Debates of Nov. 25th, 2020

Status of the French Language in Montreal

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his excellent question.

A white paper filled with blank pages is what the Liberal Party is offering. All the solutions already exist. The committee has been working for years. We are asking for the modernization of the official languages. It is important to do this after 50 years. In 1988, some progress was made under a Conservative government. The time has come. In a few months, the next Conservative government will make it a priority.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Minister of Canadian Heritage]

Mr. Speaker, I will share my time with the hon. member for Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook.

Aside from being a means of communication, language is also an expression of our culture. It tells our stories and accompanies our dreams. Language gives us the ability to understand and help each other, and it helps us move forward.

Our sense of belonging to a community is built around a common language. Language and culture are passed on in various ways, through literature, visual arts, music, science, history, philosophy or dance. Among the main instruments of cultural transmission are television and radio. A long time ago other legislators in the House realized that and started demanding that television and radio contribute to the production of Canadian stories. Their decision was greatly beneficial to our cultural landscape.

However, the definition of television and radio has changed a lot since the last time the Broadcasting Act was updated, 30 years ago. In those days, we did not have touch screens or voice-activated devices. We were lucky if we could get the remote control to work on the first try. Nevertheless our laws remained unchanged since that distant past.

That is why I introduced Bill C-10 a few days ago. Its objective is simple: to extend the scope of the Broadcasting Act to online broadcasting services, such as Netflix, Amazon Prime or Spotify, and ensure that they too contribute to the production of Canadian stories, including francophone stories. It is a matter of fairness. The web giants can no longer ignore Canada's francophones and their culture. This is particularly important because francophones and their language and culture are a minority in North America.

In order to preserve French under such circumstances, we need more than just good intentions. That is why robust legislation is so important. Bill C-10 is a way of telling francophone artists that there is no us without them. Our reform recognizes the specific challenges they are facing and addresses them directly. Their work deserves to be more well known and better funded and broadcast.

Finally, I want to talk about Montreal, a francophone city that is rich in culture and heritage. It has been my adopted home for over 30 years. From the early days of radio and television, creators have looked for ways to represent and reflect all aspects of life in Montreal in their productions.

It has been captured in such songs as Je reviendrai à Montréal by Robert Charlebois and Montréal by Ariane Moffat. On screen, the city and its inhabitants have been immortalized in documentaries such as the recent Chef en pandémie, series such as District 31 and La vie, la vie, the children's show Passe-Partout, and Montreal's distinct alleyways.

There are also those who make us laugh in French: Catherine Éthier, Eddy King, Rosalie Vaillancourt and Adib Alkhalidey. The Couscous Comedy Show stage in Montreal has launched quite a few acts now appearing on television and Apple Music.

In essence, Montreal inspires and sets the tone. It is a place where people can connect, where francophone productions around the world can collaborate. Montreal's stories, francophone stories, are there. They need to be seen and heard. Our children and grandchildren deserve to see themselves in those characters. They deserve a chance to write those stories themselves someday.

In 2016, I was honoured to be awarded the Impératif français prize for my contribution to the vitality of the language. It is not, however, my mother tongue. I learned to speak English before I learned to speak French. Switching from an English school to a French one was not without its challenges, but my mother felt that I ought to learn this beautiful language, and I have cultivated it throughout my life.

Winning the prize did not strike me as an end in itself. It was just a sign that I had to keep doing that work. Today, that commitment has brought me to my work as Minister of Canadian Heritage. Those who work to ensure the vitality of our language and our culture and to pass it on to others can count on our government to support, recognize and applaud their efforts.

[Mario Simard, Bloc, Jonquière, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I want to come back to something my colleague said at the beginning of his speech that I quite liked. He used the word “we” when talking about the common language. I find it rather surprising because generally when my colleagues across the way say “we” they misinterpret it.

There are two rather different systems of integration in Canada for indigenous minorities. My colleagues tend to favour multiculturalism. We think that interculturalism might be a better system of integration.

Every time we come back to this question and we try to defend the specificity of the Quebec culture, despite this “we” that my colleague was talking about, we get called all kinds of names.

I do not know how my colleague sees this, but I would like to know his impression of the integration system currently being used in Quebec and Canada.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for the question.

He seems to be having a hard time understanding that on this side of the House there are many proud Quebeckers to whom protecting the French language is a concern and who are working to protect it in Quebec, of course, but also from one end of the country to the other.

We are doing this through tools such as the Official Languages Act or the Broadcasting Act. I will also soon be introducing a bill on the media and web giants. We are using every tool we have to continue to protect this language and our francophone communities, whether they are in Quebec or elsewhere in the country.

