Thank you, and welcome, everyone.
To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
For those participating virtually, I would like to take this opportunity to remind all participants to this meeting that screenshots or taking photos of your screen is not permitted, and also highlight the fact that this was mentioned by Speaker Rota on September 29, 2020.
Members and witnesses may speak in the official language of their choice. Interpretation services are available for this meeting. You have the choice at the bottom of your screen of “floor”, “English” or “French”.
Before speaking, click on the microphone icon to activate your own mic. When you are done speaking, please put your mic on ‘mute’ to minimize any interference.
As a reminder, all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the use of headsets with a boom microphone is mandatory for everyone participating remotely.
Should any technical challenges arise, please advise the Chair. Please note that we may need to suspend a few minutes as we need to ensure all members are able to participate fully.
I won't read the information usually intended for those participating in person. We know there is no one in the room today.
I would like to offer a warm welcome to our witnesses and to inform them that they will have a total of seven and a half minutes for their opening remarks, which will be followed by a period of questions from members of the committee.
I am in the habit of using a yellow card to indicate that you have one minute left. When I wave the red card, that means that your speaking time is over.
Our witnesses this afternoon are, from the Association des juristes d'expression française du Nouveau-Brunswick, Érik Labelle Eastaugh, Professor and Director of the International Observatory for Language Rights, Faculty of Law, Université de Moncton, and, from Impératif français, Jean-Paul Perreault, President, who is accompanied by François Côté, Lawyer.
Mr. Labelle Eastaugh, you have the floor for seven and a half minutes.