Mr. Théberge, thank you for being with us this evening. Let me congratulate you on your nomination as Commissioner of Official Languages.

My question is how you plan to address the challenges facing Quebec’s English-speaking communities. In executing your mandate to support the preservation and development of official language minority communities, will you commit to ensuring equitable treatment for Canada’s over 1 million English-speaking Quebecers?

Mr. Théberge: The role of the commissioner is to ensure fair treatment of all minorities, be they anglophone minorities of Quebec or francophone minorities outside of Quebec. Yes, I am committed to ensuring that all minorities are treated equally and fairly.

Senator Seidman: Thank you, Mr. Théberge.

Recent consultations by the Department of Canadian Heritage on a new action plan for official languages in Canada found that it is difficult for English-speaking Quebecers to access federal program funding due to systemic barriers. In fact, the consultations revealed a bureaucracy standing in the way of equitable treatment for Quebec anglophones.

As Official Languages Commissioner, will you make it a priority to work with federal institutions and Quebec English-speaking communities to remove these systemic barriers which stand in the way of linguistic equality?

Mr. Théberge: Whenever we have systemic barriers to equality, we have to work toward eliminating them and ensure that the process is fair and equitable. I will work to ensure that the system is fair and equitable.