Mr. Speaker, recently the Saint-Jean Baptiste Society said that if Quebec did not start protecting the French language, francophone Quebecers would become a minority.
Language is one of the most important aspects of a culture. The richness of the French language is recognized throughout the world. For many centuries, French was spoken not only in France, but in many other countries as well. In fact, French was the language of diplomacy.
Today, in Canada, there are thousands of French immersion courses. In my riding, in Vancouver East, Hastings School offers French immersion courses. When I visited the school, I was surprised at the level of language knowledge and comprehension among sixth and seventh grade students.
I believe in a bilingual and united Canada. We must keep it that way.