Official Languages Committee on Nov. 5th, 2020

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

A point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Go ahead, Mr. Beaulieu.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Ms. Ashton asked that we vote. You say that you do not agree with that, so I am challenging your decision.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Let me check that with the clerk, but we are debating a motion.

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

I have a point of order.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We have a number of hands raised.

With regard to the other point of order, an urgent motion was introduced and, that being the case, the motion cannot even be debated.

The motion you are proposing is one to which committee members want to speak. So I cannot call the question as long as committee members want to speak to the motion.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Clearly, committee members are just letting the time run out, however much they say they want to save time. That's why I am challenging your decision.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Okay.

Ms. Lambropoulos, the floor is yours.

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

Do I have the floor because I was on the list or because I raised a point of order?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

You have the floor because you were on the list.

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

I don't know exactly what happened at the subcommittee because I am not on it. However, I have heard from the Liberals on the subcommittee that we were going to discuss Mr. Beaulieu's second motion today. It deals with the official languages, which is what the committee is supposed to study. I feel that we were all in favour of moving that motion forward, perhaps with an amendment.

For the most part, we were very much in favour of going forward with it, because we think it's a very important motion to go ahead with. It's very much along the lines of what we aim to do in this committee and what the role of this committee is. We also have a few motions that we've already tabled and accepted to study and go ahead with. It's unfortunate that we're spending so much time debating a motion that clearly doesn't have much consensus and that has absolutely nothing to do with official languages and with the committee and our mandate on this committee. I think that's really unfortunate.

I definitely think that education is very vulnerable. I know we already passed the motion and I'm happy that everybody was in favour of studying the motion on education, which was one I put forward, because of the vulnerability of people receiving education in the language of their choice, and specifically speaking of minority communities in this case. We know, and we heard a question from the NDP today, that the French university or Campus Saint-Jean was not an option anymore unless other decisions are made. We want to find ways to help French-speaking non-Quebeckers access education in French, and we want anglophones in Quebec to be able to access education in English. I think this is extremely important and vulnerable, as I said.

Every year, we see an example of how this right is taken for granted, not taken for granted, but is not necessarily respected by the provinces. The federal government does have a role to play in protecting this right, and therefore, it's extremely important that we go ahead with this and we start at least to study.... I think this one would be an important one to study first, just because we know that in March, these new decisions on closures of schools are going to be made. I think it's a shame we're still talking about something that has nothing to do with the committee, when we're dealing with a pandemic where people aren't receiving services in both official languages at this point, as my colleague Ms. Lattanzio proposed in her motion.

We have so many great studies on the floor. Monsieur Beaulieu, you're proposing another one that we haven't passed yet and that I think would pass unanimously. I would strongly suggest we move ahead and at least get that one out of the way, because I think that would definitely get unanimous consent quickly. Those are my thoughts thus far.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Ms. Lambropoulos.

Mr. Duguid, the floor is yours.

[Terry Duguid, Liberal, Winnipeg South, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As they say in French, déjà vu all over again.

I'm very disappointed. I think our honourable opposition members know how this ends, yet they continue on this tack when there are very important issues that we have to deal with that they, in fact, have put forward through some excellent motions. They will help our country move forward on official languages.

Mr. Chair, I am relatively new to this issue. I was raised in a unilingual household, but I ensured that both my children went through French immersion. There were resources available at the time when they grew up in eastern north Kildonan. Today, I'm very proud of my daughters, who are bilingual, and it's because of investments that we have made and because we place importance on our two official languages.

Mr. Blaney was warming my heart for a while there because he was on a path, I thought, to consensus so that we could move forward in unison as a committee, but Mr. Blaney obviously had a change of heart, and I find that disappointing.

As I said last time, Mr. Chair, French is in decline, particularly in western Canada where I live, and that is very concerning. We've heard all about the Campus Saint-Jean issue. I would think my Conservative colleagues would be very concerned, would want to discuss that issue, would want to, again, come together, come to some sort of consensus so that we could work together to ensure that the issue is successfully resolved. Alas, we continue on this path that we are not going to move forward on in a good way.

I mentioned as well last time, Mr. Chair, that I'm very proud to be the Member of Parliament for Winnipeg South. Some 5% of my population's first language is French; 17% of my community is bilingual, and, of course, many other languages are spoken in this very diverse suburb that I represent.

Mr. Chair, there's a shortage of services and there's a shortage of teachers, particularly during this time of COVID, and so we need to discuss those very important issues that Ms. Lambropoulos has brought forward. It's an excellent motion on education and how we can up our game to ensure that students, wherever they live, Quebec or western Canada, have access to education in the language of their choice.

I heard Ms. Ashton speak. I've known her family for a very long time. She's a hard-working Parliamentarian for the people of northern Manitoba. I respect her very much. She mentioned, and I agree with her, that we are wasting our time here, and, Mr. Chair, she can do something about that. She can do something for the people of Manitoba. She can do something for the people of this country who want access to the languages of their choice.

Let me just finish off with some praise for my good friend Mr. Arseneault. Mr. Arseneault was a champion for changing our census and ensuring that very deep questions were asked on the short-form census so we could get a very accurate count of those who need French-language services, particularly schools and educational services. Mr. Arseneault, I think, deserves praise from all sides of the House.

That change has been announced. I sure hope it is, or I might be in big trouble. That is going to be very important. What it'll draw to our attention is that we're even more in need of French-language services in western Canada, where I live, not less but more. I hope honourable members will let us get on with it, and deal with the most important motions we have before us.

I would be remiss if I didn't recognize my colleague, Mr. Mazier, from the most beautiful part of Manitoba, at least one of the most beautiful. I'm softening you up, Dan. He has French-speaking communities in his riding, and they don't have access to the kinds of services they need.

I particularly want to implore my Manitoba colleagues to have a little solidarity here. Let us get on with it, and deliver these important services for the people of Manitoba, for the people of Quebec, for the people of Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Duguid.

On the list at the moment, we have Mr. Beaulieu, Mrs. Lalonde, Mr. Blaney, Ms. Lattanzio, then Ms. Lambropoulos and Mr. Arseneault.

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Earlier, I raised a point of order because I wanted to ask the clerk a question. I asked for a vote, you did not agree, and I challenged your ruling. Do I not have the right to challenge your ruling?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Let me consult with the clerk on that. I will need to pause for a few seconds to follow up on your comment.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We will now resume.

In response to Mr. Beaulieu's question, and after consultation with the clerk, I can say that, according to the House of Commons Standing Order 116, and as I said with respect to the proposed motion, as long as members of the committee want to speak, I cannot interrupt the debate. However, when we have a dilatory motion, for example, to adjourn debate, it takes precedence over any other motion we are discussing. By the same token, this dilatory motion cannot be debated or amended; it must be put to a vote right away.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Actually, we had proposed a motion to have a central committee to avoid disrupting the work of the various committees, and it will be—

[The Clerk]

Excuse me, Mr. Beaulieu.

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

A point of order, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

I apologize, Mr. Beaulieu.

Mr. Arseneault has a point of order.

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

I could not understand my colleague Mr. Beaulieu. The sound was like a robot, with a very distant echo.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Yes, that's true, we heard that. I would ask Mr. Beaulieu to continue—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Do you want me to slow down?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

—but just to turn off his video. That way, we will hear him even more clearly. It will be good for the interpretation as well.