Thank you very much.
Thank you, Mr. Rheault and Mr. Barbeau, for being here today.
I think the purpose of this meeting is precisely to hear from various stakeholders who will be affected by the implementation of the regulations. It also helps us do our job better when it comes time to make recommendations, to better understand how those affected are reacting to the regulations and how it will affect their activities or their ways of doing things.
In your remarks, you mentioned that you will do everything you can to avoid paying penalties and that you've already put in place various compliance measures with a view to continuous improvement.
The primary purpose of imposing a penalty is not to punish, but rather to promote compliance with the Official Languages Act.
Would you agree that the mere existence of an administrative penalty regime encourages greater compliance?