Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, everyone.
I know that we would prefer to talk about something else and hear testimony regarding the education continuum, from early childhood to post‑secondary education. This study is extremely important. I also know that Mr. Beaulieu wanted to table a motion, but that he decided to wait.
However, my Liberal colleagues decided to move their motion, which amounts to an admonition or disciplinary letter. The motion asks “that the Committee expresses its disappointment at the behaviour of Conservative MPs, notably…the MP for Brantford—Brant, toward Francophone ministers and toward the entirety of the Canadian population that speaks French, an official langue of Canada.” The motion also states that all members of Parliament have the right to speak in either official language, which is certainly true. The Conservative Party supports this. It also states that English and French are important in Canada, and that French is indispensable to the Canadian identity.
However, clearly the motion goes further than a simple reprimand of a Conservative member. It admonishes the Conservative Party. People think that we're against francophones and the French language, and this is further proof. The member of Parliament in question apologized to the House. However, people still think that the Conservatives don't like the French language and the Quebec nation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
This is a key discussion. I won't go back to the beginning of colonization, but I would like to make a few comments on the origins of Canada as a nation. When the charter was originally created—