I would ask all the committee members to take their seats so that we can begin.
Good morning, and welcome, everyone, to the 26th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we will begin our study of the broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation of the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame Gala.
I would like to begin by telling the committee members that I received the letter from the president of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, Ms. Raymonde Boulay LeBlanc, who would like me to give you the following message:
We at the FCCF were saddened to learn that the wording of his statement, on the occasion of the departure of the Honourable Mauril Bélanger from his position as critic for Heritage Canada, Official Languages and the Francophonie, caused discomfort amongst the members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, because this was never his intention. While paying tribute to the political work undertaken by the federal Liberal member for Ottawa-Vanier as critic, the FCCF remains fully aware of the unwavering commitment and political work of each member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages in advocating for the artistic and cultural sectors of the Canadian Francophonie, within the framework of the upcoming strategy of the federal government for official languages. The FCCF thanks them sincerely. It is essential that together we continue to collaborate to create a Canadian cultural and artistic space and to encourage holistic cultural action within the francophone minority of Canada in order to meet the challenges of the XXIst century within a context of globalization.
We will now proceed with our witness, Mr. Richard Stursberg.
Welcome to the Standing Committee on Official Languages. As you know, our committee mandate is to promote linguistic duality and it is within this context that we have invited you to give us a 10-minute presentation, followed by a round of questions from the committee members.
Mr. Stursberg, you have the floor.