Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, and thank you for coming here.
This is the first opportunity I've had to welcome you in your capacity as the Commissioner of Official Languages. This is no doubt the first of many meetings of this nature.
Your presentation has the advantage of being very clear and it really answers the questions that we have been asking ourselves regarding the real impact of this legislation, if it is adopted as it is drafted.
We talk about the fact that the francophone client should be served in French wherever he goes. Unfortunately, there are so many holes in the system that this is not happening. He can't buy his tickets in French if he lives in a province where there are few francophones. In my opinion, we have to go back to the meaning of the act.
Given the difficulty in accepting this particularity, do you not think that it's about time that we had legislation that all air carriers were subject to with respect to official languages? Given how important this aspect is for Canadians and francophones—the ability to travel has become essential—would this not be one way to deal with this?
Air Canada told our committee that bilingualism is too expensive, that it is prepared to do what is necessary, but that the competition is much too strong and that it can't make ends meet. Basically, this is one of the reasons they give us for these shortcomings.
Since we are drafting a bill to protect francophones and ensure that they are provided with adequate services, would this not be the time to make this apply to the entire industry?