As I stated at the end of my presentation, the government must absolutely move to action and develop and implement the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages, and this committee must oversee its development. What is important is that its approach be broad-based and strategic.
One of the points that I continue to stress is the importance of leadership. Fluency in both official languages is a crucial component of leadership. This type of leadership must also be manifest in the renewal of the public service. A huge percentage of public servants will soon be retiring; a demographic renewal process is underway. In these circumstances, we must not forget the importance of linguistic duality and bilingualism.