Mr. Speaker, I would like to point out that today, March 20, is the International Day of la Francophonie. On this occasion, many countries around the world will celebrate this symbolic day of pride in the French language.
French-speaking people have the right to be proud of their language, when one considers that 500 million people in the world speak French.
Today is an opportunity to celebrate and to continue to hope that it will be as strong in the future as it has been in the past.
I should mention that Canada has hosted a number of large events for the international Francophonie, including the eighth francophone summit in Moncton, as well as the IVth Jeux de la Francophonie held this past summer in Ottawa-Hull.
As a francophone, I am proud of my language and I invite all Canadian francophones to celebrate as well, and to promote and share the pleasure of the Francophonie at the regional, national and international levels with their fellow Canadians.