Thank you, Mr. Généreux. I had followed the clerk's instructions.
Dear committee members, I was saying that I have here a copy of the letter that Jean Johnson sent to all MPs. I found two excerpts particularly important. I'll read the first one to you:
Although the government informs us in the Speech from the Throne that it intends to table a bill, this commitment was not accompanied by a timetable.
I was thinking of Mr. Arseneault, who was the spokesperson for the linguistic minority in New Brunswick, and some of my colleagues who belong to other minorities.
I'll read the second excerpt to you:
Hon. Member, you know as well as I do that in a minority government, the more time passes, the less time Parliament has to move this legislative priority forward. We are concerned that if the government does not introduce legislation before the end of 2020, both Houses of Parliament will not have the time to pass the changes our communities have wanted for decades.…
We therefore encourage Committee members to undertake, as a matter of priority, an [action to] modernize the Official Languages Act …
… we encourage the Committee to study the notion of promoting French throughout Canada.
Mr. Chair, we have here a roadmap drawn up by those who are giving us the work, that is to say, both anglophone and francophone minority communities. They want us to invite the government to conduct this study. I would like to point out to my parliamentary colleagues that I used the word “invite” correctly. We aren't forcing the government's hand, but, as members of Parliament, we are inviting it to take action. That is very constructive.
In terms of what happens next, the FCFA was very clear. I believe that the study proposed by Mr. Beaulieu's motion, which we have just adopted, would be very well received by all the communities.
Mr. Chair, I repeat: essentially, I am tabling this notice inviting the government to table its bill to modernize the Official Languages Act. This was part of the Speech from the Throne and part of the government's promises. I think it's consensual. It'll be one more step. For the members of the committee, it's a way of indicating their willingness to represent communities across the country.
Thank you.