Madam Speaker, I am very pleased to have the opportunity to reply to the important question posed by my colleague from Mégantic—L'Érable.
The government understands that our two official languages are at the heart of who we are as Canadians. Our two official languages, along with the indigenous languages, are what makes Canada such a unique place. The government believes that the time has come to take stock of the language situation in Canada, consider how the official languages have evolved over the past 50 years, and take action to address the challenges faced by the two languages.
The reforms announced Friday by the Minister of Official Languages form the cornerstone of our plans to modernize the Official Languages Act. They respond to the heartfelt pleas from communities to ensure they have a future, while adding new measures to increase bilingualism rates in Canada and protect the French language across the country, including in Quebec.
Allow me to talk about some of the reforms the minister announced that we will be implementing. We will improve access to French immersion programs across Canada, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to learn and speak French. We will support the vitality of minority-language institutions in key sectors, such as immigration, education, culture and government. We will protect and promote the use of French across Canada, including in Quebec, by recognizing new rights with respect to language of work and service. These rights will apply to federally regulated private businesses established in Quebec and in other regions of the country where there is a strong francophone presence.
We want the public service to set an example, and we want to strengthen bilingualism within the Government of Canada through measures such as appointing bilingual judges to the Supreme Court and improving the support offered to federal public servants for learning their second language.
During a pandemic, of course, some challenges are inevitable. We have taken all necessary steps to do our due diligence. We have ensured that our official language communities have access to health information in their official language. In addition, we are emphasizing the importance of communicating with the public in the official language of their choice. We will continue to remind our colleagues of this.
This is more than a language issue. In a pandemic, it is a matter of safety. In spite of these challenges, our government understands that now is the time to act. We have an ambitious plan to protect and promote the French language and fulfill our obligations under the Official Languages Act. We are committed to modernizing the act to tackle the challenges of the 21st century and meet the needs of all Canadians.