Official Languages Committee on March 21st, 2018

[Linda Lauzon]

Yesterday, we met with the assistant commissioner. She said to go and fight before the courts, which is rather serious! You know how those court cases will go; they will take five years, everyone will be dead, and we will probably win, but we will have bled to death in the meantime. That is what is going to happen to us. However, in five years, the government will be forced to reinvest, to repair everything it will have broken. We don't want to launch that court challenge, because everyone is going to lose: the government, the community, everyone. We prefer to find a way to work with the government immediately to avoid that court challenge.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you.

There are three speakers left and time is flying by. We are going to reduce the speaking time to two minutes, to allow one question and one answer.

Mr. Arseneault, you have the floor.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair. I was going to share my time with Mr. Clarke, but he is not here.

I thank you for your statements and the precision of your interventions.

I do not remember whether it was Mr. Côté or Mr. Sonier who spoke about the very short term and said that we needed to invest $1.85 million over the next three months, before addressing the medium and long term. You said that the APF, the QCNA and ARC du Canada would manage those funds.

[Linda Lauzon]

Yes, it would be those three organizations.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I know how ARC du Canada functions, because I worked in community radio. As for the APF, does it only represent daily newspapers, or all official language minority newspapers?

[Francis Sonier]

All of the newspapers.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

So it includes weeklies and monthlies.

Do you represent all of the newspapers, in every province?

Monsieur Tardif, in Quebec, when the QCNA speaks, does it speak for every Anglo paper in Quebec—for those on the Gaspesian coast as well in the Montreal area?

[Richard Tardif]

Yes, for 30 newspapers.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Thirty newspapers?

[Richard Tardif]

Yes.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

The amount being sought is $1.85 million in the next three months. Is that right?

[Francis Sonier]

Yes.

[Linda Lauzon]

It would be a one-year commitment, in other words, covering 12 months.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

It would be done through advertising.

[Francis Sonier]

Yes. That's the fastest way.

[Linda Lauzon]

That's the fastest way to do it.

[Francis Sonier]

The criteria for the other measures haven't been defined yet. It will take between 9 and 12 months.

[Linda Lauzon]

Yes, that's correct.

[Francis Sonier]

That's already too long.

[Linda Lauzon]

These would be transitional measures for the next 12 months, long enough for us to put the rest of the action plan in place. We are going to diversify our resources and work within existing budgets. That's what we want to do, but we need time. With that amount, we could do the work properly over the next 12 months.

However, if ministers, deputy ministers, and departmental decision-makers aren't willing to sit down with us to discuss the plan or its implementation…. What we are proposing is comprehensive.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Mr. Arseneault.

Mr. Généreux, you may go ahead.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My apologies to the witnesses, but I have to put forward a motion immediately, so they may not have a chance to speak again. Fortunately, I have a good grasp of the problem and your needs.

Mr. Chair, I am proposing the following motion:

That the Committee recommend that Canadian Heritage establish a $2 million emergency fund for official language minority media to be administered by an ad hoc committee composed of the Association de la presse francophone, the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada and the Quebec Community Newspaper Association.

The word “recommend” is used since we, unfortunately, do not have the authority to make the department do it. I suggest we debate the motion so that we can put it to a vote as soon as possible.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

We will debate it.

Mr. Arseneault, you may go ahead.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I don't need to debate it, because I agree with the member's proposal.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Same goes for me.