The Official Languages Act makes it clear that both official languages are equal. The equality of both languages is the basic principle or foundation of the Official Languages Act and the constitutional provisions, such as section 16 of the charter.
Equality does not mean that one group is treated better than the other. Equality means what it means. It means that both groups must be treated equally and no one should be put at a disadvantage as a result of the language they use. There is equality of status, equal rights and privileges. All decisions made by the federal government to release documents it produces must be based on the principle of the equality of both languages. In my opinion, there is no reason for one language to be less equal than the other or for one to be more equal than the other.
The principle of equality is at the heart of all texts that recognize language rights in Canada, and this principle must be guarded here. We must ensure that texts are of equal quality in both languages, in order to respect the principle of equality.