Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning everyone.
I am from Moncton, New Brunswick. I am an anglophone, but I am very aware of the circumstances faced by minorities, such as the Acadians.
I am also the deputy justice critic for the Liberal Party and a member of the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights.
After Christmas, that committee will hear, as a witness, from the Minister of Justice, Mr. Toews, on the abolition of the Court Challenges Program.
A few witnesses today, as well as some yesterday in Edmonton and in British Columbia on Monday, said frankly and directly that they opposed this decision to cut this program. I think, after having heard from several witnesses here, that everyone agrees that this was not a good decision.
However, to help our Conservative friends, could I ask Mr. Dubé, Mr. Gauthier or perhaps Mr. Ferré if there is another solution to meet this need? We know that this program is an extremely important tool to maintain your linguistic rights.
For example, there is a process for complaints relating to human rights: the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal and various ombudsmen.
With regard to potential and likely solutions—any and all solutions are welcome—to help our Conservative friends, could you tell us whether there are good ways to replace this program?