We took part in the consultations of the expert panel that Ms. Joly organized. Under the model we proposed, citizens in all regions of Canada where there are francophone communities would be able to obtain services in their language from federally regulated businesses and would also be able to work in their language in those businesses.
It's important for us that eastern Ontario and northern New Brunswick not be the only areas designated as regions with a strong francophone presence. People must be able to access services in their language where there are significant numbers of francophones. This would be somewhat along the lines of the federal government's designated bilingual offices. In regions where offices are designated bilingual, the same standards would have to apply to federally regulated businesses.
This isn't an exclusively territorial model that applies to two regions with a strong francophone presence. It's a model under which, for example, CIBC would have a designated branch in Vancouver offering French-language services where employees could work in their language. Under this model, which hasn't yet been defined, there's a way to ensure that all francophone communities benefit.