Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question, Mr. Boulerice. For workers, the federal government could begin by drawing upon the existing system in the public service. Under the Official Languages Act, some regions are designated bilingual, which is to say that people have a right to choose to work either in French or English.

Official Languages committee  I'd like to add a comment, Mr. Chair.

Official Languages committee  I simply want to say that Mr. Côté is giving a rather unrealistic picture of the impact of Bill 101. I worked for almost two years in a large firm in Montreal and I can tell you that the pattern described earlier by Mr. Arseneault is very widespread among private companies. It's therefore inaccurate to claim that Bill 101 is clearly more effective than the Official Languages Act.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Duguid. One comment that is positive in relation to the white paper is that the government, for the first time, is clearly and openly recognizing the importance of institutions to the survival and development of minority language communities in Canada. That's a point that minorities have been litigating in the courts for 40 years, and it's a welcome development to see the federal government commit to supporting it.

Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Boulerice. I'll relate this to a matter I'm involved in. When I put on my lawyer's hat, I'm part of the team that represents Andrée Dionne, a Quebec public servant who worked for the Office of the Superintendent of Financial Institutions for 20 years and who is currently defending his right to work in French before the Federal Court of Appeal.

Official Languages committee  I think that would be a step forward. I would remind you that the Federal Court has the power to impose monetary penalties in respect of public law damages. The option is available but rarely exercised. So it might be a good idea for Parliament to give the Commissioner a clear mandate in that area.

Official Languages committee  Yes. I think that's the approach that should be taken. It's also the one that has been adopted for federal services: services are not provided uniformly across the country, but solely in regions where there is significant demand. The question of the specific characteristics of the private sector should obviously be examined to determine the kind of geographic division that should be adopted.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. First, Supreme Court precedent is very clear. The asymmetry between the two communities has to be considered in interpreting the rights that already exist. Consider the comment I made at the outset: the very purpose in creating the system of language rights that we have today was to protect French in particular.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Chair, honourable members of the committee, first, I want to thank you for giving me the opportunity to address you as part of your important work on the future of language rights in Canada. I also want to say I'm glad to see that all of you have turned on your cameras. This is quite different from the courses I have been giving since the pandemic started.