Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Madam Minister, I would like to get back to what happened upon the arrival of Mr. Abou Diouf. There is a motion which I tabled before the committee several weeks ago and which should have been debated last Tuesday. But colleagues from the Conservative Party asked that we wait for your appearance before making any decision, which led me to believe that you had specific revelations to make in this regard.
In the course of your presentation, you mentioned that your dual responsibility for official languages and the francophonie reflects the importance of linguistic duality within the machinery of government as well as outside of it. In this respect, I believe your role as minister responsible for the francophonie is important.
You replied to a question I asked in the House that you were pleased that I had been there to welcome Mr. Diouf. What you didn't say and which I did not deem necessary to add, was the fact that I was also convinced by the people who were there and that I had to personally extend my apologies for the blunder. I would have liked to have seen someone take responsibility for this by stating that there was a mistake and by extending some apologies.
The fact that you constantly repeat that Mr. Diouf was pleased is a testament, I believe, to his generosity of spirit, but in fact, his country, Senegal, took offence. So, I would like to know whether you have anything new to add to the issue.