Conclusion
Page 12 of 14
Canadian society is constantly evolving. Recent years have brought many changes, particularly in demographic, societal and technological terms; and political changes are on the horizon. In this context, the federal government must demonstrate even greater vigilance to protect one of the key values of our society: linguistic duality. The changes are often gradual, but they are no less likely to have a major impact on the future of Canada's linguistic duality.
The government's action plan thus comes at an appropriate time. It unquestionably reflects the government's strengthened commitment towards official languages. It lays the foundations for a policy of "sustainable development" for our linguistic duality. Accordingly, the action plan should be pursued and developed far beyond the five-year period for which funding has been provided.
It is the government's duty to ensure that its political commitment to support linguistic duality extends to all levels of the federal Public Service. It will be equally important for the government to ensure that its action plan receives the support of all Canadians, as well as that of provincial and territorial governments. Their cooperation is indispensable to the success of the plan.
It is worth returning to the analogy we used at the beginning of this report: the Minister Responsible for Official Languages must truly perform the job of an orchestra conductor to coordinate all the actions required to implement the government's strategy for strengthening official languages. His work requires considerable skill and energy, and will depend to a large extent on the ability of his orchestra to play in harmony, with each member striving to play in tune with the group. He must not leave any room for improvisation nor tolerate any wrong notes.
The work to be performed is ambitious, and the audience's expectations are high.
