Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, mesdames.
I see you've done a colossal job of analyzing the existence of the Official Languages Act, which is 40 years old. There have obviously been a lot of changes since 1969. The act has had its ups and downs. You are doing a job to inform us and to encourage an upgrading of the Official Languages Act, in particular.
If I understood correctly, there are four points. First of all, there is the universality of the Official Languages Act. The act must address all all, not just part of the government or part of the public service or a portion of those who want to comply with it. It has to be wall to wall. We know that was the spirit of the act from the outset, but that's not the way it's been over the years, and that's not the way it is today.
The second point is governance. We know that, when Minister Werner abolished the Committee of Deputy Ministers on Official Languages, there was a setback. We also know that, by delegating oversight of status of the official languages in the public service to a department rather than to a supra-department, that of the Prime Minister, the Privy Council Office, it was like asking a peer to check on what his friends were doing. I'd like to hear you say more on that point.
Third, there's the active participation of the communities. The idea is to ensure that consultations lead to concrete results based on the communities' needs, not for the government necessarily to project or polish up a good image.
The final point, if I understood correctly, are the enhanced powers granted to the Commissioner. I would like to hear you speak on that subject as well. What does that mean exactly? I would also like you to give us some examples concerning the four points in question.