Let's be clear. I talked about the contribution of the Saint-Jean Royal Military College to the Canadian Forces and the role that the institution played in reinforcing the presence of the corps of francophone officers. In my statement, I talked about it as one of the best immersion experiences in North America.
The college was created in 1952, in response, to some extent, to problems experienced by the Canadian Forces during the Second World War. At that time, there had been major discipline problems because there were no officers who could understand the francophone soldiers. On some ships, there were near-mutinies because of the language tensions within the naval forces and the systemic problem of the lack of officers able to give orders or understand the soldiers.
The Saint-Jean Royal Military College was created in response to this need. It operated for 42 years and made a significant contribution to the Canadian Forces. Then, that chapter in the forces' history came to an end.
At present, I am asking questions about the effects of this closure. Can we assess the effects 13 years later? This represents almost an entire generation, in terms of the training of the new officers. What is the impact on recruiting? What is the impact on the linguistic ability of officers who studied at Kingston?
I have been commissioner for four months. I am not ready to announce a plan on the future of officer training within the Canadian Forces. That is not how I see my role at present.