Thank you very much.
My questions are for Mr. Brennick or Ms. Faitelson-Weiser. I will talk to you about my own experience. I was an immigrant when I first arrived in Quebec, and my first language was not French. Therefore, I had to learn French. When I arrived in Canada, I was 10 years old. I took the classical course, wherein they taught mostly Greek and Latin. Greek is still spoken today, but Latin has become a dead language. We had access to far fewer English courses than religion courses. I was in this system for 12 years and then I attended CEGEP. CEGEPs were just being instituted, and the English courses available were still as rare as during the time I spent in classical studies.
I then entered Laval University to study law. I was surprised to see that all of my books were bilingual. In law, nothing is exclusively in French or in English. There were approximately 300 students who had graduated at the same time, since the CEGEPs had eliminated one year of study. In that class, there were anglophone students from other provinces, but the majority came from Quebec, and we all attended classes in English and in French. All of my law books, cases, federal statutes, and the Criminal Code were in both French and English.
When I left university, I went before the courts. You are undoubtedly aware that in Quebec, proceedings are in both French and English, regardless of the situation. Under its constitution, judicial proceedings are bilingual in New Brunswick. At the federal level, the same principle applies. At the Bar, an agreement was signed that allows Quebec lawyers to plead in Ontario in cases that involve federal legislation, such as the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act, or the Criminal Code.
The committee would like to see you provide assistance. There seems to be a problem regarding bilingualism within the federal public service. Ms. Faitelson-Weiser said earlier that she went to go to meet a minister in a federal building. She wanted to be able to speak French, but she had to address the employees in English. As you said, Mr. Brennick, people must be sent the message that French is useful.
The situation is such that we must adopt laws that underscore the usefulness of French. In my province, there is Bill 101. The law is being used to impose a language because the situation seems to be deteriorating. Things shouldn't have to go to that extreme. The Official Languages Act was adopted in 1968, and applies to institutions.
Mr. Brennick, you addressed a subject that is particularly compelling for me. You work on both sides. We parliamentarians want to assist linguistic groups living in a minority situation in Quebec. I hope that you are familiar with Quebec, you have travelled there. How can we encourage anglophones to study French, without having to send them to study in an English environment and then lose them? Do you understand what I'm saying? There are 14,000 anglophones in Quebec.
