Evidence of meeting #20 for Official Languages in the 43rd Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was english.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Retired Professor, As an Individual
Thank you for your interest in my little pamphlet, Mr. Blaney. The brief I'll be submitting to your committee in a few days, in both English and French, will expand on that analysis. The pamphlet focused solely on Quebec. I've expanded my analysis for you to include all of Canada.
Apart from that, would you be kind enough to rephrase your question, please?
Conservative
Steven Blaney Conservative Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC
You said it. We'll await your findings, and thank you, Mr. Castonguay. You said it all this evening.
You discussed how to prevent linguistic duality from eroding in Canada by actually strengthening one of the two languages.
Mr. Sabourin, I'd like you to tell us how the Official Languages Act can reinforce the situation.
Since you talked about potential solutions and identities, I'll let you have the last word on my speaking time.
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
This is a broad issue. I think we still have time to do a U-turn. You mentioned restorative and proactive measures. First of all, there has to be a self-critique of the Official Languages Act and of the attitude of the federal government and federal courts, the Supreme Court in particular, toward language legislation in Quebec. As you know, judgments have been rendered overturning unanimous decisions made in the National Assembly of Quebec. It's somewhat shocking in some cases; these are judgments that have been drafted entirely in English invalidating portions or measures of Bill 101. That's just one example.
I actually propose that we consider the role of the federal government and federal courts in the weakening of Quebec's language policy. I think that would be a major step forward. Based on that examination, we could perhaps work on corrective measures, introduce a new policy or open a dialogue. Having said so, I don't think that can be done until we ascertain what has happened in the past 40 or 50 years.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Blaney.
We will now turn the floor over to Mr. Beaulieu for two minutes.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
The Official Languages Act pushes for institutional bilingualism in Quebec, but that runs counter to Bill 101, which provides that French is the official language and the sole common language. All the judgments we discussed by the federal courts in Quebec have invalidated portions of Bill 101, which was designed to make French the common and official language.
If the federal government were to include in the Official Languages Act the principle that it not run counter to Bill 101 and that the Charter of the French Language takes precedence in Quebec, do you think that would solve part of the problem?
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
I don't think that's possible. It would definitely solve part of the problem, but, from what I understand, the Official Languages Act is a quasi-constitutional statute. It would be hard to change. What you're proposing is radical…
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
We've previously seen bills of that kind, for example, applying Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses. All the opposition parties agree on that. That would already be a step in the right direction. If it's not possible, I think that means Quebec independence is the only solution that will guarantee the future of French.
We have to try to do it. Institutional bilingualism in federal institutions is one thing, but using resources to push for institutional bilingualism at the municipal and provincial levels and for more services in English…
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
We have to leave some time for answers. Unfortunately, you have 10 seconds left to answer that question.
Go ahead, Mr. Sabourin.
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
Yes, that would definitely help, but it will be hard to do.
I've stayed within the allotted 10 seconds.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Excellent.
Thank you very much, Mr. Sabourin.
Since time is flying by, I request that the members ask brief questions.
I apologize because I skipped a round of questions immediately after Mr. Blaney. We will therefore continue with Ms. Lattanzio for the next four minutes, then finish with Mr. Boulerice.
Ms. Lattanzio, you have the floor for four minutes.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I too want to thank our two witnesses.
Mr. Castonguay and Mr. Sabourin, thank you for being with us this evening.
Mr. Sabourin, you're the lucky one; my question is for you.
Earlier we heard the testimony of our statistician, Mr. Corbeil, who told us about language projections for Canada and provided us with a document on the study period from 2011 to 2036.
According to that document, French is declining across the country, including in Quebec. It also includes projections for Quebec's anglophone minority. The report states that the decline is due in particular to increased immigration and that mother tongues and official languages, including English and French, are declining in favour of other mother tongues. I'd like to have your opinion on that subject.
First, what do you think of those projections?
Second, what can you say about the decline of English in Quebec?
And, third, more precisely, to what do you attribute that decline?
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
Statistics Canada's projections generally agree quite well with mine. I don't see any decline in English in Quebec. It's really stable. Are you sure of what you're saying?
It's true there will be a decline in the percentage of anglophones in Canada as a whole, but the percentage of anglophones in Quebec should remain stable or increase slightly.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
My source is the Statistics Canada website.
It was noted in a study that was conducted that the projections of researchers René Houle and Jean-Pierre Corbeil also reveal that English will decline significantly across Canada. That means the language, not anglophones.
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
Yes, there will definitely be a decline across Canada as a whole.
What Mr. Castonguay and I said is that it's mainly the mother tongue that will be in decline. The language spoken will not change that much.
Furthermore, it will decline much less quickly than French. So it's the balance between English and French that will change, which will shift more toward English because English will decline less quickly than French.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Why do you think the language will decline less significantly for anglophones than francophones?
Doctor in Demography, As an Individual
The linguistic assimilation of allophone immigrants will favour English more than French.
Retired Professor, As an Individual
I would add that francophones are also assimilating. francophones who anglicize join the anglophone population and leave the francophone population.
This kind of linguistic assimilation is occurring at twice the rate and has twice as many consequences as the anglicization or francization of a person whose mother tongue is a non-official language.
I would also point out that Statistics Canada's 2017 projection work does not reflect the accelerating anglicization of francophone young adults on Montreal Island, whom I mentioned in my brief and discussed this evening.
With respect to linguistic assimilation, these projections are based solely on 2001 and 2006 census data. They're already out of date and invalid. The exercise has to be redone based on new data from the 2011 and 2016 censuses.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Emmanuel Dubourg
Thank you, Mr. Castonguay and Mr. Sabourin.
Mr. Boulerice, you have the floor for the last period of questions. You have two minutes.
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Thank you very much.
My first question is for Mr. Castonguay.
I belong to Quebec's union movement. As unionists, we New Democrats have always striven to ensure that Quebec workers can work in French and receive communications with their employers, their employment contracts in particular, in French.
With regard to the idea of subjecting private businesses under federal jurisdiction to a language regime, Mr. Labelle Eastaugh recently told the committee that the Official Languages Act could be used as a tool to guarantee francophone workers' right to work in the language of their choice.
Is that a recommendation that you support?
Retired Professor, As an Individual
Mr. Boulerice, a francophone who works in the language of his choice may work in English.
That occurs too often in the Canadian public service in Ottawa, and I dislike the words “the official language of your choice”. We'd like to know if francophones actually work in French, not in the language of their choice.
The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada recently conducted a study…
NDP
Alexandre Boulerice NDP Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC
Mr. Castonguay, I said in my introduction that we work for francophone Quebec workers…
I have very little time. I nevertheless said that francophone Quebec workers had to have the opportunity to work in French and to communicate with their employers and French.
Do you think that the Official Languages Act can be used as a tool to achieve that objective?