Statement made on 01 December 2010 by Senator Maria Chaput
Hon. Maria Chaput:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate and concerns the Pan American Games to be held in Toronto in 2015.
On November 29, an article in Le Devoir revealed that the linguistic failure of the opening of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games in Vancouver could happen again at the Pan American Games in Toronto in 2015.
The article stated, and I quote:
. . . the agreement between the organizing committee and the government is no more specific than the agreement signed with Vancouver.
The article also said that this agreement does not reflect any of the recommendations made by the Commissioner of Official Languages.
My question for the Leader of the Government in the Senate is the following: Did the federal government learn its lesson from the linguistic fiasco during the opening ceremony of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Games, when only one song was performed in French? Should the government not be more strict and far-sighted in order to respect linguistic duality?
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