Mr. Speaker, ten years ago, Ontario recognized French as one of its two official languages before the courts. The province has since passed several provisions which have made it increasingly bilingual in the judicial field. In fact, a case can now be heard in French at any level of the provincial legal system, including that of the appeal court.
The Association des juristes d'expression française, which held its convention in Ottawa this past weekend, has always been at the forefront of the movement to improve our bilingual judicial system. This is a complex and difficult task, and I want to congratulate the association for its dedication and its determination in overcoming any obstacle to that very important goal.
The program benefits all Ontarians. It also shows that, in North America, the French language and culture have a much better chance of being preserved, and even expanding, in a bilingual Canada than in separate states.