Official Languages committee  There's one other issue, if I can raise it with the committee. I don't have a chance to ask a question, but I'll answer the question I'm going to throw out to you. We are doing a lot for dependants. It's an area I'm very passionate about, and that is that francophone dependants anywhere around the world can get some training, if they need to, to be able to make their situation better when it comes to finding a job.

Official Languages committee  I do. I'm married to a francophone. My family comes from Thetford Mines. I have a chance to travel with my family to see that, so I clearly understand it's a leadership issue. It's about the act, but more importantly it's about leadership. And it's not just about language; it's about culture.

Official Languages committee  Yes. Thank you. We were working with the ombudsman, and you'll hear from the team in the second hour about what has been done. To ensure you hear that, we've asked them to lay it out for the committee in some other way. But you'll be very pleased with what's being done in Borden and Saint-Jean to address all those areas identified by the ombudsman, be it, one, having sufficient materials in both official languages, having instructors, or, two, having support on the base, so our francophone students get that support when they go to different parts of the base.

Official Languages committee  On what we're hoping for, we can talk about processes and leadership. You can have all the processes or mechanisms of voice that you want where people complain to. The leadership needs to take action, Monsieur Nadeau. C'est vrai?

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. It's an unacceptable situation. I'm answering this, not him, because I'm the leader. At the end of the day, that is unacceptable to hear. That's not what I believe or stand for, or what the program stands for. It's true that we started with the land forces.

Official Languages committee  In conclusion, it's unacceptable--I say this again--to hear what I heard in the letter. It'll address one issue. But to hear that somehow actions would be taken for people speaking French is totally unacceptable. I'd love to get a copy of the letter and speak to the commander of the navy before 12 o'clock to ensure that something is done.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. At the end of the day, there is no impact. The impact is that they will not be in the Canadian Forces and someone else will be promoted who has CBC. It's very simple. On the other hand, if there are any questions as to whether there are officers who this will be a challenge for perhaps, but I'll wait until December 31 when I get the results.

Official Languages committee  The answer is frankly yes, it is, for two reasons. First, do I have the money I need? Yes. Second, for me it's a high priority. So the direction I gave to General Gosselin, who works for me, was that this is a priority for me, therefore it's now a priority for him. I know it's a priority for him and his team to ensure that money is put there.

Official Languages committee  Frankly, it's not just a matter of being able to speak in a second language, it's also a matter of culture. There's a culture element to it that has to be looked at, respected, and worked with at the same time.

Official Languages committee  There's one very important thing. Now, today, there are people who focus solely on the navy, the army and the air force. That wasn't the way it was done two years ago; it was just the men from my team, my men. The official languages team tried to look into the army, the navy, and the air force to see what was happening.

Official Languages committee  That's a good question. It's possible, but it's not the reality. Every year, for promotions to the rank of brigadier-general, there are 300 colonels and navy captains in the Canadian Forces. Every year, those 300 have the opportunity to be promoted. When you look at the number of promotions, you see it may be 10 a year out of 300.

Official Languages committee  That's true.

Official Languages committee  I'd like to add one word, please. In the letter concerning the policy on generals and admirals, one other thing is very important. Every year, there are promotion boards. What does that mean? In October and November, people will sit down and determine who should be promoted for the following year, at every rank level.

Official Languages committee  Merci, monsieur le président. Clearly, are we where we want to be when it comes to translation? No. Are we better than we were last year? Yes, because we have provided additional money to be able to do the translation. But I agree with you, where we want to be is where every soldier has the training manuals in the language of his or her choice.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Chairman. First, to be clear, to provide some clarification back, We decided to start with the generals and admirals. But it's very clear, with regard to the generals, like General Natynchuk, who have one, two or three stars, that by December of 2011 if they aren't in a training situation, we have to have the cards.