Yes, thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I am, of course, a replacement on this committee, but I believe Mr. Beaulieu is also fond of history in certain contexts. My history is very important to establish my ties to the French language and to Nova Scotia. But I'll return to the topic very soon.
After the American War of Independence, the first Blois to come to North America, whose name was Abraham, was given a tract of land in Nova Scotia, in the Kejimkujik Valley. The Blois family name is usually not very common, but there are many people in Nova Scotia with that name. I felt it was necessary to repeat that to ensure that all the details had been heard by the committee.
I'm returning now to Mrs. Stubbs, because I've established a link to this motion, which may initially have been introduced by Mr. Godin, but which is now in the name of Mr. Beaulieu. It's a personal attack, an argument, and it's not constructive. When parliamentarians were studying Bill C-49 in the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, the manner in which Conservatives were commenting on the bill was rather offensive to me, a Nova Scotia member of Parliament. Premier Houston was in favour of this bill, as was Premier Furey.
If Mr. Beaulieu, Mr. Godin and possibly the majority of MPs got what they wanted in this motion, it would create a very dangerous precedent. I might even visit the natural resources committee to demand Ms. Stubbs' resignation, in view of the problems caused to people from the Atlantic provinces.
I fully understand that the attitude towards the issue of Quebec culture and the French language in the North American context is very different from the manner in which the objectives and economic aspirations of people in the Atlantic provinces are perceived. It may well lie at a different level, but the principle is the same.
I want to draw something else to the attention of my Conservative colleagues. They may remember how Mrs. Thomas, the Conservative Party spokesperson on heritage, reacted when journalist Laurence Martin asked her if she believed the public broadcaster was important, and she froze like a deer in the headlights. She looked as if she was in shock. She was frozen for about 20 seconds, I'd say, before answering. It's dangerous, given how important the CBC is to all of Canada's francophone communities, and to Quebec in particular. It's incredible that it took her 20 seconds before she was able to answer.
It might be a good idea for the whole group to leave the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage and introduce a motion demanding Ms. Thomas's resignation from the committee, in view of her highly offensive attitude. Given this context, Mr. Poilievre should perhaps ask himself whether Ms. Thomas is still a good choice for the position of Conservative Party spokesperson on heritage.
The public broadcaster is important to francophone communities, of course, but also to anglophone communities.
But I'm getting back to the context of this committee. We are in the era of algorithms and artificial intelligence. According to the conclusions of a report published by a political institution, the greatest threat we will face within three, four or five years, is the fact that it will become impossible for people to understand what's true and what's false. It's precisely for that reason that it is essential to reinvest in the public broadcaster.
Once again, I would ask my colleagues in the NDP, the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party to consider the precedent that would be established, because there would be other opportunities to use tools of that kind in the wrong context to attack other parliamentary colleagues. That's something else to take into consideration.
I'd like to say something about the CBC. I'll explain why it's important to me. When I'm in Ottawa for my work, it's very easy to find news and information, but when I'm back at home in Nova Scotia, it's difficult. It's hard to find people to talk to in French, of course, but also hard to get information. But then there's the CBC, and I can listen to it in my car when I'm driving between my office and home.
I think that's something that needs to be considered. However, here we are again today debating this motion for yet another day, a motion that constitutes a personal attack on my colleague. It's a complete waste of parliamentary time. It gives me a good opportunity to discuss various important matters, but it's important for my colleagues sitting here to consider the context of other work that is important for our stakeholders.
I'm returning to the CBC issue by talking to you about the Congrès mondial acadien. You, Mr. Chair, are of course a very proud Acadian. I'd like to congratulate you on your work. I'm one of your colleagues in the Atlantic Liberal caucus. You no doubt remember when Mr. Cormier, you, I and others had to draft a letter to the president and chief executive officer of the CBC, Catherine Tait. It was tough. Thank you for having done that. It was very important for our entire region, but in particular for your riding. It was unbelievable. It was about the Congrès mondial acadien. Contrary to what had been initially decided, the CBC will now showcase the event's activities. I think it will be in Yarmouth, in our colleague Mr. d'Entremont's riding. That's a clear illustration of the need to promote and encourage the French language beyond Quebec. It's important in Quebec, to be sure, but it's important in our region too.
I wanted to provide this perspective to all my colleagues, here on the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
Once again, I don't want to repeat certain points of view that I presented on Thursday morning, but just add some clarity.
This goes back to something Ms. Kusie said. When I was explaining the history of Grand-Pré, several microphones were open at the same time and there was some noise. For the benefit of all Canadians tuned into our meeting online or on the parliamentary television channel, I'd like to point out that Grand-Pré is a very nice place. It's historically important for francophone communities.
In fact, I need to make a minor correction. I gave some details about the Acadian experience. Needless to say, the Congrès mondial acadien is important. When I was talking about the order from the Crown in 1755 to deport the Acadians, Ms. Kusie said:
“Oh, the Planters”.
