Official Languages Committee on Sept. 25th, 2025

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

I call the meeting to order. Welcome to meeting number two of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Before we begin, I'd like to tell you how fortunate I feel to be sitting with you all, from all the parties, on the Standing Committee on Official Languages. Ever since I was young, I remember my parents telling me that our official languages are at the heart of our identity as a country and as Canadians. I therefore look forward to working with you on this issue, which is so important to Canadians.

I need to read a few things before we move to our agenda and start our work.

I'd like to ask all in-person participants to consult the guidelines written on the updated cards on the table. These measures are in place to help prevent audio and feedback incidents, and to protect the health and safety of all participants, including the interpreters. You'll also notice a QR code on the card which links to a short awareness video.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format. For those participating remotely, please click on the microphone icon to activate the microphone and please put yourself on mute when you're not speaking.

I'd like to remind participants of the following points. Please wait until I recognize you before speaking. All comments must be addressed through the chair. I'd ask you to raise your hand if you wish to speak, whether you are attending in person or on Zoom. The committee clerk and I will do our best to maintain the speaking order. It is essential to ensure that only one person speaks at a time, not only to maintain order but also to assist the interpreters.

In terms of our agenda, we will start with committee business. The subcommittee's report was distributed to committee members yesterday, and we are meeting today to discuss it. I'd like to move that we begin with our discussion on this report. If there are any other matters that members wish to raise relating to committee business, we could discuss them after. Do you all agree?

[Some hon. members]

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Agreed. The subcommittee report has been distributed. Is it the pleasure of the committee to adopt the report or would any members like to speak?

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

Mr. Chair, for the benefit of all the new committee members, I'd like to give a reminder.

As per our usual practice, the sub-committee is responsible for planning our fall agenda, and that is what my colleague Guillaume Deschênes‑Thériault, Mario Beaulieu from the Bloc Québécois, you, Mr. Chair, the analyst, the clerk and I did on Thursday.

This plan outlines everything we discussed during our meeting on Tuesday. I therefore move its adoption so we can begin our meetings next week and move our cause forward.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Godin.

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.

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

Mr. Chair, I have two amendments to move.

The first has to do with prioritization. We know that French is under threat in Quebec more than ever, as it is across Canada. All language indicators show that French is in decline. Even Statistics Canada's predictive study indicates that in Quebec, the percentage of French as the language used at home will decrease from 81.6% in 2011 to 73.6% by 2036. It was 83.1% in 2001. In the last census—the 2021 census—it was 79.1%. What's more, those forecasts were made in a context of lower immigration than observed in recent years, and they are probably overly optimistic. Over the past few years, several Liberal ministers recognized from the outset that the use of French is in decline, that French is under threat from all sides and that there are 8 million francophones surrounded by 360 million anglophones in Canada and North America.

These factors were partially reflected in the new Official Languages Act, even though there was a setback. Rather than promoting only French in Quebec, we've reverted to the old notion of parallelism in order to defend anglophones in Quebec as a minority.

Finally, we looked at the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028: Protection-Promotion-Collaboration, and there is nothing new for French. Everything is about promoting English within Quebec. I looked at the Canada Public Accounts for 2024 and it's the same thing: I didn't see anything for French in Quebec, or practically nothing—$100 million a year. If we go back a bit to what has been done since the Official Languages Act began, we are now at over $3.6 billion that has contributed to anglicizing Quebec. In constant dollars, it's over $5.5 billion.

So I think that the study on measures to promote French—we want to see what's coming—should be prioritized and done first. I so move and I would like to know if my colleagues agree.

I also have a second amendment to move, but I don't know if you want me to move it right away, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Mr. Beaulieu, I've consulted with the clerk, and we'll proceed with one proposal at a time.

Just so it's clear for everyone, can you tell us what exactly it is that you're proposing?

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

This motion calls for a study of measures that have been and will be taken to protect and promote French in Quebec. That is in the Official Languages Act, but nothing has been done. Moreover, this study is the last item in the motion, which suggests that, for the Liberals and the Conservatives, French in Quebec is a low-priority item. I believe it should be a high priority, and that's what we should start with.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Okay.

If I understand correctly, you're proposing that we begin with this study.

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

Yes.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Okay.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

Mr. Chair, with all due respect for my colleague, I would like to say that I, too, acknowledge the decline of French, and not just in Quebec. I'm saying that because this is a federal Parliament. There are 10 provinces and three territories. Every one of them has francophone communities. I think that's important.

It's also important to remember that we wrapped up the 44th Parliament with a study on the education continuum. Our vision must be comprehensive and national in scope, and I'm not going to disrespect all those organizations across Canada, including in Quebec, by tossing that study aside. I think it's important to complete that study first. We have maybe four to six meetings left if I remember correctly, and I think it's important. We've done work on this. My colleague wants us to throw all that work in the trash and focus only on Quebec and the decline of French in Quebec. French is in decline across Canada. I think it's important to finish our study on the education continuum.

There's a habit in this kind of situation, unfortunately, and it's reasonable to understand the intentions of those responsible for bilingualism and the Official Languages Act. Two ministers have been invited, the Minister responsible for Official Languages and the President of the Treasury Board, and I think it's important to hear what they have to say.

