Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Rousseau, for being here and spending time with us to discuss this very important topic.
Mr. Rousseau, I identified with your opening comment that your skills in the French language do not yet meet the effort you've put into it. I identify with that because, as a unilingual member of Parliament from Canada's west coast, I, too, feel that I need to learn French. I've been taking French lessons, and I know how difficult it is. It's a big challenge. Congratulations, and keep going.
Mr. Rousseau, the news of your unfortunate statement to the Montreal Chamber of Commerce last year made news even in British Columbia, where I'm from—a very unilingual British Columbia, I might add. It was news because people in B.C. are quite proud of being in a Canada that is bilingual and bicultural. I would say that is measured by how popular French immersion is in schools. There are just not enough chairs, not enough seats, not enough spaces available. If there's one thing that maybe comes out of this and your comments today, it's that there should be more emphasis put on French immersion, particularly when you're saying you can't even find enough employees who are bilingual. Perhaps that's a challenge for all of Canada,
Sir, you're saying that the bilingualism of Air Canada is important to you and to your company, but doesn't the inspiration for fulfilling a company's mandate and building on the strategic plan start from the top? How does your inability to speak fluent French impede your ability to inspire your employees?