Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
I would like to thank Ms. Bolduc and Mr. Furlong for being here today.
I too am skeptical, I have my doubts. It is all very well for me to be a believer, but I do have some major misgivings. I have problems with bilingualism in Canada. The best example is that people often say that bilingual service is available, but it is really limited to "bonjour" and "merci".
Take the example of the National Prayer Breakfast. I have been invited to the National Prayer Breakfast, which is in two weeks. I went last year as well; I had heard that it was supposed to be bilingual. The only words spoken by Mr. Anderson, the moderator of the event, were: "Bonjour, bienvenue". Everything else was in English. And this was supposed to be bilingual. If that is what you call bilingualism, we can do without it!
Your presentation this morning, Mr. Furlong, is another good illustration of what I mean. Your presentation lasted 10 minutes, and you spoke in English for 10 minutes. You did not say one word in French. You are the chief executive officer of the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the Olympic Games. I do not think you would have got your position had you been a unilingual francophone. In my opinion, bilingualism means that French and English are equal. Often that is not what happens in organizations or in presentations.
I think the International Olympic Committee has a rule that French and English are the official languages of the Olympic Games. Earlier, you said that coverage by the French-language media was not your responsibility. I think that as the chief executive officer, it is up to you to ensure that French be given equal weight in presentations out of respect for the francophones of this country.
I do not know, but I think that if the official languages of the Olympic Games are French and English, you must have a mandate to ensure that French and English are equally represented in the coverage of the games throughout the country.