Mr. Speaker, I would remind my colleague that we have recognized the special status of French since the reform document was tabled and even before that, in the Speech from the Throne, because French is indeed declining in Quebec and in Canada, and we must do more.
For the first time, the federal government believes that substantive equality between our two official languages is necessary and that more must therefore be done to support the language rights of francophones across the country and in Quebec. We will do so, of course, by protecting the rights of all linguistic minorities. I will have the opportunity to work with my Quebec counterparts on this issue.