[Jenica Atwin, Green, Fredericton, NB]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I am an anglophone and my riding has a large Acadian population. I attended French immersion in the only bilingual province, and I am very grateful for that.

I also know how connected language is to a person's identity and how it can be threatened. This is what we are seeing with indigenous languages. Every day that the government puts off modernizing the Official Languages Act, it is contributing to the assimilation and regression of the language across the country, including in New Brunswick.

Now is the time to act.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for her comments.

We had the pleasure of chatting recently. New Brunswick is a wonderful province I have had the opportunity of visiting many times.

I have written three books in French, and the book fairs there were even busier than in Montreal or Quebec City. The francophone community there is active, healthy and engaged.

That is why we want to continue to work with francophones in Quebec and across Canada, especially in the member's beautiful part of the country.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Mr. Speaker, even if you normally are perfectly neutral, I want to mention that you are a Franco-Ontarian and an example and inspiration to us all.

I also want to bring up the quality and positiveness of the minister's comments on the French language, even if it sometimes there seems to be an insurmountable gap between us, ideologically speaking. I greatly appreciate his collaboration when we discuss less partisan issues. I also appreciated his collaboration on a number of recent files.

Here is my question for the minister. He and his party were elected on the promise that they would—

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

I would like to remind hon. members that their microphones may be live.

The member for Bonavista—Burin—Trinity might want to mute his microphone. Thank you.

I am sorry. We have stopped the clock.

The hon. member may continue.

[Gérard Deltell, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

My question to the minister is quite simple. He and his party were elected a year ago on the promise that they would modernize the Official Languages Act. As we know, the act first saw the light of day 51 years ago under Pierre Elliott Trudeau, Canada's 15th prime minister. There was an update in 1988 under Brian Mulroney. It goes without saying that another modernization is in order after 51 years. It is obvious.

That being said, why is that party talking about tabling a white paper instead of modernizing the act? As the member for Lévis—Lotbinière said so eloquently, a white paper is only filled with blank pages. People want action, not white papers.

[Steven Guilbeault, Liberal, Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I must admit that I greatly admire my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent. There are issues on which we disagree, but I do not think that the protection of French is one of them. I think that, like many others in this room, we both agree on this issue.

I think that our government has accomplished a lot since it took office in 2015. My predecessors at Canadian Heritage, who are here with us tonight, did a lot for CBC/Radio-Canada and the Canada Council for the Arts. We will continue to address other issues to do even more to protect francophones across the country.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence]

Mr. Speaker, I am very pleased to participate in tonight's debate about the French language in Canada. It is very motivating.

I want to talk a little bit about my life. I am an Acadian from Nova Scotia. My ancestors arrived here in 1604. I am originally from Cape Breton, or more specifically from a little island just next door to Cape Breton called Isle Madame, which has a population of 3,500, 95% of whom are Acadian. I also have ancestors who contributed to the prosperity of Lévis. Their important role was even recognized with a monument that was built for Canada's centennial.

My father told me that, in the 1960s, there was only one French course at the school that I was attending in Nova Scotia and it was at risk of being cut. He said that we had to fight to protect our language. Thanks to the Liberal Party, which passed the Official Languages Act in 1969, we finally had the support we needed. My father said that we were going to see French thrive in our community, in Quebec and in Canada. We saw our brothers and sisters in Quebec as the leading champions of the French language and culture and as people who supported us.

I did all my schooling in English because there was no French school in those days. Again, in 1982, it was the Liberal Party who introduced the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, with section 23 protecting the rights of the anglophone minority in Quebec and the francophone minorities in the rest of Canada. We got some support from that. Then we went to court to defend our rights, obviously.

Lastly, French schools and francophone school councils started being created in 1990. In 2005 I was appointed as superintendent of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial. From 2005 until today, the number of students nearly doubled in francophone schools of Nova Scotia. We are very proud of that and we continue our work.

In the 1960s, French declined in Montreal. I remember my father telling me that story. Then in the 1970s, the language became stronger. Indeed a decline can be observed today. It is very important to act, and that is the reason why the Liberal Party is now taking action. In the Speech from the Throne, our government clearly demonstrated that the French language needed to be promoted and protected. That call to action was well received.

Benoît Pelletier said, and I quote, “The federal government has always wanted to ensure symmetry between English and French in Canada. Ottawa's acknowledgement that special measures need to be taken for francophones demonstrates the Trudeau government's recognition that French is under threat.”

