Opinion: Ensuring language rights is essential to our democracy

As my mandate as Commissioner of Official Languages draws to a close, there is no question that Canada is facing many challenges. Economic hardship, international turmoil and conflicts abound, and the tectonic plates of global relationships are shifting. In this context, we are reimagining our future and redefining what we stand for as a country. There are certainly tough choices to make.

In these pivotal moments, we must look to the values that unite us here at home and that enhance our presence abroad — those things that make us strong. Together with reconciliation and multiculturalism, official bilingualism is at the heart of our identity. And as Canadians, we must never allow political pressures or economic restraint to erode these values that define us.