The Catholic Church also excluded people. Some non-Catholic francophones were excluded from our communities because those institutions were Catholic. Over the years, there have been problems with non-Catholic francophone immigrants.
In conclusion, we must recognize that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982, played a fundamental role, legally speaking, but that role is limited. We should look at what's been done elsewhere in the world with regard to rights since 1982. I think that, for example, the European Union has recognized the underdevelopment of some regions by including in its basic principles rights on institutional catch-up.
We should also look at how we might extend the framework of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. In particular, we need to recognize that the notion of citizenship has not been set out in the charter once and for all. It's possible that, by 2026 or 2040, our definition of citizenship will be much broader, flexible and different than what is set out in the charter. It's possible that we might hold governments responsible not only for their actions, but also for acts of omission. It's possible that francophone linguistic communities will take the government to court for damages or redress for delays or refusals by those governments to act. It's the same as with the residential schools to which aboriginals were sent. In that case, they're being judged not based on the goodwill of the individuals who set up those schools between 1860 and 1940 and who thought they were doing good, but rather based on today's criteria.
In 2026 and 2046, will we judge our governments based on different standards of social justice and different definitions of citizenship than those we have today?