Between 2015 and now, we have taken a great deal of action. The Official Languages Act just celebrated its 50th anniversary, and we will continue to work to promote French in Quebec. We will promote both linguistic cultures in Canada: English in Quebec and French outside of Quebec.

We can promote French in Quebec without infringing on minority rights. Yes, we can. I must say thank you to my hon. colleagues, my sisters and brothers in Quebec. I have seen how strongly they believe in francophones outside Quebec. They have made a difference by supporting Ontario's French-language university. I congratulate and thank them.

Promoting bilingualism in Canada and both linguistic communities is extremely important. Bilingualism is an asset for Canada. Our colleague, the Hon. Stéphane Dion, once said that bilingualism is an asset for the country's prosperity and that Canada's bilingual character increases the volume of its trade and economic relations, which are very important.

I will conclude by saying that a bilingual Canada is strong, and a francophone Quebec is very strong. A Canada with two strong linguistic minorities is very important. The Liberal government will work hard to ensure the promotion and protection of French across the country.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, my regards to my colleague from Nova Scotia. I want him to know that my mother-in-law, who is a Samson, was at the dedication of the Samson family monument in Lévis. I appreciate your passion, Mr. Samson. One can feel your Latin fire, and it is very inspiring. It is true that, together, we want to see French make great strides across the country.

I would like to talk more about how the vitality of francophone linguistic minorities like yours in Nova Scotia is intertwined with the power of the French engine in Quebec. You talked about the importance of taking action.

We were both at the Standing Committee on Official Languages meeting yesterday. We passed a motion stating that the modernization plan must be tabled this year. All the communities that belong to the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and the Quebec Community Groups Network, including your own community, are calling for modernization.

Why wait if the time to act is now? Do you agree that it is time to act and that we need to see a modernization plan this year, not a white paper full of blank pages?

[The Speaker, Liberal, Anthony Rota]

Before I give the member the floor, I just want to remind all members that they have to ask their questions through the Chair, not directly to members. This evening we are having a very positive conversation, so it is not a problem, but when debate gets a little more heated, that can cause problems.

The hon. parliamentary secretary.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I certainly want to thank my colleague. I often talk with him and I like him very much.

I would like to note that we have been taking action since 2015 and there has been tremendous progress since. We can talk about culture, CBC/Radio-Canada or the Translation Bureau, where the Conservatives made major cuts. Reinvestment was needed there. Of course we can talk about the court challenges program, which the Conservatives abolished and we had to reinstate. We can talk about the long form census, which supported francophones in Quebec and francophones and anglophones outside Quebec. It was abolished by the Conservatives. We can talk about the roadmap for official languages. In 10 years, the Conservatives made no investment in advancing Canada's francophonie.

I will have a lot more time to add to this list soon, when I join him in Parliament.

[Yves Perron, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I thank our colleague for his passion. However, I have news for him. Since the Official languages Act was adopted, statistics show that the percentage of francophones in other provinces has been steadily decreasing. Even in Quebec, on Montreal Island, we see that there is a threat and a steady decline. Even members of the Liberal Party recognize this.

This evening we heard several fine and congenial speeches. People have talked about their uncle, their aunt, their mother-in-law or their grandson. This is not a criticism; on the contrary, it is charming. However, I am asking for my colleague's opinion on the two concrete measures we are proposing to advance the French language. We usually hear that they are working hard for the middle class. This evening, we are hearing that they are working hard for the French language. We want more than that; we want measures. There are two measures: Welcoming new residents in French and letting Quebeckers work in their language.

What does the member think of that?

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague for his question.

I simply want to say to him that the Official Languages Act, the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Quebec's Bill 101 are measures that complement one another. I will quote our colleague Stéphane Dion:

We had to make collective decisions that were sometimes difficult and often perceived as contradictory. Of course, the Official Languages Act and Bill 1010, and even the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, have different sources of inspiration; however, these measures—despite what their respective supporters may believe—complement one another.

They have helped us move forward linguistically here, in Canada, and we will continue to work together to advance the francophonie in Canada.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Speaker, I have the pleasure and privilege of participating in this debate on the status of the French language, in particular in Quebec.

I am moved by all of the speeches I have heard and by a warmth in the House that is radiating all the way here, in Lévis. I applaud my colleagues for that.

This evening, I will try to speak a little more slowly than normal, because I was not able to get my speech to the interpreters. Essentially, my message is that our linguistic duality is an asset, a part of the Canadian identity. Of course, language and culture go hand in hand.

This evening, we have seen this culture shine. Members have been naming artists and all kinds of cultural events. This is all part of and helps shape our Canadian identity, and Canadians recognize that it is an integral part of our identity.

