Evidence of meeting #40 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was consultations.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you, Mr. Jean, but your time is up.
Mr. Boughen, you have the floor.
Conservative
Ray Boughen Conservative Palliser, SK
Thank you, Chair.
Let me extend a welcome to the witnesses to our meeting. It's good to have you here.
I've had an opportunity to serve on a number of committees since becoming a parliamentarian. Certainly, Minister, your sharing with us this morning your summer activities is tremendous. That's a very enthusiastic program, and I don't think I was ever privy to hear of another program with quite that degree of enthusiasm covering that much territory. It's a big country, and you're going to talk to a lot of people. You're doing a good job.
The one thing that I would ask about is the interface between the federal government and the provinces in terms of education. Minister, you mentioned that you're going to build some more schools. There are some programs there. Perhaps you could expand on that a little bit, and share with us any action that is taking place at the community level. I'm thinking of the western provinces. Are there going to be some opportunities for adult education programs in some of the buildings that are there now, or an expansion of those programs, to allow more people to become familiar with French?
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Certainly. I'll give you an example. I suspect I've talked about this before.
It was an emotional moment for me when I became Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. École secondaire Jules-Verne is the first French high school in the province of British Columbia. I've been Minister of Official Languages since the spring of 2008, and in 2010 we had the official grand opening of École secondaire Jules-Verne.
My mom was one of the first French teachers in British Columbia in the early 1970s. In 1969 the Official Languages Act passed, came into force, and it wasn't long after that, of course, that there was a big tidal wave of public energy about it and what's it going to mean and what were the barriers going to be.
My mom told the story that the principal of New Westminster Senior Secondary asked all the teachers to come into the room, and asked if any of them spoke French, because they had all these parents who were calling them and saying they want some French classes because Pierre Trudeau and the Official Languages Act is going on, and these parents want their kids to speak both official languages for job opportunities. My mom and a couple of other teachers put up their hands and said they did. My mom spoke rough French, but adequate French—she's originally from Scarborough—so she said “Yes, I do”, and he said “Okay, you're our French teacher now”. So without any books or curriculum--school boards of course were way behind in thinking about this--they told her to put together some kind of a curriculum.
My mom passed away in 1993, when I was 16. Fast forward from then to 2008, and then 2010, and about a five-minute drive from the high school where my mom was asked to teach French, I was opening the first French high school in the province of British Columbia.
It gives a sense as well to what you were saying, Mr. Chairman, about the progress of official languages in this country. That's in spite of the fact that in 1976, if memory serves me correctly, 75% to 80% of Canadians spoke English as their first language. Today it's down to about 58% because we have increased diversity. So even with the increased diversity and pressure, for example, on the budgets of the government of British Columbia to have more investment into English as a second language, English immersion programs--even with those pressures--there is an increasing budget and increasing participation in French immersion and French learning in the province of British Columbia, because Canadians and British Columbians increasingly understand the value of speaking more than one language.
In Europe among 16- to 25-year-olds, 57% of them speak more than one language. In Europe, speaking more than one language is seen as an asset; it's seen as the smart thing to do, to educate your kids and have them more engaged. You become more cultured, have better job opportunities, have more exposure to literature and music and film. You live a more enriched life if you speak more than one language. It's a great thing.
I think it's a great thing that in this country we're past the hump of a debate over whether or not Canada's official languages are great for this country or not. The answer is absolutely in the affirmative, and Canadians get it.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you very much, Mr. Boughen and Minister.
The last intervention goes to Monsieur Godin.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Thank you, Chair.
The minister stated, for example, that he believes it is very important to respect the official languages, to deliver services and so forth. Yet, the Commissioner of Official Languages has made recommendations, of which 88% have not been followed. The data indicates 88%. Furthermore, this very same Commissioner of Official Languages, one of the officers of Parliament the minister claims to respect and appreciate, given their qualifications—and one hopes Mr. Graham Fraser is qualified—not only made recommendations, but also concluded that the complaint about the appointment of the Auditor General, Mr. Michael Ferguson, was well founded and that the law had been breached.
Mr. Moore, you are the same minister who openly said we did not need a bill for Canadians to be served in both languages by officers of Parliament. You claim it is useless. But a member of the same government, Maxime Bernier, a cabinet minister, says the opposite and supports the bill.
Just as on Tout le monde en parle, let's ask the killer question. What is your real position? Are you in favour of respecting official languages in our country, yes or no?
Conservative
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
Yes, it is certainly is necessary to respect the Official Languages Act and we have committed to doing so, not only with our roadmap, but also through our appointments and our other commitments. That is clear and that is true.
As for my answer yesterday, first of all, the government has not yet taken a position with respect to your bill. My reaction yesterday was to answer that we can accomplish what you are trying to accomplish with or without your bill. However, we will see what the future brings. We have not taken a position on your bill as such. We shall certainly continue to meet our commitments to protect official languages.
That was not a killer question. It was quite an easy one.
Conservative
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you, Mr. Minister, Mr. Jean and Mr. Lussier for your testimony.
We'll suspend for five minutes to allow our witnesses to leave the room.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
We will resume the 40th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
Mr. Gourde, you have the floor.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Mr. Chairman, can we continue our deliberations in camera?
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Okay, seeing that's neither debatable nor amendable, I am going to call the question.
All in favour of going in camera? Opposed?
Okay, the motion is adopted.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Chair, I did not see which way Mr. Chisu voted. He did not raise his hand.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
He did not vote, Mr. Chairman. The motion was very clear, Mr. Chairman, and he did not vote.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Mr. Godin, it was not a recorded vote.
I called the vote orally, so I'm seeking consent, and I believe I have it. So if you want me to go to full recorded division on it, I will, and I'll pass the floor to the clerk to do so.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Mr. Chairman, with regard to that issue, when it is a recorded vote, members normally must show which way they are voting one after the other. However, they did not all do this. The only government members who indicated which way they were voting are the five members who raised their hand. The others did not indicate which way they were voting, neither verbally, nor by raising their hand. In short, they did not vote at all, Mr. Chair, and I would ask you to rule on this matter.
Mr. Chair, I believe that it is important that this issue not be discussed in camera, so that Canadians see what is going on.
The member did not vote at all. He did not raise his hand. He did not even nod his head, Mr. Chair.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
In my view, a committee member can indicate which way he or she has voted other than by raising their hand.
Members to my right were either raising their hands or nodding in agreement when I asked them if they were in favour of the motion. So I've made a decision that the motion has been adopted.
If you want to have a formal recorded vote on this, I'm prepared to do that.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Yes, Mr. Chairman, I am asking for a recorded vote, if you are asking that I make this request. The member did not even nod his head and gave no other sign.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
I will turn it over to the clerk.
(Motion agreed to: yeas, 6; nays, 5. [See Minutes of Proceedings])
[Proceedings continue in camera]
