First, research shows that people are bilingual, but not when they are sick or facing major life events. We lose the languages we have acquired as we get older. There are plenty of situations where French speakers, who have been bilingual their whole lives, find themselves at a loss.
Second, before we can achieve equality, we must first achieve equity. I believe that equity requires a wide range of measures that, by their very nature, vary somewhat from place to place to ensure we make progress.
The fact that equality may be a very long-term goal does not mean we should not move in that direction. I believe the legislator’s intent was very clear when the act was passed almost unanimously. Next, we must equip ourselves with the means to achieve it. If we say that the act is not being enforced, and therefore that the act is unenforceable, in my view, that is a tautology. We need to start breaking this cycle, so to speak. The regulations are one way we can truly empower the public service to implement the new act.