Mr. Speaker, in this year of Canadian francophonie, I would like to report that last weekend the final of the dictée des Amériques was held in Quebec City. This international event featured 112 finalists from 12 countries in America, Europe or Africa.
It is a source of great pride that Canada has hosted such an event. The French language holds pride of place in our country. One Canadian in three speaks French and one in four has French as his or her mother tongue.
Congratulations to the prize winners. Three of them came from right here in Canada: Marc Ethier of Gatineau, Heidi Garrand of Regina, and Monique McDonald of North Vancouver.
In Canada, the French language has an intrinsic value, even if we are proud of this country's linguistic diversity.