We will devote our energies to supporting federal departments and agencies in their efforts to further interdepartmental cooperation in key sectors, notably health. We will take measures to ensure the protection and promotion of the French language in Canada, notably to enhance French-language content on the Internet. We will take steps to make all Canadians active players in linguistic duality. To this end, measures will be taken to double the number of bilingual youth in Canada by the end of this decade. Finally, we will use the celebrations in 2004 marking the 400 th anniversary of the founding of New France as an opportunity to invite Canadians to celebrate the richness of their cultural and linguistic heritage.
Bilingualism is a fundamental element of Canadian identity.
The Government of Canada intends to maintain its essential role in the promotion of official languages and in fostering the sustainable development of official-language minority communities throughout the country. The Official Languages Support Programs offered by the Department of Canadian Heritage will play a larger role than ever in this regard.