Evidence of meeting #2 for Official Languages in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was subamendment.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Agreed.
I would ask the clerk to read the text as amended by the proposed amendment.
The Clerk of the Committee Madeleine Martin
Following the amendment moved by Mr. Beaulieu, the first part of paragraph 1(b) of the subcommittee’s report would read as follows:
That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), the Standing Committee on Official Languages hold a two-hour meeting to examine the situation surrounding the renewal of the interpreters’ contract, as long as the meeting is held no later than Tuesday, October 21; …
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Is the committee in favour of this amendment?
Mr. Godin, you have the floor.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I have a question about procedure, Mr. Chair. I believe that a member cannot propose a subamendment to modify his own amendment.
What do you think, Madam Clerk?
Liberal
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I wasn’t criticizing you, Mr. Chair.
I will therefore propose the subamendment that amends Mr. Beaulieu’s amendment.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you very much.
Does the committee wish to adopt the proposed change?
(The amendment as amended agreed to)
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Are there any other comments on the subcommittee’s report?
Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Since our meeting is public and people in Quebec are following our work, I would like to point out that the study on new measures to protect and promote the French language has been postponed several times. Once again, it has been put at the bottom of the list.
Liberal
Madeleine Chenette Liberal Thérèse-De Blainville, QC
I would like to say that we are all aware, around this table, that French has an important place in Quebec and throughout Canada. We also need to establish our priorities in order to foster an even richer discussion on the subject, which we must debate this year, as we all agree.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
There do not seem to be any other comments.
Is it the committee’s wish to adopt the subcommittee’s report?
Bloc
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Very well.
We have two options: Either we adopt the report on division, or we proceed to a recorded division.
Conservative
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Very well.
Madam Clerk, can you please proceed to the recorded division on the subcommittee’s report?
(Motion agreed to: yeas 8; nays 0. [See Minutes of Proceedings])
Are there any other topics the members would like to discuss?
Mr. Godin, you have the floor.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, this is not something I do, and I don’t want to surprise anyone.
I had a chance to look at this quickly with my colleagues, and I request unanimous consent to introduce a motion.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Mr. Godin, since we are discussing the business of the committee, you do not need unanimous consent to present the motion. However, if you decide to present it, I ask that you send it in writing to the clerk, and that you read it.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Mr. Chair, I want to reassure my colleagues. It is not my habit to proceed in this manner. We are at the beginning of our work and there have been some staff changes. You will notice that the chair behind me is empty, and I invite anyone interested in working on the Standing Committee on Official Languages files to contact my office to help Mr. Godin do his job. This is a part-time position. There you have it, I’ve advertised and posted my job offer.
Let’s get right to the heart of the matter. Last week, an article mentioned that Cogeco Media wanted to broadcast less French-language music. That is a reality. Coming from a television and radio broadcasting background, I am aware that this is a problem for companies from an economic standpoint. However, given the decline of French in Quebec and across Canada, I am not prepared to see a decrease in the proportion of French-language music.
I therefore invite the committee to consider the following motion. I move that, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), the Standing Committee on Official Languages hold a two-hour meeting as soon as possible to examine the situation regarding the recent request by Cogeco to reduce quotas for French music content as required by the conditions in their broadcasting licence. That, as part of this meeting, the committee hear from: broadcasters such as Cogeco, Bell, RNC or Leclerc Communication, as well as from a representative from ADISQ, the Association québécoise de l’industrie du disque, du spectacle et de la vidéo. That the purpose of this meeting be to understand the current situation and to evaluate other possible solutions in order to respect the objective of stopping the decline of French.
I think it is important to consider this issue. It is a problem that has been going on for several years, and it is in the interest of everyone here on the committee to promote measures to halt the decline of French. That is the committee’s objective.
Here, we are dealing with a very specific current issue. Cogeco is before the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission, an emergency situation similar to the one my colleague was talking about. This study is not very time-consuming, and I think it can be included in the committee’s schedule. This could make it easier for the clerk to plan our work. I think that’s important.
We are not here to attack broadcasters. We are here to work with them to find solutions that are profitable and viable for them, without their attacking the French language and francophone music.
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
We are resuming the meeting.
Before continuing the discussion on this topic, I would like to mention that at 12:30 p.m., the Franco-Ontarian flag will be raised in front of the Parliament Building. I know that many of the members here would like to attend. Ultimately, it is up to the committee to decide, but I wanted us to be aware of this so that we could see if it would be possible to resolve the issues we still have to discuss today. It would be great to be able to attend the flag-raising ceremony.
Mr. Villeneuve has the floor.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you.
This is my first time participating in committee work, and I see that there are people here who have a lot of experience.
I wanted to start by saying that I am a strong advocate for our two official languages throughout Canada. I am a francophone from the Limoilou neighbourhood in Quebec City. We are not that far away.
Earlier, Mr. Godin said that it was rare for him to propose a motion at the last minute. I must say that I am in favour of what he proposed. I think it is very important to have a significant percentage of French-language songs in our media. That said, I will now give the floor to Mr. Deschênes‑Thériault, as we have a few minor amendments to make.