Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I'll start by saying that I'm glad to be participating in this committee for the first time, but Mr. Samson is a tough act to follow. He set the bar high. I'll echo what he said.
First of all, it's inconceivable to me that the Governor General still doesn't speak French after three years. I definitely think the appointment was regrettable. A Governor General must speak both official languages at the very least. I don't know if I've said that publicly before, but there you have it. I truly believe that.
Now, as to the function of the Governor General, I may not be quite as attached to that as my Conservative colleagues, who would undoubtedly rename this committee the “Royal Committee on Official Languages” if they could. I myself no longer subscribe to Mr. Beaulieu's school of thought. In fact, I voted with the Bloc Québécois—as did you, Mr. Chair—to cut ties with the monarchy so we no longer have to swear an oath to the king. I don't see the Governor General as having a very important role, but I do understand the symbolic importance. In essence, that's why I share Mr. Samson's sentiments about the fact that the Governor General doesn't speak French, as expressed in the motion before us.
Nevertheless, I will vote against the motion because we just heard from witnesses who told us that only 20% of rights holders in Canada have access to early learning services in French. They also told us that, when francophones don't have access to early learning services and child care in French, that alters their entire linguistic trajectory for the rest of their lives. The stats are clear. We're talking thousands of children across Canada. The committee can bring this situation to the fore and make recommendations to the government. Instead of focusing on that, some people want to dedicate no fewer than five meetings to talking about the Governor General's French.
I think the fact that the francophone population is losing thousands of Canadian children a year because they don't have access to early learning services in French is far more important than Mary Simon's language.
That's why I'll be voting against the motion.