Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister wants to force official bilingualism on the new amalgamated city of Ottawa. This city is in effect bilingual today because the demand for services makes it an advantage for citizens to be able speak and understand two languages.
I am personally attempting to become bilingual because I want to, not because someone is forcing me. When the benefits of speaking more than one language are forgotten and legislation is used to force people, they rebel.
I reject the clumsy attempts of federal Liberals to order the Ontario government to legislate Ottawa as officially bilingual. Ottawa is now functionally bilingual, and so it should be.
If the Prime Minister wants to force bilingualism on the city of Ottawa, he should try also to force official bilingualism on the city of Hull. What is good for Ontario should be good for Quebec.
My advice to the Prime Minister if he is not willing to do that is to butt out.