House of Commons photoLost his last election, in 2019, with 36% of the vote.
Official Languages June 13th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, it is the Bloc that should be ashamed. We have promised to table the second phase of the action plan a number of times. This promise was made in our Speech from the Throne and in budget 2008. And we still intend to announce the next phase before the end of spring.
However, it should be noted that the Bloc voted against the Speech from the Throne, against budget 2008 and against official language minority communities.
Official Languages June 13th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, our government is taking the necessary action in the interest of minority language communities and is ensuring the vitality of French and English in Canada. I would also like to point out that our government has taken steps to ensure that official language minority communities continue to receive funding after March 31, 2008.
The minister said we that we will table the second phase of the action plan before the end of spring and that is what we will do.
Canadian Forces June 2nd, 2008
Mr. Speaker, I recently returned from Afghanistan where I met with our young men and women who daily risk their lives.
As a veteran who has served for 20 years, I rise today to recognize Canadian Forces Day.
Every day, the valiant men and women of our armed forces are ready to defend Canada and to protect Canadians. Today, we honour the members of the armed forces for their courage, their sense of duty and their personal sacrifices.
Today there are Canadian Forces personnel operating search and rescue centres across the country, patrolling our territory on the land, in the air and at sea, working with the Canada Border Services Agency and RCMP helping to enforce our laws, and deployed abroad contributing to international peace and security.
These men and women are dedicated, take their commitments seriously and have an unrivalled sense of duty. Our brave Canadian Forces members deserve the admiration, respect and support of all Canadians.
Official Languages May 30th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, as I just stated, we have demonstrated our engagement toward the official languages program and for the next phase of the action plan. In fact, we stated that we would announce it before the end of the spring, and we will announce it before the end of the spring.
In the meantime, we have ensured that all the current funding for official language communities across Canada will continue during this period.
Official Languages May 30th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, our commitment is clear. It is true that, in the last throne speech, we said that we would support the second phase of the action plan for official languages. The Liberals voted against that measure.
We also said in our budget that we would fund the next phase of the plan, but the Liberals voted against the budget.
We said that we would table our second phase of the plan before the end of the spring, and that is what we will do.
Status of Women May 30th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, our government is working hard for the men and women in our official language communities across Canada. For example, we have allocated $30 million for assistance to official language communities here in Canada.
Official Languages May 30th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, our government eagerly welcomed the Commissioner of Official Languages' annual report and will study it thoroughly. We have already said that we plan to launch the next phase of the action plan by the end of spring. It will happen. We will be releasing it soon.
Portrait Gallery May 16th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, since the announcement of the portrait gallery in November, many cities have expressed publicly their interest and excitement at the opportunity in seeing this magnificent institution in their city.
Yet, the Liberals have not been listening to Canadians, and in the other place a bill has been introduced that would put into law the location of the portrait gallery before the request for proposals process is even over.
However, a municipal councillor in Winnipeg spoke out against the idea that the only city able to host the museum was Ottawa. Also, a municipal councillor in Quebec City said:
—I completely agree with your position and that of your government concerning the selection process for the Canadian city to host the Canadian portrait gallery... I disagree with Bill S-233, which would automatically designate the federal national capital as the host region.
Are the Liberals trying to tell these cities that they just are not good enough?
Official Languages Act May 13th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, several members of our government have already had a chance to express their opposition to Bill C-482. We can conclude only one thing: this bill purports to solve a problem that simply does not exist. The 2006 census data show that French as a language of work in Quebec is doing well.
Since 2001, the census has collected information on language of work, and the 2006 edition confirms that 99% of francophone workers in Quebec use French most often or regularly at work. These figures speak for themselves. It is very difficult to claim that the use of English in Quebec is a serious threat and that the federal government is to blame. There are no facts to back up this claim.
Some 94% of all Quebec workers use French, with varying frequency. In addition, between 2001 and 2006, the percentage of immigrants who said they use French most often at work, either alone or together with another language, increased from 63% to 65%. There was also an increase in the proportion of anglophones who use French at work most often or regularly. I also want to remind the House that 69% of Quebec anglophones are bilingual now, in comparison with 63% just 10 years ago. Under the circumstances, we really do not see the point of Bill C-482.
If we look at the results of the 2006 census on mother tongue and the language spoken at home, it becomes apparent that certain people have a tendency to draw hasty conclusions about major trends in our society, which in themselves do not pose a threat to the French language. It is true that many immigrants speak their language of origin in the home in order to pass it on to their children. Nevertheless, most of these people work in French and frequently use it in public. In addition, their children attend French-language schools and will eventually find it easy to migrate to this language.
