The Economy  Mr. Speaker, what can we expect from the Conservative Party of Canada? We can expect cuts and more cuts. Being the minister responsible for Veterans Affairs, I know that, when its members were in power, they slashed our employees by 1,000. They cut nine Veterans Affairs offices, including one in Corner Brook, Newfoundland.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question. I think that we agree on the importance of listening to our veterans. That is why Veterans Affairs conducted a survey. More than 10,000 Canadians responded to the survey. The majority of them were veterans. The design that was chosen is the one from the Stimson team since, to them, it best represented the bravery, sacrifice and loss of veterans.

Public Services and Procurement  Mr. Speaker, once again, I would like to thank my colleague for his question. I look forward to working with him on the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. I think all members of the House recognize the importance of listening to our veterans. That is why we conducted this survey.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, as Minister of Veterans Affairs, I think it is very important to make sure that we listen to veterans, veterans who served in the Afghanistan mission. During this process, we heard from 10,000 Canadians. Most of them are people who served during the Afghanistan mission.

Veterans Affairs  Mr. Speaker, the memorial to Canada's mission in Afghanistan recognizes the commitment and sacrifice of our soldiers. More than 40,000 people participated in this mission. The Department of Veterans Affairs received input from more than 10,000 Canadians, particularly veterans, people who participated in the mission.

Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, here is some good news: The Senate has just confirmed that Bill C‑13 has received royal assent. I am extremely proud of the work we accomplished to modernize the Official Languages Act. This legislation will better equip us to slow the decline of French and more effectively protect our official language minority communities.

Business of the House  Madam Speaker, I request that the ordinary hour of daily adjournment of the next sitting be 12 midnight, pursuant to order made Tuesday, November 15, 2022. In addition, I am tabling the government's responses to Questions Nos. 1399 to 1404.

Official Languages  Madam Speaker, I want to thank my hon. colleague for his question. I would also like to thank the Commissioner of Official Languages for the report he released this week. We accept his recommendations. As Minister of Official Languages, I am very pleased with the work we have accomplished so far.

Official Languages  Madam Speaker, let us be very clear. We are the first government to recognize the decline of French in this country. That is why we are moving forward with a bill that is ambitious, that has teeth. It does not stop there. We have made historic investments in our action plan, namely $4.1 billion to ensure that the federal government will do its fair share to protect and promote French across the country.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, when we return the Monday after the week in our ridings, the agenda will include debate at third reading of Bill S‑5, an act to amend the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Tuesday and Thursday will be opposition days. On Wednesday, we will resume debate at second reading of Bill C‑42, an act to amend the Canada Business Corporations Act.

Business of the House  Mr. Speaker, I forgot to mention part of the important work for next week. If you would allow me to continue, I want to make sure all members of the House are fully aware of the work to be done when we return. Pursuant to Standing Order 81(4), I would like to designate Monday, May 29, for consideration in committee of the whole of all votes under the Department of Finance in main estimates for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2024.

An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, I have to say that you look quite dashing in that chair. I would like to thank my colleague from La Pointe-de-l'Île for his speech. I would also like to thank the Bloc Québécois for supporting Bill C-13, which will really make a difference in communities across the country.

An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, first, I would simply like to say that, since 2015, our government has basically doubled the investments in all areas of official languages through our official languages action plan. We are making historic investments of $4.1 billion over the next five years. Second, I listened attentively to my colleague's comments.

An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague and friend, as well as the NDP member for Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, for the work that she has done on Standing Committee on Official Languages. She has truly been a partner, and I appreciated working with her. If this were an easy piece of legislation, governments in the past would have moved it forward a long time ago.

An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages  Mr. Speaker, French is the language of love. I want my message to anglophones in Quebec to be very clear. Bill C-13 in no way removes any rights from English-speaking Quebeckers. With this legislation, the modernization of the Official Languages Act, we want to make sure that we do all we can to protect and to promote both our official languages.