Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Minister, I would like to thank you for being here today.
As a lawyer from British Columbia, who resides in that province and is the father of three children who attend French immersion school, I believe I have a lot in common with Mr. Bélanger and Mr. Godin.
First of all, like you, I am totally in favour of a policy that aims to foster the development of the French and English languages, which are Canada's two official languages. That policy falls within your purview, as Minister. I believe the conclusion is a completely different one when we are talking about the Supreme Court. We all agree that justice must be respected in the country. That is clear. The same applies to the two official languages. However, if, in British Columbia, a policy stating that the Supreme Court has to be the way they want it to be is allowed to be imposed, I believe that will cause division in Western Canada. In order to defend the two languages, the best policy is always a united country from coast to coast where Canadians can speak both languages.
In your opinion, what will people out West think if some people continue
to promote this policy of complete bilingualism at the level of the Supreme Court?
Second, related to my introduction, the policy of promoting French immersion in the schools in the west, in British Columbia, seems to be succeeding, but there are long lineups. I'm wondering whether the road map is doing anything to help promote French immersion schools in B.C. and other places.