Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for joining us, Ms. Oda. As a Quebecker and a francophone, I'm proud to note that since taking office, our government has made cultural diversity one of its priorities.
Our government has worked closely on this issue with the Quebec government. On May 5 last, it signed the UNESCO agreement with Quebec, thereby giving the province an official status, something that is very important to francophones. I support cultural diversity, but I also support French, my mother tongue.
The signing ceremony was held in the Red Room, with representatives of all Quebec parties on hand, along with all of Quebec's francophone MPs. It was indeed a magical moment worthy of note.
Canada was the first country to ratify the UNESCO Convention on Cultural Diversity in November of 2005. Closer to home, the Francophone Summit was held and Mr. Harper spoke again about La Francophonie and cultural diversity.
Thank you, Ms. Oda. A great deal of hard work is being done in this front.
Recently, you have publicly reaffirmed our government's commitment to implementing quickly the Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions and to ensuring the Convention's widespread ratification, so that it becomes a credible international legal instrument.
Can you elaborate further on the importance of the protection and promotion of cultural diversity in terms of culture in Canada?