In terms of part VII, one of the challenges is that there is no definition in this section. It refers to “positive measures” that are to be taken to enhance vitality and support community development.
Pursuant to the Gascon decision, anything can constitute positive measures. It does not necessarily have to be a program or anything else in particular. Creating a committee can be considered a positive measure. That is problematic.
That said, promotion is something we are thinking about a lot right now at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. We have a mandate for promotion, but we do not necessarily have the resources to carry out that mandate.
Protection and promotion require essentially the same resources. That said, certain federal institutions have the resources to conduct promotional and awareness campaigns. With regard to early childhood, for example, we have talked about educating parents and service providers about the importance of offering services in the minority language. That campaign did not take place.
In terms of promoting linguistic duality, once again, other federal institutions have the tools to promote linguistic duality in Canadian society. That is how we can work towards the ideal of the equality of French and English in Canadian society, something we are very far from right now. The word “promotion” also entails education and awareness, and those measures require tools that the Office of the Commissioner does not have right now.