Official Languages Committee on March 10th, 2020

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

I agree. I think the immigration committee would be the better committee to look at this. However, immigration is a key factor in making sure our French communities across the country grow, so having something around immigration on this committee definitely makes sense. I would want to see us study something with regard to immigration, maybe how to attract French immigrants to these communities, but not the acceptance, because that really isn't the role of this committee.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Mr. Généreux, the floor is yours.

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

In closing, I want to add that, if there has been discrimination based on language—and we would have to prove that—it would be up to us to deal with it. I feel that we have to proceed with the study in order to find out.

Can the study be split in two, because some parts can be studied at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration? Perhaps, and Ms. Lecompte is very aware of everything we have heard in the last four years. We have heard about this on a regular basis.

I sincerely believe that it is a fundamental problem, and a fundamental problem should be resolved at the Standing Committee on Official Languages, not at the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

That is excellent. I understand.

Mr. Arseneault, the floor is yours.

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

But you forgot me, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

No, but I want…

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

First, the subcommittee has to meet. This morning, I was all by myself, without even a cup of coffee to make me happy.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Oh dear.

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

We can talk about the subcommittee later.

Mr. Généreux, I would not want to change the nature of the motion, but here is my opinion.

Let us move away from the context of post-secondary education and foreign students. We have heard that Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada has not achieved its objective for francophone immigration, a minimum of 4%. If I recall correctly, the figure is not even 1.8%. After the report we did two or three years ago—Ms. Lecompte will remember the year, as she is our collective memory—a door kind of opened for francophone immigration that was a little more effective.

I do not want to change the nature of the motion, but should we not take advantage of it to do some follow-up and see what the situation is after our recommendation, after that door opened for francophones? The issue still is immigration.

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

I am very open to that. Personally, I want the Standing Committee on Official Languages to look at the francophone side of the issue. I do not want to take over any of Immigration’s work…

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay. We all understand. You have had your say on this and the subcommittee will look at the motion.

Before we leave, I want to remind you that we are meeting with the Chief Statistician on Thursday. As we all know, the following week is a break. So I propose that the subcommittee meet on Thursday morning, if you are available. We also have Tuesday morning, which suited the vice chair, and which we are going to keep. The Chief Statistician is scheduled to appear on Thursday, but we have a list of guests for when we are back after the week’s break, and the topic is still the enumeration of rights holders. So the subcommittee has to meet to establish an order of priority for the witnesses we are going to hear from in the next two meetings.

So basically, the ideal would be for the subcommittee to meet on Thursday. Come and see myself and the clerk so that we can set it up.

Go ahead, Mr. Généreux.

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

I would just like to give my opinion on that.

We are going to meet with the statistician. But in the light of what has been said today, I think that, if people have not understood it yet, they will never understand it, even if we have 40 more meetings. We have been talking about this for five years.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you.

With that, we bring our meeting to a close.

Meeting adjourned.