Mr. Speaker, allow me, first, to assure the House that the Minister of National Defence and the Canadian Forces recognize the importance of official languages and are determined to improve their performance in this field.
The transformation model establishes the Canadian Forces’ official languages strategic vision, which will ensure that members of the Canadian Forces are to be consistently led, trained, administered and supported in their official language of choice, in accordance with the requirements of the Official Languages Act.
There is a myth that the Official Languages Act requires each member of the Canadian Forces to be bilingual. Even members of the public service are not all required to be bilingual.
I can assure the House that there is nothing to prevent francophone members of the Canadian Forces from gaining promotion. That is a false notion concerning the transformation model. There will be no negative impact on the professional advancement of francophones.
The transformation model will have a positive impact on the careers of both anglophones and francophones. Indeed, francophones are well represented in the Canadian Forces. In 2005-06, the percentage of francophones in the Canadian Forces was higher than the percentage of francophones in the Canadian population.
French is the mother tongue of about one-quarter of the Canadian population, while 27.4% of the members of the Canadian Forces are francophones. More than 27% of the members of the forces are francophones, including 28% of general officers and 33% of chief warrant officers and chief petty officers, first class.
Francophones are very well represented in the Canadian Forces and they will continue to be well represented in the future.
They are not only well represented at subordinate levels, but also in the higher levels of the Canadian Forces. Being a francophone in no way prevents a member of the military from advancing to higher ranks in the armed forces.
Ensuring that military personnel can be trained in their official language of choice is a priority of the Canadian Forces. That is why one of the priorities of the transformation model is to create a core of bilingual military instructors.
All training for recruits is offered in both official languages. While there is still work to be done, the Canadian Forces have made progress in offering training courses in both official languages. In 2005-06, some 21.6% of all courses were offered in French or in both official languages, an increase over the 18% of courses in 2004-05.
The new Official Languages Transformation Model will bring the Canadian Forces more completely in line with the requirements of the Official Languages Act.
It includes a new method for determining whether military and civilian personnel of the Department of National Defence are fulfilling their official language obligations in the workplace. We will thus be better able to address and take measures to remedy any problems more quickly.
I am convinced that the transformation model will enable us to resolve the issues raised by the Commissioner of Official Languages and to allay the concerns of those who have raised questions.
Implementation of this plan will ensure a fairer and more equitable environment in which members of the Canadian Forces, anglophones as well as francophones, will be able to work and learn in the official language of their choice, in accordance with the Official Languages Act.