Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair, Honourable Members of Parliament. It is my pleasure to be here today to answer your questions regarding the Commissioner of Official Languages' Report Card on the application of the Official Languages Act at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Internation

Official Languages committee  Yes, we did.

Official Languages committee  If I'm not mistaken, the plan covered the period from 2009 to 2010. It ended in 2010.

Official Languages committee  That's right, from 2008 to 2010. I was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in June of 2010. So then, I wasn't around when the last plan was developed.

Official Languages committee  Are you referring to the former plan, or to the one that is currently being developed?

Official Languages committee  In my opinion, the plan had some shortcomings in terms of measuring performance, for example. We will try to make improvements in this area in the next plan. This is the first time that the Commissioner of Official Languages has given a grade to the department and we take this ve

Official Languages committee  I'll ask Ms. Dubé to field that question.

Official Languages committee  I will try. The way I see it, official languages is an area that requires leadership and the use of every possible tool, such as legislation—

Official Languages committee  Theoretically, the supervisor is supposed to be able to understand it, and theoretically, the employee has the right to use the language of their choice.

Official Languages committee  It has to do with the culture. How do you change the culture? First of all, you change the culture by having those at the top lead by example. So we are first making an effort to conduct our meetings in a bilingual format, within our other committees, in other words, the executiv

Official Languages committee  We received an E, so we know we have weaknesses. But the report did acknowledge that we have also done a few things well.

Official Languages committee  The best I can do is reiterate what I have already said. First of all, we will see where we are at in a year. Clearly, the fact that the government is accountable to Parliament is a key mechanism. That is the whole purpose of this committee's very existence. We will be back here

Official Languages committee  It is hard for me to answer that. As I told you, I have not been at the department long, less than a year. This report is a big concern for me. I am talking to employees for their suggestions on how to improve the situation.

Official Languages committee  That is not really what I said. The commissioner's report does nevertheless include some positive comments about the department's performance. But this is the first time the commissioner has ever done this kind of evaluation of DFAIT. And since this is the first time, we are exam

Official Languages committee  Yes, I am going to give you an answer.