Minister, I asked you to answer me in French. I'm going to make my final argument. I know that time is running out.
If I were a lower-ranking French-speaking soldier and my superior gave me instructions just like you did, in other words, only in English, I wouldn't understand a single thing. As it turns out, thank God, I am bilingual.
You've just given us a perfect illustration of the problem, Minister. The fact that people only speak French or English is not the problem. However, when the safety and security of our soldiers is at stake and superiors are unable to give assistance, information or orders to soldiers in their mother tongue, that's serious business. How do you think it's possible to respect or protect such people under those circumstances? It's impossible. If I hadn't learned English, minister, I wouldn't have understood your answer.
If I were a soldier and I wasn't bilingual, how do you think I'd manage in the army given the new measure you intend to implement this April? It's distressing and shameful that things are as they are, Minister. You're saying that bilingualism is commonplace. So why don't you continue to make it the policy? Why doesn't the department do that?