Mr. Speaker, I think it is important to say that the court challenges program was created in 1978. It is very important to say that the program was created at a time when language rights and their impact on national unity were the subject of intense public debate in Canada. The 1969 Official Languages Act, Quebec's 1977 Charter of the French Language, and a number of important language-related court cases were other elements that contributed to bringing language rights to the forefront of political debates across Canada.
It is very important to point out that the purpose of the program is to clarify certain constitutional provisions concerning equality and language rights.
It is incredibly important to remember why the program was originally created some 30 years ago. It established a foundation of case law to clarify not only linguistic rights, but other rights guaranteed under the Charter of Right and Freedoms. Here we are 30 years later and there is a strong argument to be made that the law in fact has been clarified. The law is a living organism and will continue to evolve, but the substantive base in case law has been established, defining these rights. That is an incredibly important thing to remember.
Would the member opposite acknowledge that there is an argument to be made for this, and that there was good reason, in that sense, to move with the cancellation of the program?