Mr. Speaker, our government is a strong supporter of our country's linguistic duality. It is a critical part of who we are as a country, and we will continue to support minority language communities.
We recognize that francophone and anglophone communities make our society more culturally, socially and economically vibrant.
The 2008-13 roadmap resulted in significant progress in a variety of areas, including the economic development of official language communities and the promotion of linguistic duality.
The commissioner acknowledged the success of the 2008-13 roadmap in his 2012-13 annual report. He said the following in his report:
...the 2008-2013 Roadmap resulted in significant progress in a variety of areas, such as health care, justice, the economic development of official language communities, immigration in French-speaking minority communities and the promotion of linguistic duality.
Following extensive consultations across Canada, our government introduced the new roadmap, which focuses on education, immigration and community support.
The $1.1 billion being invested in the new roadmap is the most comprehensive investment in official languages in Canadian history. Those funds will strengthen existing francophone communities in Canada and will bring the French language and culture to new communities across the country.
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, acknowledged the importance of our government's historic investment in support of our two official languages. Mr. Fraser said this:
These initiatives have enabled a number of English-speaking and French-speaking communities to gain momentum over the years, giving them reason to be optimistic about the future.
Our government also recognizes the importance of a bilingual education. Each year, our government invests $86 million to support immersion programs in every province and territory in Canada.
The commissioner recognized the success of that investment during his presentation to the Standing Committee on Official Languages on December 2, 2013. I would like to share his comments with my colleagues.
Investments in immersion programs across the country have resulted in a new generation of bilingual Canadians, many of whom are now in post-secondary institutions.
Our government's commitment to protecting, celebrating and strengthening our two official languages has never been clearer.