Evidence of meeting #38 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was point.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:20 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
I imagine that Mr. Godin considered all the questions you just asked me before introducing his amendments, but that pertains to those amendments.
Anyone else wants to speak on Mr. Beaulieu's subamendments?
Go ahead, Mr. Généreux.
12:25 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Roberge, Quebec's new minister of the French language, contacted our colleague, who is not here today. Mr. Roberge told him he was seriously concerned about this Liberal motion, for the simple reason that he was part of a comprehensive list of people who were to testify before this committee. This list included Marc Power and Darius Bossé, who drafted the amendments of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, the FCFA. There was also the International Association of Conference Interpreters, the Canadian Bar Association, the Government of Quebec, obviously, and the Association des juristes d'expression française du Manitoba. We also wanted to have the Commissioner of Official Languages appear for an extra hour.
Other parties included the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones, the former chair of the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique, Marie‑France Lapierre, the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, Employment and Social Development Canada, the Barreau du Québec, the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise, the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne, as well as passengers who had filed complaints against Air Canada and representatives of the airline. All of these people would have liked to come and testify to help complete our study.
As Mr. Gourde just said, we've just wasted about four hours for nothing. If we had received some of these witnesses, we could have finished the study, but instead they are trying to muzzle the committee members. The Quebec minister of the French Language took the trouble to call Mr. Godin's staff to express his concerns about the motion before us today.
I will choose my words carefully because I see people who have been here for a long time, such as Mr. Samson, who is a parliamentary secretary. One thing is certain: As parliamentarians, we have extremely important responsibilities towards the Canadian francophonie. I have been here since 2009 and I can attest to what we have seen since 2009. This is a long-awaited bill, and people have been talking about it for a long time. A first version was introduced but fell through. The bill was then reintroduced in a new version and now, under the pretext that it takes a bit of time to study it, we are telling these witnesses that we have heard enough and it is time to take action, to use Ms. Ashton's words earlier.
I completely agree with Ms. Ashton, but as Mr. Gourde just said, this is a historic piece of legislation, and we won't be talking about it for another 50 years. Anything that changes in this bill after it is passed will be changed through regulation. The organizations that came here to testify, including the FCFA and all of its members, among others, will no doubt have to come back here in a year or two to say that this or that was not included in the legislation. I'm sorry, but it will be too late. We are looking at it now and we need to take the time to get it right.
We have collaborated really well so far to ensure we move this bill forward as quickly as possible. Again, the party in power is not stepping up to ensure that this bill progresses as it should in committee. We are being muzzled and that is a real shame.
12:25 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Mr. Généreux.
Is there anyone else who wants to speak to Mr. Beaulieu's subamendments?
We will then proceed to the recorded vote on Mr. Beaulieu's subamendments.
(Subamendments negatived: nays 6; yeas 5. [See Minutes of Proceedings])
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Let's get back to Mr. Godin's amendments, then. I think Ms. Ashton—
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Mr. Chair, I have a point of order.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
I would like to move a subamendment. May I do that right now?
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
In that case, I will let Ms. Ashton move her subamendment and then I'll move mine.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
12:30 p.m.
NDP
Niki Ashton NDP Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB
The amendment I want to move relates to Mr. Serré's main motion.
After point four I would add the following paragraph: “5. subject to the approval of the Whips of the recognized parties and the availability of meeting times of the House of Commons, that the Committee hold additional meetings in order to undertake the clause-by-clause study of the bill;”
Then the old point five would become point six, but the words “Thursday, December 1, 2022” would be replaced with the words “Thursday, December 8, 2022”, which would be the new deadline for the completion of the clause-by-clause study. That way, we would give ourselves a total of six meetings and we could potentially have longer meetings or even more meetings between now and then.
We sent a copy of the amendment to the clerk so that she can forward it to the committee members.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Mr. Chair, you said we were considering Mr. Godin's amendments, but Ms. Ashton just introduced a new amendment to Mr. Serré's motion that does not pertain to those amendments.
Meanwhile, Mr. Généreux said that he was prepared to move a subamendment to Mr. Godin's amendments. According to procedure, shouldn't we first hear this subamendment?
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
You're quite right, Mr. Gourde. I'm sorry and I apologize to you and everyone in the committee for not paying more attention.
Ms. Ashton, we are dealing with Mr. Godin's amendments at this time. In other words, we are not yet considering the main motion.
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Is it my turn then, Mr. Chair?
12:30 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
I would move a subamendment.
At the end of point four of the main motion amended by Mr. Godin, after the words “the committee proceed with clause-by-clause consideration of the bill no later than Tuesday, November 29, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. ET”, I would add the following: “but that, before proceeding to the clause-by-clause study of the bill, Quebec be invited to appear or to submit its position before the deadline for amendments, in order to protect its proposed amendments”.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Given that the committee knows Quebec refused to send any representatives here, how—
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
In light of the communications between the Government of Quebec and Mr. Godin's office this morning, I think we would be wise to invite the Quebec government representatives again, since they have some very serious concerns about the current motion.
The plan was to have representatives from the Quebec government here while also allowing them to directly move amendments to the bill. We should invite them again so they can introduce their amendments themselves.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Okay. I understand, but we know that all provincial governments were invited to send representatives to come before the committee.
November 3rd, 2022 / 12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Yes, but the Government of Quebec has had a new minister in office for three weeks. So, maybe we should give him another month. The fact that he got in touch with Mr. Godin's office this morning shows that the Quebec government is interested in the bill, and more specifically in Mr. Serré's motion.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Okay. Could you reread your subamendment before we move on to questions?
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Bernard Généreux Conservative Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC
Yes.
I move to add the following to the end of point four of Mr. Serré's motion as amended by Mr. Godin: “but that, before proceeding to the clause-by-clause study of the Bill, Quebec be invited to appear or to submit its position before the deadline for amendments, in order to protect its proposed amendments”.