Mr. Speaker, I am proud to be part of a government that is committed to defending and promoting the French language and French culture during l'Année de la Francophonie.
We are very glad to join all those who share the richness of French culture, including francophones outside Quebec who often had to fight a cultural battle that was far from easy. It is unfortunate that the separatist government has chosen to ignore this opportunity to show their support to francophones throughout Canada.
It is important to point out that there are 9 million Canadians who speak French, almost one Canadian out of three. We hope that, by the end of the year, there will be 30 million of us who appreciate the richness of Canadian Francophonie.
Francophones throughout Canada can rely on the Canadian government to ensure that the French language and French culture are given pride of place in North America.