Official Languages Committee on Dec. 8th, 2022

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

These are negative measures that you're taking in Quebec, not positive measures, because they're designed solely to reinforce English as an official language.

On another topic, the court challenges program was introduced after Bill 101. Will it be possible to use it to challenge the Official Languages Act, or will it still be used solely to challenge Quebec's language regime?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

The court challenges program is a very useful program for all Canadians. I know it has been very important in New Brunswick.

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

What I understand from your answers is that there's nothing for Quebec.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Beaulieu, perhaps you should actually listen to the answers.

You have 45 seconds left.

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

I'm listening to the answers. When we ask questions about Quebec, we get no answers.

You said you had conducted an extensive consultation. I know of two Quebec organizations for the promotion of French that took part in it. I encouraged them to do so. They were virtually the only participating francophones in Quebec. An organization from the Eastern Townships attended one meeting, but all the discussions were in English. Only anglophone pressure groups were there, and the organization's representatives were the only ones who spoke French.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

I don't know which consultation you're referring to. What I can tell you is that we received 6,500 written and oral presentations from across the country.

As for the consultations in Quebec, I can't tell you whether most of the meetings were conducted in English. Some were in both languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you very much.

We will now go to Ms. Ashton for six minutes.

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

I'd like to begin by asking the questions that I put to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. He told me that you, Minister, would be in a better position to answer them.

This concerns the coordination that the Department of Canadian Heritage is seeking to preserve in the provisions of Bill C-13.

Why is the Department of Canadian Heritage unable to get your colleagues and the departments concerned to comply with its decisions when it directs other departments to perform their official language obligations?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

You thank you for that question.

As a result of the changes and amendments made to the new version of Bill C-13, there will be changes to part VII of the Official Languages Act, which will reinforce the obligations of the departments. This is a major change.

We want to ensure that the departments are responsible for the necessary measures. The changes made to part VII of the act will result in real improvements.

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

Unfortunately, according to what we've heard from the stakeholders who have appeared before the committee, that doesn't go far enough. A central agency is necessary.

If the Department of Canadian Heritage hasn't ever been able to carry out the mission assigned to it, why would it be able to do so now? The status quo clearly isn't working. Why would continuing in the same manner change anything?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

I agree the status quo isn't working. That's why we've reinforced the Treasury Board's role so it can act as a central agency. The new version of our bill would grant the Treasury Board Secretariat more powers so it could do the monitoring, audit and evaluation work.

We also want to ensure that the necessary resources are provided to discharge the increased responsibilities. In the latest fall economic statement, we set money aside so the Treasury Board can get the necessary funding to recruit the required personnel to do that work.

Remember that the Department of Canadian Heritage has a role to play with stakeholders. I think we should focus on the strengths of each department. The Treasury Board's role and responsibilities are well established, but the Department of Canadian Heritage also has a role to play.

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

I'd like to discuss funding. We know that community organizations are struggling to carry out their missions, apply for scholarships and funding and ensure they are accountable, while offering salaries that are proportionally lower than the contribution their employees make to their community.

Will you, as minister, review the funding you grant to the community sector to take into account the historic level of inflation that everyone is facing? Will you also change the funding method so that you fund the mission, not one activity at a time?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

That's a very good question, Ms. Ashton.

As I said earlier, we conducted a Canada-wide consultation of stakeholders from across the country. We frequently heard that specific request from stakeholder groups. They told us about rent and cost-of-living increases. They would like their budgets to be expanded.

In the last action plan for official languages, we increased funding for the agencies and services in question for the first time in many years, and we heard the demands of stakeholders from across the country. I'm eager to finalize our next action plan for official languages.

We'll be releasing what we call a "what we heard report" in the next few days to provide an overview of what stakeholders told us. I'll have more to say about that when we announce the action plan for official languages for 2023 to 2028.

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

Has your department provided funding for those community organizations? That's what they've been asking us for months. The organizations in our communities are requesting that.

Will you be contributing to an increase in funding, since you have the authority as minister to do so?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

As I said, we're grateful for the work that stakeholders from across the country have done. They're working hard to advance, protect and promote our two beautiful official languages, particularly in the official language minority communities.

We want to ensure that they're properly equipped to do their job, and, as I said, we've heard their demands loud and clear. My team and I, the minister responsible for official languages, have developed a specific action plan for official languages. We're eager to continue working with the stakeholders, who are doing an incredible job.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

You have 30 seconds left, Ms. Ashton.

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

Mr. Rodriguez didn't really answer the question about education. We lack schools and spaces in existing schools.

What are you going to do to change that situation?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

Thank you for that question.

As a resident of Atlantic Canada, I often hear parents tell us that there's a shortage of spaces in classrooms and child care facilities, among other things. Our federal government has made significant investments to resolve that situation.

We've invested $180 million over three years to address the teaching personnel labour shortage. If we want to address the problem of waiting lists in child care facilities and schools, we must first make sure we have teachers.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Minister.

I know time is flying by. Perhaps you can expand on that question later.

We will now begin a five-minute round of questions. Our friends Mr. Généreux and Mr. Vis will share their speaking time. I will leave it to Mr. Généreux to share those five minutes with Mr. Vis.

Mr. Généreux, we are listening.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for being with us, Minister.

On page 39 of Bill C-13, the short title of the bill reads as follows: "Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act". Definitions then follow. On page 40, after the definitions, the bill provides that the word "Minister" means the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The Department of Canadian Heritage is named in black and white in the bill. Will the present order cover that if the bill is passed?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

I don't understand the question. Are you referring to the delegation of authority?

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I think Ms. Mondou understood the question.

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

The answer is "yes".

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you very much. That answers my question.

You heard the question that I asked your colleagues this morning concerning what happened in Qatar, when the Canadian soccer players weren't introduced in both languages as the players from other countries were. And yet Canada is a bilingual country, as far as I know, and you are the Minister of Official Languages, which means that there is more than one.

No one will accept blame, which will probably be shared by Sport Canada and others. However, you're the Minister of Official Languages. Under the bill, you would enhance the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

If someone filed a complaint regarding such an incident, and if the government were at fault, to whom would the Commissioner assign blame? For example, penalties of up to $25,000 per incident may now be imposed on businesses such as Air Canada. Will penalties be imposed on the government?

[Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

We first have to recognize that the regime of the Official Languages Act is a domestic regime.

What happened in Qatar happened outside Canada.