Mr. Speaker, today we are celebrating the International Day of La Francophonie.
As my colleague mentioned, more than 276 million people speak French and are celebrating their culture and their language today.
In Canada, French and English are on an equal footing, and I have spent much of my career in education defending linguistic rights.
The strength of our francophone and Acadian minority communities truly resides in education and early childhood programs.
I would also like to point out that the Conseil jeunesse provincial de la Nouvelle-Écosse has created a very interesting initiative entitled “J'aime RIGHT ton accent” to inspire linguistic pride. It plays such an important role in educating the next generation.
I can say that the next generation of French speakers in Nova Scotia and right across the country is exceptional.