Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome, Mr. Fraser. I am pleased to support your nomination.
I have two short questions. First, I have not had the chance to read your book Sorry, I don't speak French, but I come from a province where I have often been told: “Sorry, I don't want you to speak French.”
Less than 25 years ago, the building of the Franco-Manitoban Society was burned down and the director and his family had their lives threatened. Twenty-five years is not so long ago!
But things have changed a great deal. There is more awareness now because of immersion programs and Canadian Parents for French, and so on. The reason I mention this is because I think that the Commissioner of Official Languages also has a role to play in raising that awareness.
We could have a commissioner who mainly sits and keeps half an eye on the government or one who goes around the country speaking to minority groups about their rights and to majority groups about the need to respect those rights and the importance of speaking both official languages.
In your role, are you limited to doing certain things, or do you have some leeway to promote official languages and not just stay here and monitor the government?