Good morning.
Thank you very much for being here this morning.
I represent the riding of Ottawa—Vanier, a very strong francophone and francophile community where French is in people's DNA. We are currently in a state of shock as a result of what's going on in Ontario. Before my career as an MP, I was privileged to sit on the Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs when Ms. Meilleur was minister. I was a member for nearly eight years.
I can attest to the transformation that the role of commissioner underwent from its creation in 2007, when the commissioner reported directly to the Minister of Francophone Affairs, to 2014, when the commissioner became independent. A transformation occurred in government, where it was understood that an independent officer was needed to determine how French-language services might be more efficiently provided in the province. The fact that the commissioner worked with the government was a major factor in advancing the situation.
Consequently, I want to acknowledge the work of the only commissioner we have had since the start. All the reports were constructive and we moved forward. I remember, in particular, the special report entitled, Active Offer of Services in French: The Cornerstone for Achieving the Objectives of Ontario’s French Language Services Act. The community said we spoke a different language, but many government stakeholders did as well. I want to acknowledge the contribution of the previous government, which carried out the transformation, and I also want to emphasize that the commissioner showed considerable leadership in moving the independence project forward.
We have a new government now, and we're regressing. We've been told that, after all that's been done over all those years, there will be no more independence. We're regressing.
I'm going to direct my questions to Mr. Boileau, our commissioner. What can we do in the circumstances to protect the gains we've made in Ontario? How can we modernize the federal Official Languages Act to protect ourselves in the event of a change of government? What kind of teeth should the act be given to ensure it serves the interests of minority francophones and those of Canadian society as a whole, which benefits from the added value that English and French, Canada's two official languages, represent?
Can we learn lessons from what's happening and thus understand how to modernize the Official Languages Act so it has more teeth in future?