Thank you, colleague.
Yes, the Prime Minister has given me the responsibility for both the horizontal coordination of federal institutions' activities related to official languages, and the specific responsibilities related to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
This is mainly because it is the Prime Minister's wish to streamline his cabinet, to put all ministers on the same footing, and to focus on priorities. Furthermore, the dual role I am taking on will give greater consistency to government actions, because it will not only provide me with an overview and the opportunity to coordinate activities, but it will also provide me with the necessary tools, as I have said previously, to set the tone and to provide some political impetus thanks to the official languages support programs under Canadian Heritage.
Indeed, I would like to take this opportunity to highlight your new role, Madam. That was an excellent decision on our Prime Minister's part. Ms. Boucher, who is also the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, is the first Parliamentary Secretary for La Francophonie and Official Languages. I think that this was a very important move and one that is very promising for the future.