Thanks very much, Mr. Chair.
I'm going to take a moment to give notice of a motion the text of which reads as follows:
Given that: (a) the media reported on Wednesday, September 25, 2024, that the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, was still unable to converse in French during a visit to a community organization in Lévis, Quebec, and that she had to cancel some of the events planned for her trip to Quebec for this reason; (b) the Governor General said she was “deeply committed” to learning French in 2021, when she was appointed, and she reiterated to Radio-Canada, in a 2023 interview, that she wanted to be able to “speak to francophones” by the end of 2024; and (c) tens of thousands of dollars in public funds have been spent on French language courses since 2021, with limited results; that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), the committee invite the following witnesses to appear for a minimum of two hours each within 15 days of the adoption of this motion: (a) Her Excellency the Governor General; and (b) the Minister of Official Languages; and that the committee report to the House.
I don't wish to discuss the motion right now. I'm just giving notice of it, but the situation is concerning. If you can't speak the language of the place where you're going, it's better to have an interpreter. That would have been respectful and much appreciated. I won't comment any further. We can discuss this matter at another time. The text of the motion will be distributed to committee members shortly.
Now I'll go to my questions for the witnesses.
Mr. Buckley and Mr. Potestio, my question is for both of you. On April 10 of this year, Corinne Pohlmann, executive vice president of the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, recommended that the government use plain language and make regulatory compliance flexible. We understand from your remarks that regulations are very onerous and have consequences. How can we make regulations plain and flexible? Do you have any specific proposals or examples to suggest?