Some concerns were raised last December and January about data on how easy it is for unilingual English staff to get hired in Quebec businesses. Everyone who is familiar with the statistics knows that this was not a serious study and it was undertaken mostly just to stir up trouble without really improving our understanding of the linguistic situation.
We also need to know that the situation in Montreal is not evolving in a vacuum. Every day some 270,000 people from the northern and southern suburbs of Montreal, most of them francophones, cross the bridges to go and work on the island. Nine out of ten of them use French at work: 73% most often and another 16% regularly. Under the circumstances, there is no reason to fear the worst, especially as the data show that the use of French in Montreal has remained stable.
In Canada as a whole, because of immigration, we see the same linguistic diversification and reduction in the proportion of people with English as a mother tongue. Given the importance of English in the world, it is hardly surprising that this is a consequence of our very necessary immigration.
The second good reason to oppose this bill is equally important, because it touches on a deeply Canadian value. It concerns the equal status of French and English, and the federal government's commitment to enhance the vitality of the English and French minorities in Canada. Our government can never overstate the importance of this principle of the equality of the two official languages.
With this bill, the Bloc Québécois is suggesting that the federal government poses a threat to the French fact in Canada, although nothing could be further from the truth.
Yet again, the Bloc proposes a backward-looking vision, where the knowledge of one language is necessarily a threat to another. Through its official language policies, the government encourages not only francophone minorities, but also all Canadians, to learn French. That is why we now have a record number of Canadians who are able to speak both official languages. The government supports the French fact everywhere in Canada and provides particular support to the minority francophone communities. There are a million of these francophones in Canada. This reality opens the gates to the international Francophonie.
This year, the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City, some important international Francophonie events will be held. Quebec City will host the next Sommet de la Francophonie from October 17 to 19, 2008. It is no coincidence that francophone heads of state and government are turning to Canada to hold their discussions. Canada is a beacon of support for the dissemination and promotion of the French language.
Canada is proud to be a partner in the celebrations, which highlight an important chapter of our history. We want the 400th anniversary of Quebec City to be a celebration all Canadians will remember. It is a great opportunity to celebrate the event, the francophone presence in the Americas, and the vitality of the French fact.
The Prime Minister has often said it, and I quote him without hesitation: we share a long-term vision of a Canada where linguistic duality is an asset both for individuals and for institutions across Canada. The future depends on learning the second language, and even other languages, in a global economy and a spirit of openness to the world. Languages are the key that enables us to understand and appreciate other cultures.
The Canadian language framework that has been developed in recent decades originates in and is based on the principles and provisions found in our Constitution. Canadians today still say that these values are widely shared, and we will make sure that future generations have an opportunity to enjoy the benefits of bilingualism, one of Canada’s fundamental characteristics.
Our language industries are helping to position Canada on the international stage and they will continue to thrive in the years to come thanks to the cutting-edge research that is being done and will continue to energize this entire sector of the economy and thereby Canada as a whole.
I would like to take this opportunity to note that Canada continues to be a world leader when it comes to translation and other activities of that nature. We are also a model for many countries in the management of linguistic duality.
We are determined to continue working to help the official language communities flourish, in a spirit of open federalism and in a way that respects the jurisdictions of the provinces and territories. Our approach to developing a new strategy is therefore aided by our continuing dialogue with the provinces and territories, and in particular by the work done by the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie. The provincial and territorial governments are the ones that can take direct action on issues of crucial importance to the vitality of official languages communities throughout Canada, and our government looks forward to working with them to promote Canada’s linguistic duality.
In recent years, the Government of Canada has developed a number of policies on official languages, and our government is working actively on the next phase of the action plan, in order to take into account social and demographic changes in Canada. We want to offer Canadians the support that is best suited to their needs. We want to help them preserve their linguistic and cultural heritage and reap the full benefits of that heritage and pass it on to future generations.
Our government will continue to build on existing accomplishments so that Canadians can benefit from all the advantages our country has to offer because of the unique cultural wealth our two official languages represent in North America.
Official Languages May 9th, 2008
Mr. Speaker, as I said, in our Speech from the Throne, we specifically mentioned our commitment to official language minority communities. The Liberals voted against our Speech from the Throne. In our budget, we clearly stated that we would support official language minority communities. The Liberals voted against our budget, so they have no right to say anything about this.