It is a necessity. It has to happen. That is what we gave you earlier. As a matter of fact, I will give you the documents that I was not able to submit in both languages. Even the officials of the Department of Canadian Heritage who work in our area, who have inter-ministerial responsibility, could do so with the Innovation Fund. Without the Innovation Fund, they are isolated; they're in a silo. The Privy Council Office, a central agency, had a mandate to ensure this inter-ministerial action; it was a step backward to give this responsibility to the Department of Canadian Heritage, in its own silo. The problem is not the department; it's the fact that they're working in isolation. It's very difficult to go from the Department of Canadian Heritage to Industry Canada, for example, and lead these people to play their role from an inter-departmental standpoint. Unfortunately, the officials we call coordinators 41, who are responsible for the Official Languages Act in different silos, are minor officers who sometimes speak French and who inherit this file in addition to their other tasks. This is not too good. If there is really a will to bring about change, another mechanism will have to be put in place.
On April 1st, 2008. See this statement in context.