Official Languages Committee on Oct. 27th, 2022

[Yves Giroux]

Yes, that's what I understood about the funding provided in the 2022 Fall Economic Statement. Unless any new information has been submitted to us, that's the situation as I understand it now.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you.

Thank you for being here, Mr. Bastarache.

If no additional funding is planned to ensure that justice is rendered fairly in both of Canada's official languages, will it be possible to obtain justice in Canada within the same timeframes in English and in French?

Do you think the bill will be enough to increase the number of services provided in French if no further investment is deemed to be required to implement Bill C‑13?

[Michel Bastarache]

A distinction has to be drawn between what is spent at the provincial level and at the federal level. The federal government funds services in French solely in the federal courts, that is the Tax Court of Canada, the Federal Court, the Federal Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada.

An exception is made in criminal law. A person may request a trial in his or her language across Canada, but only at the trial level. Consequently, I find it somewhat surprising that there is no right to appeal in the language in which a defendant was heard at trial. We have always been told that this was because there aren't enough bilingual judges, but judges have been taking language training for at least 25 years. That's remarkable. I also don't understand. I've conducted studies on official languages in other countries, and I know of no other country where defendants don't have a right to an appeal hearing in their own language following their trial.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

That's a concern. Thank you for what you're telling us.

I have a final question, which will be for Mr. Giroux.

When you appeared in the Senate, you said you thought there would be two possibilities if the government didn't provide permanent funding to implement Bill C‑13: either the departments would have to make cuts elsewhere in order to comply with the act or they would have to comply with it in minimal fashion.

When we know, for example, that the government's francophone immigration policy has failed monumentally, why wouldn't the application of Bill C‑13 result in additional investments in Africa, where we should open more consulates to promote francophone immigration?

[Yves Giroux]

That's a—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

That's an excellent question, Ms. Ashton, but you will have to wait for an answer during another round of questions.

We will now go to the next round of questions, in which each member will have five minutes.

The first member on the list is our new committee member, Mr. Vis.

Mr. Vis, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Brad Vis, Conservative, Mission—Matsqui—Fraser Canyon, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to yield the first minute of my time to Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you Mr. Vis, and welcome to the committee.

Mr. Chair, the Parliamentary Budget Officer told us earlier that the departments hadn't cooperated and had provided information after he had prepared his report. So there was a delay, and I think that information is important. Mr. Giroux also mentioned that this information should be made available to us as parliamentarians.

Mr. Chair, with your permission, I would like to introduce a motion, which reads as follows:

That, in relation to its consideration of Bill C‑13, the committee reiterate its invitation to appear of Thursday, October 6, 2022, to the ministers of Official Languages, Canadian Heritage, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a minute, Mr. Godin.

I didn't hear the second part of your motion.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Where did the second part start?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

You ended with "and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada".

Is that correct?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes.

You heard it all.

That, in relation to its consideration of Bill C‑13, the committee reiterate its invitation to appear of Thursday, October 6, 2022, to the ministers of Official Languages, Canadian Heritage, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Any questions about the motion?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Pardon me, Mr. Chair. I'm being corrected.

It's November 6.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, I had heard October 6.

So it will be November 6.

The motion is clear to everyone.

Are there any questions about the motion from those participating by videoconference or who are in the room?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I would like to raise an objection.

I welcome my colleagues' willingness to work very hard, even on the Lord's Day, but November 6 is a Sunday. So my question is, do we want to sit on a Sunday, and do we have the resources to do so?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Go ahead, Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

My motion will be corrected. I apologize for the confusion this has caused. October 6 was in fact the date on which the motion that the ministers appear before the committee was introduced. We are reiterating that invitation to the ministers to appear before us as soon as possible.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

As I understand it, you are reiterating the motion of October 6 without stating a date.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes, no date is indicated because I believe that, one day, those ministers will be in good faith and come during the study, not after it.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

All right. The motion is clear.

Are there any questions about this motion, whether asked virtually or in person?

Go ahead, Mr. Serré.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

I want to clarify a few matters. We have nothing in writing. Has the motion been sent to the clerk? Can we receive a copy of it? I want to know if that's what we've already done.

Yes, the ministers are in good faith, Mr. Godin. They'll be here

Having said that, I'd like to see how the motion is worded.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

The clerk has the motion in her hand.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We will allow the team the time to draft it. As I understand it, this is the same motion as that of October 6. We're just reiterating it.

Is that correct, Mr. Godin?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Actually, it isn't the same. It's a different motion, which refers to the one of October 6.