Official Languages Committee on Feb. 14th, 2023

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

In fact, we can ask questions about the procedure.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Yes, that's correct.

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

If there is unanimous consent, we can probably...

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

No, because amendment CPC-18 has already changed the lines referred to in amendment BQ-21.

The purpose of amendment BQ-21 is to replace lines 15 to 23 of the English version, but amendment CPC-18 has already changed those lines.

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

Excuse me, Mr. Chair.

I am coming to the defence of the amendment without even knowing yet whether I am going to support it or not.

Take the French version. It says "par adjonction, après la ligne 19". Amendment CPC-18...

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Forgive me, Mr. Godin, but I am saying that the conflict doesn't come from the French version.

To reflect the change proposed in the French version, a replacement had to be made in the English version, not an addition. We checked this with the law clerks. To make the equivalent change in the English version, that is what had to be done, that is, replace lines. Those lines have already been affected by your amendment, as amended by the subamendment.

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

Could we put other lines in the English version.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I can let committee staff talk to us about it.

[Émilie Thivierge, Legislative Clerk]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We are not legislative drafters. The legislative drafters wrote the amendment that way, based on the instructions received, so I couldn't tell you whether they could have done it differently.

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

Mr. Chair, thank you for giving us the information, but you understand that I work in French.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We are all learning about this today.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Mr. Godin, this isn't a question for the chair; it is a procedural question. It works the same way for all bills.

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

Mr. Chair, my colleague should not address me directly; he should go through you.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I would like to remind everyone that I did not make a decision on whether amendment BQ-21 is in order.

Earlier, we studied amendment CPC-18. It was clear that if it was adopted, amendment BQ-21 could not be moved. That is what the procedure is in the case of line conflicts. Hypothetically, if we decided that amendment BQ-21 was in order and we adopted it, there would be a line conflict in the drafting, since the same lines mean two different things. That is all I wanted to tell you: I did not have any decision to make.

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

We are preventing a debate about ideas because of a translation issue. The amendment would work in French, but not in English.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I understand, Mr. Beaulieu, but it isn't a translation problem or a bad translation: it is procedural. That is how the English was drafted. That is all I can tell you. I am not saying you will like the answer.

(Clause 16 as amended agreed to)

Is clause 17 agreed to?

(Clause 17 agreed to)

(Clause 18)

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We will now move on to clause 18 of the bill and amendment BQ-22, at page 57 of your bundle of amendments.

The floor is yours, Mr. Beaulieu.

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

The bill proposes the following paragraph 18(1)(b):

(b) prescribing any other measures that are to be taken, within the National Capital Region and in any part or region of Canada, or in any place outside Canada, that is prescribed for the purpose of paragraph 35(1)(a), to establish and maintain work environments of those institutions that are conducive to the effective use of both official languages and accommodate the use of either official language by their employees;

Amendment BQ-22 would add the following words at the end of the paragraph: "taking into account the minority status of the French language in Canada due to the predominant use of English and the linguistic specificity of Quebec".

This is an amendment requested by the Government of Quebec. It adds another factor that the Governor in Council must take into account in making regulations concerning the language of work in federal institutions, in consideration of the specificity of Quebec.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu.

The floor is yours, Mr. Serré.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We recognize the intention of this amendment, which is proposed by the province of Quebec, but I would like to ask the officials what effects it would have on the language of work in offices under federal jurisdiction.

[Carsten Quell]

We are talking here about federal institutions, bilingual regions and workplaces that are conducive to the use of both languages. In concrete terms, a manager would have to allow their employees to speak in either of the two official languages at meetings, for example. The manager should also encourage them to choose the language in which they wish to work, in a workplace where they feel comfortable speaking with supervisors in either official language.

To date, Treasury Board Secretariat has always encouraged bilingual managers to operate that way, whether they are in Quebec or in bilingual regions outside Quebec. This amendment would make us wonder what a manager in a designated region in Quebec will have to do differently: will they have to favour the use of one of the two languages?

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Since there are no other comments, I will put amendment BQ-22 to the vote.

(Amendment negatived: nays 6; yeas 5)

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Shall clause 18 carry?

(Clause 18 agreed to)

(Clauses 19 and 20 agreed to)

(Clause 21)

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We will now move on to clause 21 and amendment LIB-12.

If this amendment is adopted, amendment LIB-13 may not be moved, because it is identical.

Mr. Drouin, the floor is yours.

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

A point of order, Mr. Chair.

Could you explain how the same party can present identical amendments?