Mr. Fraser, we got the message. I am referring to francophones who work in the federal public service and who do not feel comfortable using their own language, when it is their right. One needn't be surprised about this absolutely unacceptable situation. We all agree that Bill C-232, whose goal was to make it mandatory for Supreme Court judges to understand and speak French, is currently being demolished in the Senate by the Conservative Party that does not want to see it passed.
You may not be aware that we are currently working on a bill that affects the National Capital Commission. Opposition members have together succeeded in including a clause that would require candidates for the position of chair of the National Capital Commission to be functionally bilingual in order to be eligible. The Conservatives are prowling around us and trying to make us back down. They did not expect this to be passed. Do you understand the situation? They are afraid. This population centre is one of the most bilingual, if not the most bilingual in Canada, along with Montreal. They are doing all they can to turn back the clock on this bill at a time when it is being debated. This testifies to the lack of will on the part of the current government in this matter. There is not a shadow of a doubt about that.
You didn't mention embassies, but I would like to point out that on September 29 last, in a Canadian embassy in the Dominican Republic, a francophone citizen from here who was supposed to go to an interview in French was told that the interview would either be in English or it simply wouldn't take place. The Canadian embassy in Colombia is one of the most problematic organizations. If you're trying to obtain services in French from that embassy you will not succeed. And yet these are Canadian institutions. They are a reflection of Canada. Imagine the kind of impression that they make.