Mr. Speaker, in 2001 municipalities on both sides of the National Capital Region amalgamated to form the two cities of Ottawa and Gatineau. Since that time the Liberal government has been relentless in its pursuit of official bilingualism on the Ontario side, but only on the Ontario side.
It has repeatedly demanded that Ottawa's bilingual status be entrenched in provincial law and transferred several million dollars to city hall for this purpose. Not one federal minister has uttered a single word in defence of the rights of the large English speaking minority in the City of Gatineau.
What is the reason for this double standard on minority language rights in the national capital area?