Merci. Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for this opportunity to speak about VIA Rail's record with respect to the official languages.
In light of the incident on train 46 in August, I think it's important to affirm VIA's wholehearted commitment to the principles of the Official Languages Act. The corporation has a clear record in this regard. VIA not only supports the letter of the law, but is an energetic supporter of the fundamental goals of the law, providing quality fully bilingual service to the public, promoting the advancement of French and English as the official languages of the country in all parts of the country.
When concerns were raised about bilingual service following the incident, VIA acted very quickly to investigate the matter and to dispel any confusion about where the corporation stands on bilingual service, both with the travelling public and throughout our own corporation. I am confident that the corporation is taking whatever action is necessary to address the concerns raised about the provision of bilingual service during the incident and to maintain its record of supporting federal official language policies.
My colleague Mr. Côté would like to speak briefly about that record and VIA's support for official languages.
Thank you.