Official Languages committee  Greeting services are important. Greetings must be made in both official languages, because this is a right of the travelling public and it is very important.

Official Languages committee  That is a point that I was trying to explain in my presentation. Indeed, it is troubling when, in such cases of property transfers, employees who continue going to the same place of work, continue to do what they used to do, who play exactly the same role, suddenly, because of such a transaction, lose their language rights.

Official Languages committee  I have very good people around me and I am well supported.

Official Languages committee  Even before I held my current position, I was always a client of Air Canada. I was sometimes surprised by the quality of service in both languages. Other clients have had unfortunate experiences. I think that many Air Canada employees make significant efforts. As regards the grants, this is more of an issue for the Standing Committee on Transport.

Official Languages committee  It must be said that there are very specific reasons for the obligations imposed on Air Canada. This was a national airline company created by the government with taxpayers' money. So, on the one hand, we have a national symbol, with all that that entails. On the other hand, we have an airline industry that is becoming increasingly more diversified.

Official Languages committee  I would add the following to your comment: increasingly, we have to pay a premium if we want to deal with a human being in order to purchase a ticket. Sometimes, if we are experiencing computer or access problems, we decide that, instead of waiting and trying to find another way to have access to the service, we will pay a premium of $25 or $35, because we're in a hurry, in order to be able to deal with a human being.

Official Languages committee  Was it "The New Government of Canada"? Mr. Jean-Claude D'Amours: No, it was not "The New Government of Canada".

Official Languages committee  I think that it is essential that the federal government respect not only the letter but also the spirit of the Official Languages Act. We have, in fact, dealt with complaints about advertising in publications, where the government did not run the same ad in the minority language.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages. I am pleased to stand before you for the first time as Commissioner of Official Languages. Thank you for the opportunity to come speak to you about Bill C-29, An Act to amend the Air Canada Public Participation Act.

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Official Languages committee  I think they're very important. I learned French myself because of a federal program that was designed to try to recruit future archeologists. After a summer of digging trenches and ending up finding an outhouse in the fields outside Fort Lennox, I did not pursue a career as an archeologist.

Official Languages committee  Yes, I have a lot of leeway to promote official languages. I find myself in an interesting situation now because, as an author, I have been invited to give a number of talks in the fall, which I accepted last spring, a long time before this process started. I do not know when or how the process will end, but I have not cancelled those speaking engagements.

Official Languages committee  At the time of the first referendum, I sought to know whether sovereignists were optimistic or pessimistic. Some told me that they were pessimistic because they were counting out francophones outside Quebec, and others told me that they were optimistic because they felt that Quebec could blossom as an independent country.

Official Languages committee  As I have already said, I feel that education is extremely important. I am not going to get into talking about the importance of decisions regarding certain programs, and I am not in a position to assess the importance of various initiatives either. I am not saying this to play down the importance of these initiatives in any way.

Official Languages committee  There is no doubt that Quebec nationalism has meant that language concerns were more centred on Quebec and that there has been a shift from French-Canadian nationalism to Quebec nationalism. That is part of the changing dynamics in French Canada since the 1960s. But I think that there are important ties being created, in part through the development of the Francophonie and agreements between Quebec and other provinces.