I'll do it very fast. I'll be a couple of minutes.
To begin with, I would like to thank the Committee for reviewing Bill C-232, which is of vital importance to this country. As you know, we have two official languages in Canada: French and English.
Among those who appeared as witnesses, the Hon. Justice Major, retired, stated that he is opposed to Bill C-232. I was here when he gave his testimony and I listened to it with great interest. He said that, as a Supreme Court Justice, he had used the translation system and been very satisfied with it. In his opinion, that system is impeccable.
But, in your opinion, how is it possible for a person who speaks only one language to know whether the translation is impeccable? If I do not speak Italian and someone translates my words into that language, I will not be in a position to say whether he is doing a good job or not. I will not know what he is saying. I have no doubt that Justice Major was satisfied, but the fact is he was not in a position to know whether the translation was accurate or not.
With all due respect to our translators, who do an extraordinary job, the fact is there are times when they are unable to follow what I am saying in the House of Commons. When that happens, the “blues” have to be corrected. For a judge, however, there are no “blues” that can be corrected.
Mr. Chairman, someone said—and Mr. Petit may want to make this point—that unilingual MPs should not be ineligible for an appointment to the Supreme Court. In Quebec, we are talking about 14,000 lawyers. And the legislation is clear: at the time of his or her appointment, the judge must already be bilingual, and therefore capable of serving Canadians in this country's two official languages. That way, it will not be necessary to determine whether service should be provided in English, in French or in both languages. An example has to be set at the top and filter down from there.
I invite you to review the testimony of the National Defence general who appeared yesterday. He said that the bilingualism issue with respect to service delivery has to be dealt with and that it has to start at the top. That is exactly what he said in front of this Committee. I suggested that the Supreme Court be told the same thing.
I will leave this in your hands. You have a wise decision to make.
I want to thank you all for your work in relation to Bill C-232. I believe this legislation will have a profound impact on the history of our country as regards respect for our two official languages.