Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman.
First, to be clear, to provide some clarification back,
We decided to start with the generals and admirals. But it's very clear, with regard to the generals, like General Natynchuk, who have one, two or three stars, that
by December of 2011
if they aren't in a training situation, we have to have the cards. Otherwise,
you're taking your release from the Canadian Forces.
If we're talking about a brigadier-general or major-general who is in Afghanistan after 2011, it's frankly very clear.
That person will have to, because if not, he wouldn't be in the Canadian Forces any longer. With such a program over time, we had to start somewhere.
Clearly, the intent was to begin with the leadership, to show the Canadian Forces that this is a leadership issue. It didn't start at the bottom with lower ranks; it started at the top. The policy is very clear that, par example come j'ai déja dit, for two stars, if you did not have CBC or do not by December 31, you will take your release from the Canadian Forces next summer.
On the flip side of the coin, it's [Inaudible--Editor], but, in my view, frankly,
it's an issue of leadership. The issue is about leadership, but the issue of being able to speak in both languages is an issue of leadership as well. That was the approach that was very much taken by the Chief of the Defence Staff after we discussed this, on reflection, that we expect leaders in the Canadian Forces to be not only comfortable but able to speak in both official languages. Pourquois? Because at the end of the day, you have both francophones and anglophones, and it goes both ways for our francophone officers. Some had to take the test, but they are able and competent to speak in both official languages. It's about leadership, which is why
we started with the leaders, the generals and admirals, then we'll continue with the colonels and navy captains.
We're probably going to go down to the lieutenant-colonel level parce que avec le plan, the official languages model, it is based on need, who needs it based on the leadership view.
So we started in that way, and with the non-commissioned officers,
with NCOs. We've put a target in place for 2011 for them as well, for chief warrant officers, both in the.... When I speak, it's not only for the army, it's for the entire Canadian Forces: navy, army, and air force.