Madam Speaker, the current debate on the French language reminds us of a historical reality, which is that there are two solitudes in Canada.
The Bloc's proposal is very simple: to obtain citizenship in Quebec, newcomers must demonstrate a basic knowledge of French, just enough to understand what is happening in Quebec society. We are not talking about completing a doctoral thesis. We are just talking about saying hello to a neighbour or asking for service. Just the basics.
Everyone in Quebec thinks this is reasonable, but why is this causing so much discomfort here that the government wants to vote against it?