Thank you, Mr. Boucher. I appreciate what you say. We Acadians have been here for 402 years. Quebec will only be celebrating in two years. I say that for anyone who wants to hear it.
Mr. Boucher, I thought you said that you needed federal government support. A little earlier, Mr. Robert said he was fed up with being seen as a beggar, that that was a false image, and that, in his view, Francophones should be recognized for what they are.
Perhaps we don't read section 43 of the Official Languages Act enough or remind the government of it often enough. That section states: 43. (1) The Minister of Canadian Heritage shall take such measures as that Minister considers appropriate to advance the quality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society and... may take measures to
That means a lot of things. I don't want to read it in full, but simply to state a brief reminder. It also states: (a) enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and support and assist their development;
We shouldn't have to feel like beggars: an act states what the government must do. However, I agree with you, Mr. Robert: we get tired of constantly requesting.
It also states: (b) encourage and support the learning of English and French in Canada;(c) foster and acceptance and appreciation of both English and French by members of the public;
I think that's consistent with Ms. Lanthier's remarks. She mentioned that the newspaper La Liberté is doing the government's job, which doesn't prevent the government from implementing $25,000 in cuts. You're experiencing these cuts as a result of the sponsorship scandal. It's the minority sectors such as newspapers and community radio that are the subject of these cuts.
This isn't a statement; it's an act. It's no longer Bill S-3: we now have an act. What would you like to suggest to the government through the Standing Committee on Official Languages, which has a mandate to report to Parliament and to act as a watchdog? Mr. Simard has been on the Standing Committee on Official Languages with me for some time. We are the guardians of the Official Languages Act. We report directly to Parliament on the concerns of the communities.