Let's go back to our evaluations of the 33 institutions. Some improved, while others experienced setbacks. Only one institution performed poorly in our view. No institution stood out, but there was a slight improvement.
Yesterday, I attended an event. An employee of a federal institution told me how much she appreciated the B rating her institution had received. She said that 10 years ago, her institution was rated E, and that it was now rated B and had worked very hard for that rating.
I again realized that public servants, official languages champions, and official languages coordinators take their responsibilities very seriously. The key is leadership. It means that someone in charge of an institution is sending the right message. That's the case at Public Works and Government Services Canada. When I started my first term, the department was performing poorly. At the time, the minister and deputy minister both considered the evaluation unacceptable. They took measures and implemented an action plan, and progress was made.
You said that you have returned to the committee after taking some time away. Your impression is that the same issues keep coming up and that things are going nowhere. My response is that the work must be ongoing. As I wrote in my annual report, the majority, almost by definition, are not aware of the needs of the minority. That's the reality. It may be unfortunate, but it must be faced. That's why, even in federal institutions, the work is still very important.