Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Madam Minister, I'll first talk about the use of French at Global Affairs Canada. Your plan for the future of diplomacy states the following:
…senior executives across the department should be held accountable for ensuring an equal use of French and a functionally bilingual environment as well as promoting francophone diplomacy, at headquarters and in the mission network abroad.
As you can imagine, it's a huge task. Just this week, an assistant deputy minister spoke only in English when addressing the committee, even when giving his opening remarks. The Prime Minister, at events abroad or before diplomats in Ottawa, speaks in English and uses French to synthesize his remarks, essentially. The Governor General, who sometimes represents Canada abroad, still doesn't speak French. Finally, some senior officials speak in English and use French simply for the sake of being polite at conferences or diplomatic events held in Ottawa.
Madam Minister, I'd like you to answer five questions about the use of French at Global Affairs Canada.
First, does your transformation policy provide exemptions for certain officials with respect to French, particularly deputy ministers and assistant deputy ministers? Will they be reviewed?
Second, will equal use of both official languages, as indicated in your document, even apply in Ottawa, whether for the Prime Minister, for you or for officials who participate in international events?
Third, is the mechanism for attaining senior positions at Global Affairs Canada—Le Devoir has repeatedly documented the discriminatory nature toward francophones when it comes to promotions—ancient history?
Fourth, can you tell us about the strength of French in diplomacy and why it should be an essential component of our strategy?
Finally, on what continents and in what perspectives could French be useful in terms of diplomacy?