Thank you, Mr. Chair.
It is with great pleasure that I present amendment NDP‑8, which seeks to add an essential step in the federal government's negotiations with the provinces and territories: negotiating language clauses for minority communities. In proposing this amendment to Bill C‑13, we want language clauses to be included in agreements with the provinces, unless it is impossible, which should rarely be the case.
This amendment is being moved thanks to the hard work of the francophone and Acadian communities that have endured underfunding for their essential services for years. Those communities have to fight constantly to protect their services, often services for which federal funding is provided.
I want to recognize the people who fought to keep Hôpital Montfort here in Ottawa, to preserve Campus Saint-Jean in Alberta, or to protect higher education in Sudbury and in the north. I want to recognize the people who are waiting for childcare in French all across Canada, including in communities like mine in Thompson, Manitoba. I want to recognize the people who wish to receive their healthcare in French. The purpose of this amendment is to mark a historic turning point for all these people.
Thanks to the solution we are proposing to add today, the federal government will no longer be able to forget the minority language communities of Canada and will ensure that language clauses are included, to protect and promote French everywhere in Canada.