Mr. Speaker, on March 2 I asked the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages how she could be satisfied with the National Defence Official Languages Program Transformation Model of October 2006 when Graham Fraser, the Official Languages Commissioner, pointed out in committee that the best a unilingual francophone soldier could hope for in the Canadian armed forces is to be an infantry soldier at Valcartier. He went on to say that evidently it is possible for a unilingual anglophone to rise to the rank of brigadier general.
The Commissioner also stated, “It is practically impossible to establish a challenging career in the Canadian Forces if you are a unilingual Francophone”.
In response to my questions about this situation, the insulting reply by the parliamentary secretary, the Conservative member for Beauport—Limoilou, was quite discriminatory for francophones in Quebec and Canada: “—the Bloc throws its little temper tantrum”. Such language truly shows little regard for la Francophonie in Quebec and Canada.
It is an insult to anyone concerned about the rights of francophones to have to endure the disgraceful attitude of the federal government regarding its obligations with respect to official languages in the Canadian armed forces.
It is even more insulting to hear the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages say in this House that she had the backing of the Official Languages Commissioner in developing this new direction. Commissioner Graham Fraser's response to this was as follows: “Neither Dyane Adam (his predecessor) nor I have endorsed this new functional approach”. It is shameful of the minister and the hon. member for Louis-Saint-Laurent and of the Conservative government. Seeking credibility from people who are concerned about la Francophonie in Quebec and Canada by telling such a falsehood speaks volumes about the moral value of their linguistic approach to our soldiers and our francophone soldiers.
With the Canadian Forces turning around and no longer requiring its high ranking officials to be bilingual, the Conservative government is showing its reformist side from the Manning days and its Alliance side from the days of the hon. member for Okanagan—Coquihalla, and is not fulfilling its responsibilities under the Official Languages Act. This is further evidence that the Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages accepts this irresponsible turnaround when it comes to the Canadian Forces honouring their responsibilities under the Official Languages Act. The Canadian Forces official languages track record was bad enough when the Liberals were in power.
Allow me to quote Yves Ducharme, the national president of the Agriculture Union of the Public Service Alliance of Canada, which represents, among others, language teachers at the Department of National Defence training facilities:
In moving to adopt these new regulations, it would seem to us that the Minister of National Defence is either unaware of the importance of the Official Languages Act, or has turned a blind eye to its provisions. Either case is unacceptable.
I heartily agree.