Official Languages Committee on Oct. 25th, 2023

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

I call this meeting to order.

Welcome to the 71st meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3) and the motion adopted by the committee on April 21, 2023, the committee is meeting for a briefing by the Minister of Official Languages on his mandate and priorities.

As I see no one new on the screen, I will dispense with the usual instructions regarding speaking time and so on. However, I would like to remind you to be careful not to put your earpiece too close to your mike when you speak because that causes feedback in our interpreters' headsets.

I would like to welcome the Hon. Randy Boissonnault, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages. He is joined by Deputy Minister Isabelle Mondou and Assistant Deputy Minister Julie Boyer, regulars whom we frequently see and are pleased to see again.

Minister, as you know, you have five minutes of speaking time. I'm very strict in that regard because we only have an hour and I would like everyone to have a chance to speak. I will immediately cut off all members when their time is up.

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

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Minister of Employment]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, and good afternoon to all the members of the committee.

First, I would like to say that this meeting is being held on the traditional unceded land of the Anishinabe Algonquin Nation.

I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for inviting me to appear today. As you heard, I am joined by the Deputy Minister of Canadian Heritage, Isabelle Mondou, and Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions.

Colleagues, a long time ago, I told Mr. Généreux that, the last time I was here, I still had hair, or at least I thought I had hair, in 2015.

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

So did I.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'm not talking about you, my friend, but I do know that haircuts have changed in the past eight years.

This is the first time I’m appearing as Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages.

However, you have known me for a long time as a result of the positions I have held here on Parliament Hill, particularly as parliamentary secretary to Ms. Joly. You know that the situation of our official language minority communities is important to me.

I understand all the great work you've done to make the lives of francophones across the west and anglophones in Quebec better. I can tell you that I've had the opportunity to highlight this committee's excellent work already.

I'd like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for considering and approving Bill C‑13. It took 50 years to modernize the Official Languages Act. I tip my hat and congratulate every one of you.

I have to say that the coming into force of the Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages on June 20 last was a major step forward. Modernization of the Official Languages Act addresses concerns and realities that I regularly see at home in Edmonton. My membership in an official language minority community is a part of who I am. I sincerely believe that what is happening in Alberta's francophone community—our challenges, our successes and the defence of our rights—can help further the entire Canadian francophonie and the promotion of official languages across the country.

Implementing the modernized act will allow us to support the French language across Canada, including Quebec, and defend official language minority communities.

As you already know the modernized act inside out, I'm going to highlight just a few aspects that I feel are particularly important.

First of all, support for education from early childhood to the post-secondary level and beyond—

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair. The interpretation isn't working.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a moment. We're going to check. I'll stop your time, Minister.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'll speak in both languages.

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

You can continue; it's just for the principle of it.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

No, I understand.

I'm delighted—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Just a moment, Minister. You are apparently speaking too quickly for the interpreters.

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I see. My apologies to our interpreters, and I will speak more slowly. It's just that I'm happy to be here in committee.

I'm delighted that you are undertaking a study on post-secondary institutions. I also think that francophone immigration, which is essential to efforts to restore the demographic weight of minority francophones, is a critical issue. I note the new obligations requiring all federal institutions to take positive measures to promote the official languages and the fact that the strengthening of part VII of the Official Languages Act has been well received by stakeholders and the communities. I will be working closely with the President of the Treasury Board to prepare the regulations provided for under the act.

I would briefly like to recall that I travelled to 17 cities in the summer of 2017 to take part in the consultations on the action plan for official languages 2018‑2023. It's very important for me to witness all the progress that we, as a government and Parliament, have made on these issues. I'm here to defend the official languages from sea to sea. I'm also here to defend western francophones and Quebec's anglophone communities. This action plan is real: a $4.1 billion budget is significant.

I'll conclude with a brief story. I am very much attached to our two official languages. When I was 15 years old, I travelled to Ottawa as a participant in the Forum for Young Canadians, but I couldn't speak to half of the delegates. The realization hit me so hard that, when I returned to Edmonton, I figured I'd better forge ahead with my French studies. With a name like Boissonnault, I just had to.

The first time I applied for work as a parliamentary guide, I failed the interview because I didn't know the meaning of the word "chirurgie". The answer I gave was somewhat surrealistic, but it didn't pass muster. The second time, I passed the interview, got the job and was a parliamentary guide here in 1990, and I can tell you that I never would have believed I would one day be the Minister of Official Languages.

I'm a product of the system. The system works, and I'm here to make sure it works for many other Canadians. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Boissonnault. You had 15 seconds left.

I would like to tell committee members and anyone watching our proceedings live that I'm quite proud to be in the presence of three francophones from Alberta. Never in my youth would I have thought that possible. I'm referring here to our colleagues Mr. Dalton and Ms. Goodridge, as well as Mr. Boissonnault himself. So I'm convinced the francophonie works.

Minister, the next four series of questions will come from the four political parties. The time allotted for questions and answers will be exactly six minutes per party. I will warn speakers approximately 15 seconds before their time is up and interrupt them if necessary so that all of them can ask their questions.

We will begin with the first vice-chair of the committee, Joël Godin, to whom I give the floor for six minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Boissonnault, thank you for being with us and for taking part in this exercise. It's a pleasure for me, as a parliamentarian, to question you in your capacity as Minister of Official Languages. As you will understand, from now on, our relationship will never be the same when we cross paths in the corridors. I have some good questions for you and will probably interrupt you so I can get as many answers as possible to them.

Here's my first question: is French declining in Canada?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Absolutely.

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

Is French declining in Quebec?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Yes.

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

You've just confirmed that French is in decline, which is already a step in the right direction. Now what specifically are you going to do about it?

I see that Bill C‑13 contains a lot of elements, specific clauses, but that they aren't yet in force. You just confirmed that French is in decline in Canada and Quebec. To my mind, that means that there is an urgent need to act. As you said in your remarks, immigration is essential.

Is the section that appears in the act currently in force?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

I'll take 15 seconds to give you some context. There are more francophones in Quebec, but their demographic weight has changed. That's why the Prime Minister and other ministers have clearly stated that French is in decline in Quebec. We're seeing the same thing elsewhere in the country, in other provinces.

I wanted to clarify that point.

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

What about the immigration plan?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

When the act came into force, we, as the government, were required to restore the demographic weight of francophones outside Quebec to its 1971 level, which was 6.1%. That's the jurisdiction—

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

Now that Bill C‑13 has been passed into law, is the section on immigration in force?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

Those elements have to be enacted by order once we have all the necessary regulations, and that's the work that Mr. Miller is doing.

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

Thank you for that answer.

Now I want to know how things are going. You are the Minister of Official Languages. As a parliamentarian, if I have a problem with an organization, I want to know who I should contact to resolve my issues with that organization or to give it instructions: the Treasury Board, Canadian Heritage or the Minister of Official Languages?

I think it should be the Minister of Official Languages. Is that what you think?

[Randy Boissonnault, Liberal, Edmonton Centre, AB]

This committee requested that responsibility for implementing the act be assigned to a central agency. You've managed to transfer that responsibility to the Treasury Board. Consequently, it's the current President of the Treasury Board who is responsible for handling all positive measures.

In response to your question, Mr. Godin, I would answer that it depends on which organization you mean: are we talking about CBC/Radio-Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, which has made major mistakes, or a private sector organization?

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

My question concerns departments in general. If it's the Canadian Armed Forces, for example, if there's a problem with the system, whom do I contact as an parliamentarian?