I don't think Ms. Kusie had any ill intent. I think it was just a mistake. I wasn't in fact talking about the Planters. The Planters were people loyal to the Crown who lived in the United States. After the Seven Years' War, they were invited by the Crown to come and settle vacant land, with the Loyalists.
In my riding, there are names like St. Croix and Grand-Pré, which are old names from the francophone community. However, the Planters came after the Acadians, and it's a touchy subject for Acadian communities.
I'd like to raise another point. Mr. Beaulieu will be pleased to hear that I agree with the Bloc Québécois on at least one thing. The order to deport the Acadians was given at Fort Edward, which is today a national historic site administered by Parks Canada in Windsor, in my riding. Mr. Stéphane Bergeron wrote a letter to Minister Guilbeault, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, to encourage him to increase funding to enhance the exhibitions and other activities at Fort Edward. I am in complete agreement with Mr. Bergeron on that score. I'd also like to thank the Bloc Québécois for encouraging investment in Nova Scotia. It's very important, particularly for maintaining our ties with the French language. I'll ask Mr. Beaulieu to thank Mr. Bergeron on my behalf.
In 2012, I played fast pitch softball in Dominique Vien's riding. I'd like to explain the connection between my participation in the Canadian championship and the importance of investing in entirely francophone towns and regions. In Bellechasse, approximately 99% of people are francophone. I wouldn't want to forget mentioning certain very important people in this account. First of all, I'd like to talk about Mr. Jean Roy, the principal of the high school in Saint-Gervais. He's very likeable. He was a pitcher. His son, Mathieu Roy, is the only player from Quebec on Canada's national softball team. I wanted to make sure that Mathieu Roy's name was written into the story.
Because of the motion introduced by Mr. Beaulieu and the amendment proposed by Mr. Samson, it's impossible to begin any other work that our committee needs to do. Nor can we continue our study of the importance of francophone high schools and French-language universities. That's awful.
I'm going to give you more background. The motion directly mentions Quebec, but the Standing Committee on Official Languages has a very important role to play for people outside of Quebec. It's very important for the federal government to take the initiative to assist and encourage people in francophone communities, and for it to provide money and resources, but it's equally important for it to help anglophones who want to improve their French language skills.
I'm going to tell you about my own story. I attended Hants East Rural High, a small secondary school located in Milford Station, a rural region of Nova Scotia. There were several farms near the school. Two teachers were very important to me, Ms. Amy Jo Comeau and Mr. Trevor Comeau. I hope they will be able to watch the committee meeting, because they'd be very proud of my performance here and my ability to speak French.
Following the debate on this important motion, I hope that all my colleagues will take into consideration the other recommendations for the ministers responsible so that more funds will be invested in francophone community high schools across Canada.
There are, of course, some French courses given in high schools, but most are pretty basic. Afterwards, in 2019, I began to take French courses in Ottawa.
One of the positive things about the pandemic, for me at least, was that I had an additional two hours to practise French from home with a French teacher. This service was provided by the House of Commons. I am still taking these courses. I'd also like to thank Mr. François Bélanger and Ms. Élizabeth Harvey, two professors in the French department at Université Sainte-Anne, a very small institution in southwestern Nova Scotia. I applaud their work and trust that everything is going well for them.
I'd like to return to the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, which is mentioned in the motion before me. In fact, I have to return to the motion. Remember that I said I had 10 other points to raise, all of which are specifically about certain words or phrases in the motion. It so happens that the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie is mentioned several times in the wording of the motion. It's an organization that has to be given consideration because it's very important.
My colleague Mr. Drouin is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, but he's also the Chair of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, an international body.
I've had several opportunities to speak with Mr. Drouin about the importance of this organization, not only in terms of promoting the French language, but also in terms of relations between countries where French is spoken.
I can provide you with another bit of background. Part of the motion introduced by Mr. Beaulieu is redundant. Mr. Drouin it is not only the MP for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, but also the Chair of the Canadian branch of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie, the APF. A vote was held and the members of the branch voted overwhelmingly in favour of retaining Mr. Drouin in his position as chair. The motion we are now discussing is therefore unnecessary. What is necessary is for us to continue with our other work.
I repeat that the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie is vital. I believe that all my colleagues need to know just how important this organization is, particularly in view of two factors.
The first is the war in eastern Europe between Ukraine and Russia. I know that the MPs who are members of the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie have developed ties with some European representatives. That being the case, it's very important to get organized, to harmonize all the points of view, and to come up with sound positions in support of Ukraine.
The second is that the Assemblée parlementaire de la Francophonie is a key forum for the discussion of efforts by the Russian Federation to sow confusion among Canadians, not only by creating distractions, but also through disinformation.
In March, I attended an open discussion with some citizens in my riding. I had announced that I would be there for the discussion. At the event, a number of citizens compared President Zelenskyy to the Nazis in the Second World War. It's unbelievable, and completely crazy. It is disinformation from the Russian Federation that is giving people this impression.