Honourable senators, in a few days, it will be June 24.

It will be a day of great celebration and commemoration for Quebecers and all francophones across the country.

In Quebec, we will gather to celebrate our national holiday, while francophones and francophiles in other parts of the country will celebrate Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day.

It will be the perfect opportunity to showcase our rich francophone heritage and to celebrate the many contributions that Quebecers, French Canadians and francophone immigrants have made to our country’s cultural landscape.

Together, we are a strong, resilient people, who are clearly proud of our heritage.

June 24 reminds us of the extent to which our history and our culture have served to build bridges between us and the rest of Canada, through the generations and the ages, and to contribute to the multicultural dynamic of our country. Despite its various accents and regional dialects, French is the common thread that unites us and makes us proud to be francophone.

Spoken across the country and around the world, French remains one of the most comforting, warm and contagious languages in the world.

According to the Organisation internationale de la francophonie, or OIF, there are 321 million francophones around the world, including over 10 million in Canada.

As the world’s fifth most spoken language, French continues to win over people around the world, with over 50 million people currently learning French.

Colleagues, being raised in Quebec has given me so many opportunities. It’s been my home for over 60 years, and I am forever thankful for having had the privilege of learning and living in French and immersing myself in the rich culture of Quebec. Whether you are from Quebec or not, and whether you speak French or not, Canada’s bilingualism is one of our most important assets.

It is up to us proud francophones to do everything we can to protect, promote and ensure the vitality of our language and culture.

Honourable senators, as parliamentarians, it is also our duty to ensure that the French fact is respected and valued at a national level.

As we pursue this objective, let us take the time to celebrate our francophonie and express our pride loud and clear.

Happy Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day and happy national holiday.