I see. My apologies to our interpreters, and I will speak more slowly. It's just that I'm happy to be here in committee.
I'm delighted that you are undertaking a study on post-secondary institutions. I also think that francophone immigration, which is essential to efforts to restore the demographic weight of minority francophones, is a critical issue. I note the new obligations requiring all federal institutions to take positive measures to promote the official languages and the fact that the strengthening of part VII of the Official Languages Act has been well received by stakeholders and the communities. I will be working closely with the President of the Treasury Board to prepare the regulations provided for under the act.
I would briefly like to recall that I travelled to 17 cities in the summer of 2017 to take part in the consultations on the action plan for official languages 2018‑2023. It's very important for me to witness all the progress that we, as a government and Parliament, have made on these issues. I'm here to defend the official languages from sea to sea. I'm also here to defend western francophones and Quebec's anglophone communities. This action plan is real: a $4.1 billion budget is significant.
I'll conclude with a brief story. I am very much attached to our two official languages. When I was 15 years old, I travelled to Ottawa as a participant in the Forum for Young Canadians, but I couldn't speak to half of the delegates. The realization hit me so hard that, when I returned to Edmonton, I figured I'd better forge ahead with my French studies. With a name like Boissonnault, I just had to.
The first time I applied for work as a parliamentary guide, I failed the interview because I didn't know the meaning of the word "chirurgie". The answer I gave was somewhat surrealistic, but it didn't pass muster. The second time, I passed the interview, got the job and was a parliamentary guide here in 1990, and I can tell you that I never would have believed I would one day be the Minister of Official Languages.
I'm a product of the system. The system works, and I'm here to make sure it works for many other Canadians. Thank you.