Speaker, I would like to thank my hon. colleague for his remarks. I would also like to thank him for his work on the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I would first like to point out that we have heard a lot of people across Canada say that the work done on official languages is non-partisan, and I also want to say that I appreciate my colleague's comments.

International Day of La Francophonie  Mr. Speaker, I thank the francophones and francophiles who celebrated the International Day of La Francophonie yesterday. We must thank the pioneers and builders across Canada who fought, worked and advocated to ensure that we can access services in French and English in official language minority communities.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for Yukon for standing up for official language rights. Our modernized act will strengthen the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages, including new authority to impose monetary penalties. In addition, for the first time, we are centralizing coordination of the act with a single minister who will have access to the resources of a central agency.

Francophonie Month  Mr. Speaker, March is Francophonie Month. Let us remember the dedication of our parents and grandparents, how they fought and sacrificed so we can continue to speak French. I am a Franco-Ontarian MP. I owe this honour to the people of Nickel Belt and to Franco-Ontarian families bearing names like Lemieux, Gervais, Hurtubise, Forest, Riopel, Paiement and Ethier, and to my father, Gaetan Serré, who voted in favour of the Official Languages Act in 1969 here in the House of Commons.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech and for his hard work in the Windsor area over the past several years. He is absolutely right. Windsor area residents and businesses need support. We will follow up.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, obviously, these emergency powers are important to keep law and order. Let us be clear. We have had the support of the Canadian chiefs of police, the interim chief of the Ottawa police and also Premier Ford, the Conservative Premier of Ontario. They are indicating that these measures are important to restore law and order in the community.

Emergencies Act  Madam Speaker, I thank my colleague for her questions. Yes, the measures were necessary. We heard from Ottawa's interim chief of police, the Premier of Ontario and many stakeholders. All have told us that those exceptional measures were needed to compel the people and trucks occupying downtown Ottawa to leave.