Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, Mr. Fraser, and your legal counsel, for your attendance here before the committee and for your presentation.
I'm going to start by indicating that I am troubled by both your evidence and this bill. I am going to probably take my questioning from a tack that is slightly different from that of my friends on the other side.
I'm quoting from your brief. You indicate that “Parliament has recognized the need for every federal court to be able to conduct proceedings in either English or in French.” Am I incorrect in assuming that the Supreme Court of Canada does conduct its proceedings in either English or French, and a clear distinction has to be made between conducting its proceedings and mandating that all nine members of the bench be fluently bilingual in both official languages?