Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Welcome, minister.

Can you share with us the government’s timeline for developing the action plan on official languages and the regulations for implementing the ambitious and long-awaited bill you introduced in the House of Commons?

Hon. René Cormier: Minister, welcome to the Senate of Canada. We all know what a critical role deputy ministers play in implementing our public policies.

In its final report on the modernization of the Official Languages Act, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages recommended the following:

Amend the Official Languages Act to require that, on appointment, deputy ministers have a sufficient understanding of English and French to be able to perform their duties in both official languages, orally and in writing.

Bill C-13, currently at second reading stage at the House of Commons, has no such provision.

Minister, my question is the following. Do you believe that deputy ministers should be bilingual on appointment? If so, how precisely does your government intend to follow through on this important recommendation from the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, particularly in the context of the current review of the Official Languages Act?

Hon. Raymonde Gagné (Legislative Deputy to the Government Representative in the Senate): Honourable senators, I give notice that, at the next sitting of the Senate, I will move:

That, when the Senate next adjourns after the adoption of this motion, it do stand adjourned until Tuesday, May 17, 2022, at 2 p.m.