Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
The case of Mr. Thibodeau is particularly flagrant. First, Mr. Thibodeau won all down the line. Second, Air Canada dragged him into court so it would not have to admit its responsibility. This morning, Air Canada has come crying, saying that the company doesn't have enough money. However, it has enough money to pay lawyers to interfere with the language rights of its own customers.
I want to be able to restore that presumption of good faith in Air Canada's case. I will do so when it stops interfering with the rights of Michel Thibodeau. There is a court case going on right now, and it must be settled without creating others. Every year, as is provided by the act, the Commissioner of Official Languages reports to Parliament on the complaints he has received. Air Canada always wins that contest and responds that things will be better next year. We hope it will disappear from the rankings.
With respect to recruitment, there are more francophones in Toronto than in Ottawa. In percentage terms, there are not as many, but in absolute terms, there are more than in Ottawa. If you want, I'll send you statistics on the number of bilingual anglophones and francophones in Vancouver.
Let's talk about the card for complaining about service in either language. Mr. Godin was here when Robert Milton, the former president of Air Canada, appeared before this committee in 2002. I still remember that Mr. Milton said he had come of his own free will. And yet the sheriff was just two steps behind him. The card was a good instrument. That initiative was presented to our committee by a former MP, the lamented Benoît Sauvageau. Personally, I'll never forget Benoît Sauvageau or his card. It might be a good idea for you not to forget it either.
I think I've said enough. Take Mr. Godin's remarks about Michel Thibodeau to heart because they were presented by an opposition member and they are now approved by a member from the government party.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.