When it was announced that the museum would be established, I wrote a letter to the chair of the board of directors, recalling that a national museum has obligations under the Official Languages Act. Not only is it important that service be provided in both languages, but the official languages issue must be handled like a human rights issue. I believe that concerns not only service, but also the subject matter addressed at the museum. I think that's very important, and I've already sent a letter. I intend to have other conversations as soon as the museum planning starts. I haven't received any formal announcement about the composition of management, and that's very important, but, from what I know, the museum is located in a region that is not designated bilingual. Consequently, with respect to the regulations, I believe there are certain problems, as in the case of the Canadian Tourism Commission in Vancouver. That's one of the problems, relating to the location of national institutions outside the National Capital, when you want to ensure that employees' language rights are respected. I've previously spoken here, before the committee, I believe, about the problem of transferring institutions from designated bilingual regions to unilingual regions, even the transfer of employees from New Brunswick to Halifax, for example. That's a comparable situation.
On February 26th, 2009. See this statement in context.