I am happy that we are beginning to see some progress. The Official Languages Act was proclaimed in 1969, and the federal government is starting to accomplish something. As they say, better late than never.
Montreal is home to 47% of Quebec's population. That province's Law 101 was instrumental in teaching the French language to the children of the Quebec nation. In Montreal, there is a gap between allophone immigrants who learn to speak only the English language and allophone immigrants who learn to speak only the French language. In the data that is available, in Charles Castonguay's studies, for example, the English language is the winner. And therein lies a problem. Earlier, I spoke of language transfer. I think the correct term would be “language substitution”. Assimilation is taking place in Montreal, a city which is the heart of Quebec and which represents the special nature of the Quebec nation within North America.
I would like to deal with that aspect. I am convinced that you are aware of language substitutions and the danger that they represent. We need the support of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. It is important to promote the French language throughout Quebec in order to maintain the French fact that is Quebec, a province that covers less than 2% of North America.
I will ask you a direct question, and you can tell me whether or not you are able to answer it. Do you think that the ability to speak both French and English should be a requirement for an ambassador for Canada, a country which is considered to be bilingual?