Statement made on 07 June 2011 by Senator Maria Chaput
Hon. Maria Chaput:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate. In 2010, the Conservatives' Speech from the Throne praised the fact that we have two official languages. It stated, and I quote:
Canada's two official languages are an integral part of our history and position us uniquely in the world.
It continued, and I quote:
. . . our Government will take steps to strengthen further Canada's francophone identity.
Unfortunately, in the 2011 Throne Speech, delivered last Friday, this very government made no mention of the importance of Canada's linguistic duality, which is nevertheless a fundamental characteristic of our country. There was no mention of the unique advantage afforded by our two official languages, or the role that our federal government intends to play in this area.
Will the Leader of the Government in the Senate explain this silence? How is it that, in 2010, our federal government stated that our official languages position us uniquely in the world, and today, in 2011, the same government seems to have forgotten all about them?
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