Mr. Chair, our schedule was upset and our speaking time was shortened, but at least we heard the Commissioner of Official Languages' testimony. As it happens, the amendment I am proposing today was suggested by him.
The amendment follows up on what I was saying earlier were about the importance of bilingualism for senior management. The following message needs to be sent: bilingual is important, and it must be reflected in the corporate culture of institutions. I am therefore pleased to propose that Bill C-13, in clause 16, be amended:
(a) by replacing, in the English version, line 15 on page 9 with the following: "(3) Paragraph 36(1)(c) of the Act is replaced (b) by replacing lines 17 to 23 on page 9 with the following: (c) ensure that (i) every employee is supervised by their managers and supervisors in the official language of their choice, regardless of the linguistic identification of their position, and (ii) any management group that is responsible for the general direction of the institution as a whole has the capacity to function in both official languages."
As legislators, we have to make sure that we can develop a bilingual culture in our institutions. It mustn't be imposed.
I believe that this amendment is appropriate and would make it possible to partly achieve this objective.