Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I want to repeat my concerns regarding the fact that we need this bill to move forward as quickly as possible.
I want to talk about a situation currently happening in New Brunswick. The media are talking about 21 francophone Acadian organizations that are standing up to the intolerance of their government, which has asked a progressive conservative MLA, Kris Austin, to be a member of the official languages committee. Mr. Austin has spoken out against bilingualism and the rights of Acadians and francophones. As members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, we could all show solidarity with the Acadian and francophone communities that are standing up to Mr. Austin and what his government is doing.
In addition, I want to again stress that we have to move the bill forward as quickly as possible. We have to make sure that francophone communities across the country, which are working hard, have the support they need when they are faced with intolerance, such as what we are seeing in New Brunswick right now. French is declining in our communities across the country. It isn't just in theory. People are standing up right now, today, this morning.
I'm afraid that we are losing our time here, talking about all kinds of things. Yes, these are important topics, but we shouldn't forget that we need to move this bill forward, as stakeholders are asking. We have to give Acadian and francophone communities across the country the tools they need to stand up and protect their rights in the face of the crisis of intolerance in our country.