I call the meeting to order.
Welcome to meeting number five of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages. The committee is meeting on its study on the annual report 2019-20 of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the main estimates 2020-21, pursuant to the order of reference of September 30, 2020.
The proceedings will be made available via the House of Commons website. So you are aware, the webcast will always show the person speaking rather than the entirety of the committee. To ensure an orderly meeting, I would like to outline a few rules to follow.
I want to inform those participating in the meeting virtually that 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 either floor, English or French.
Before speaking, click on the microphone icon to activate your microphone. When you're done speaking, please put your microphone on mute to minimize any interference.
Remember that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair. Should members need to request the floor outside their designated time for questions, they should activate their microphone and state that they have a point of order. If a member wishes to intervene on a point of order that has been raised by another member, they should use the “raise hand” function. This will signal to the chair that they wish to speak, and their name will be added to the list.
To raise your hand, click on “participants” at the bottom of the screen. When the list pops up, you'll see next to your name that you can click on “raise hand”.
When speaking, please speak slowly and clearly. When you are not speaking, your mike should be on mute. Unless there are exceptional circumstances, the use of a headset 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 for a few minutes, as we need to ensure that all members are able to participate fully.
With regard to the speakers list, the committee clerk and I will do the best we can to maintain a consolidated order of speaking for all members, whether they are participating virtually or in person.
Madam Clerk, at this point, please let us know whether there are any substitutes.