Good morning, mesdames.
I have been listening to my colleagues' questions for a while now, and I'm a bit discouraged to see that matters haven't advanced further in 40 years. The fact that it took a year and a half to change a sticker on an airplane is virtually unimaginable. I realize that people really do the strict minimum—and I'm being generous when I say that—solely for appearances. It's disturbing. As far as I'm concerned, I've seen a net decline rather than an advance.
Furthermore, do you have the necessary resources? You seem to lack them at the grassroots level. Ms. Kenny, you say you used your salary to move matters forward. That makes no sense. There has to be funding. I'm convinced it wouldn't take you billions of dollars. However, you need financial assistance to be able to work at both the grassroots level and at a higher level.
I entirely agree that our ministers and deputy ministers should be bilingual. I'm a francophone from Quebec. I speak French, and even though I'm perfectly bilingual, I like to be served in my language and to speak my language. That's my priority. I have total respect for those who speak English, but the fact remains that francophones are a minority. Here we're talking about 25%, and I can't believe that things are moving forward so slowly across the country.
I'm really saddened and I hope that more than ever you won't be denied or that a group won't be denied the opportunity to make a presentation to us on the lack of progress on bilingualism or the French language. I'm telling you this: that's unacceptable. We have to be aware of what is going on, so that we can discuss matters in committee and ensure that every person who has something to present to us can do so. We're working hard and you're presenting reports to us. It's important for us always to be informed so that we can act as members of Parliament, inform ministers or deputy ministers and bring pressure to bear. That's our role. I'd like to hear your comments on that subject.