Mr. Speaker, linguistic duality is an asset for Canadians. It is part of the global knowledge based economy that means better access to world markets and jobs.
According to the Centre for Research and Information on Canada, 77% of anglophones outside Quebec believe it is important to learn to speak a language other than English. Of that number, 74% believe that French would be the language most important for their children to learn to speak.
Other findings in the study reveal that two out of every three Canadians agree: living in a country with two official languages is one of the defining factors of what it means to be Canadian.
We must continue to encourage linguistic duality.