The second motion, Mr. Chairman, aims to bring about a national adjustment. As you know, the French fact is one of our greatest concerns. Respect for the French fact demands our ongoing vigilance. Regrettably, I've observed that the government has made a number of judicial appointments that were not respectful of the French fact, beginning with the appointment to the Supreme Court of a unilingual anglophone judge. The trend continued with the appointment of the ombudsman for victims of crime. We're not questioning this person's ability, but we feel the government isn't concerned about the need to appoint individuals with a working knowledge of French to strategic positions.
Mr. Chairman, I'm not trying to put anyone on trial here, but I don't think English Canada would tolerate a government appointing to such important positions individuals with no knowledge of English.
I'm concerned that the government doesn't seem to realize that in order to hold a strategic position, a person must be bilingual. I think you should write to the minister. It's important that as parliamentarians, we reaffirm a principle that should always merit the government's utmost consideration.
That is the gist of my motion, and I expect members to vote unanimously in favour of it.