We've shown we are open to Mr. Beaulieu's proposed study by agreeing to it, but we disagree on how to prioritize things. I disagree with his proposal.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Okay, thank you Mr. Godin.

Mr. Deschênes‑Thériault, you have the floor.

[Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I completely agree that measures to protect and promote French across Canada are important. We acknowledge the decline of French, and we need to address this issue. I believe that's why the subcommittee agreed to our Bloc colleague's study proposal, which we amended to give it a Canada-wide scope. I think we need to look at the protection and promotion of French in every province and territory. This is an important matter, so we added the proposed study to our list of priorities.

However, we agreed to finish the study on the education continuum, which is also of critical importance because education is how people acquire the language of a culture. That's why education is so important in a minority francophone context. We undertook substantive work on that in the 44th Parliament. I believe the community stakeholders who appeared before us and those who have yet to appear are eagerly awaiting our committee's findings.

I feel that the order we proposed in no way detracts from my colleague's study, nor does it reflect how important we think it is. We recognize the importance of measures to protect and promote French. However, I suggest we keep the proposed order of business. We'll start with our education study. There's also a study on the digital transformation and the impact of AI on official languages, especially French, which is also a very timely and important topic. Those are three important topics. I would like us to maintain the proposed order of business.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Deschênes‑Thériault.

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.

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

The issue of francophones outside of Quebec is very important to the Bloc Québécois. That's why I agreed to move this motion yet again. One would think people here are allergic to Quebec. They never want to focus on Quebec.

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

I have a point of order, Mr. Chair.

I don't think my colleague should be imputing motives. This is a federal Parliament, and we govern all of Canada. I would like him to withdraw his remarks.

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

I don't see how I imputed motives at all. I stated facts.

I presented the first study that was done on the promotion of French a few years ago, which took a very long time. As part of our study, we included francophones outside Quebec. We included anglophones. Then prorogation happened. It took two or three elections to get through the clause-by-clause study of the new Official Languages Act.

Assuming everyone around the table is acting in good faith, I am prepared to make a concession if necessary. I'm open to the idea of continuing the study on the education continuum and then studying the promotion of French in Quebec.

Clearly, if French continues to decline at this rate in Quebec, that will be detrimental to all francophones outside Quebec, be they Acadians or Franco-Ontarians, because the root cause is the same. However, 90% of francophones live in Quebec. Since the Official Languages Act came into force, the Canadian government has focused solely on promoting English in Quebec. It is as if they are trying to weaken French where it is strongest. I think this has gone on long enough. We need to move on.

I therefore propose that we study the Quebec issue after completing the education continuum study.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

We're still discussing the point of order.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor.

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

I was done with my point of order.

Regarding Mr. Beaulieu's remarks, I see that he's not withdrawing them. I respect that; it's perfectly fine.

That said, we're putting the cart before the horse. We have to be realistic. What we have on the agenda for this fall is finishing the education continuum study, meeting with the President of the Treasury Board, meeting with the Minister responsible for Official Languages and the AI study.

Let's also keep in mind that we will have to rearrange our schedule to prioritize the Official Languages Act regulations once they're tabled this fall. I think and I hope that the regulations will include tools to combat the decline of French across Canada, including in Quebec. I'm sure they will. It's been three years, and I'm sure the people drafting them have sharpened their pencils and will come up with a great set of regulations. Fingers crossed.

I therefore suggest that we wait and see what's in the regulations. I stand by my position. I'm very comfortable with what was discussed and what was proposed by the subcommittee today.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you. Give me a moment to consult the clerk.

Mr. Dalton, you have the floor.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

I'm pleased to be a member of this committee again. Regarding Mr. Beaulieu's motion, my take as a member from British Columbia is that we need to look at what's going on across Canada because the decline is being observed everywhere.

Last year, we did several studies at the same time, and it was a little confusing. This time, I think we should proceed more systematically. We should finish the education continuum study, then move on to other studies.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you.

Ms. Chenette, you have the floor.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm very happy to be part of this committee, which is so important for our official languages. I'm a proud Quebecker, and I think that, if we want to work well as a committee, we have to keep in mind that, as Quebeckers, we also represent our federation. I'm concerned about both languages in Quebec, especially French, but, as my colleagues have said, it's important that we address concerns that affect Canada's francophonie as a whole. I therefore fully support what my Conservative colleagues said.

I know my colleagues agree about the education continuum study, but I'd like to talk about the proposed study on the repercussions of the digital transformation on official languages. I would like to congratulate the people who did such excellent background work on this for the committee and who came up with this proposal. That's important work, and it makes our lives easier.

I understand the importance of discussing those repercussions. A major digital transformation is under way, and we can't wait until it's too late to discuss the impact on official languages. It's important to be proactive about having those discussions and to think about those impacts. This may also help us have a more informed discussion afterward.

That's why I was partial to the order the proposed studies were in. We'll look at draft regulations and the digital transformation our society is going through, which will impact our official languages. We'll see whether those impacts are positive or not, then we can have a conversation once we've gathered all the necessary data. If we follow the order the subcommittee came up with, we won't have to rehash things when we talk about the digital transformation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.