Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
By way of introduction, allow me to say that I have a great deal of respect for you, both as an individual and as a member of Parliament. I know that you work hard. I know that you have Canada's interest at heart and that you believe in a bilingual country. It is therefore with a heavy heart that I support this motion, but I have no choice but to do so.
This motion is not condemning you, Mr. Chairman, but your government's policy on official languages. The government no longer respects the Official Languages Act. It is this committee's responsibility to ensure that the Act is respected. This is very important to me, because I am an anglophone from New Brunswick, an officially bilingual province. When I was mayor of Moncton, the city was officially declared bilingual. That was achieved thanks to the work of this committee and thanks to the implementation of the Official Languages Act.
It is not your fault that this has happened; it is the fault of the government.
I'd like to add that coming as an anglophone to this committee and being accepted by you personally, and everyone here, I feel very welcome. I think the committee was working quite well when we went out west and so on.
But coming from a bilingual province and being an anglophone, coming from a bilingual city and being an anglophone, and seeing the harmony that exists because of this law and the work of committees like this, it seems a terrible shame that the government doesn't realize that this committee must keep working. Notwithstanding the allegations of politics, this committee must keep working. So I must support the motion. This committee must continue to work, and the shot over the bow for the government is that if you don't continue with the program and the aims of this law and this committee, there will be serious political consequences.
So reluctantly, Mr. Chairman, I am supporting this motion, and I do not intend it to be directed personally towards you. You're carrying the brunt of dismay for your party today, so I feel sorry for you, but I must vote for this motion.