We are currently facing the challenge of maintaining that duality. The French language, one of our two linguistic engines is facing some significant challenges. The decline of the French language affects our linguistic duality and goes to the very heart of our Canadian identity, which is why this debate is so important.

Members mentioned the roadmaps implemented by former minister Stéphane Dion. Stephen Harper's Conservative government worked with the former premier of New Brunswick, Bernard Lord, to create two roadmaps to promote and strengthen official language minority communities.

I heard my colleague from Lévis—Lotbinière mention the Stephen Harper government's contribution to the promotion of linguistic duality, and that reminded me of a story. I was in Mexico with Mr. Harper, President Barack Obama and the former Mexican president, Mr. Peña Nieto. As always, Mr. Harper made a point of starting his speeches in French. Some U.S. networks even cut him off because they thought it was a foreign language. At the time, Mr. Obama just said that he agreed with everything Mr. Harper had said in French. Clearly, it is an effective diplomatic language.

Canada's linguistic duality has deep roots. It is said that French is the country's founding language. René Arseneault reminded us that the Acadians were there. The first French governors spoke French. Then the English made a contribution, and it is because of that pact that, today, we have a Canadian community that is open to the world and that also includes indigenous communities. At the core of this Canadian pact is the backbone of our identity and language, namely English and French. That is the challenge that we are facing today.

Others have faced this challenge before us when the Official Languages Act was enacted 50 years ago. My colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent mentioned that a Conservative government modernized this legislation in 1988. For the first time, the act stipulated that English and French were to be promoted. That aspect of the act has been neglected, which is why it has become urgent that we modernize the Official Languages Act.

The situation has become urgent for two reasons. First, unfortunately, we are seeing a decline in French in Quebec and all our communities. Without wanting to be too negative, the number of people who use French in communities across Canada dropped dramatically between 2006 and 2016. French is seriously declining across the country. We have seen it recently in Quebec, particularly in Montreal. We are talking about an even more rapid decline in French there.

For example, demographer Marc Termote told us that we are in a downward spiral, a vicious circle of sorts, where English is thriving and French is declining. Our country's francophone foundation needs some repairs, a helping hand. This expert even said that there has been a drop in the number of people who speak French at home.

We are facing many challenges when it comes to the language, whether it is the spoken language, language of work, language of instruction or language of signage.

I see some colleagues who are on the Standing Committee on Official Languages taking part in the debate this evening. We agreed to address this. This evening we are having a take-note debate that I would say is just scratching the surface. There is a lot of work to be done. At the same time, the urgent need to take action is emerging. Groups and minorities across the country are calling for this. For instance, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, the FCFA, is telling us to do something. We are in a minority government situation. The president of the FCFA, Mr. Johnson, said:

We fear that if the government does not introduce a bill by the end of 2020, the two chambers of Parliament will not have enough time to adopt the changes that our communities have wanted for decades.

It is therefore important and urgent to take action, especially because work has been done by the Standing Committee on Official Languages and the FCFA. Recommendations have been made, and the work is done. This country is ripe for new legislation. We still have a few weeks ahead of us.

I have been listening to the presentations given by our government colleagues. They are saying that they want to take action and that they have plans. Now is the time to act, to make sure the laws are put in place. We are asking the government to act and to introduce its bill to modernize the Official Languages Act today, for two reasons.

First, all communities have been calling for it for decades, as Mr. Johnson said. It is a commitment, a will and a promise made by the party. It is also because several demographers, such as Frédéric Lacroix, are telling us that the situation is “catastrophic”. This is the reason for tonight's debate. It is therefore time to take action, and there is a real need to act. The goal is really to take action.

My colleague from Victoriaville brought forward some concrete proposals to give the act some teeth. It is worth noting that the Official Languages Act is a quasi-constitutional law, which gives it primacy. That is why it is important that this act transcend the various departments and that it remain very close to the Treasury Board, in order to influence the entire federal bureaucracy, but also to explore new fields and become a partner in supporting the vitality of the French language in Quebec.

In any case, it has been a nice evening, and this is a constructive debate. It is interesting to hear the contribution and personal journey of each member in the House. My own family name is of Irish origin. This is proof that Quebec has the ability to integrate linguistic communities. My father married a Breton woman, and I am very proud of my fluency in French. I would say that I speak French quite a bit better than English.

I will close with that, and I look forward to my colleagues' questions.

[Mélanie Joly, Liberal, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages]

Madam Chair, I am pleased to see you, a Franco-Ontarian, presiding over this debate. Two Franco-Ontarians are presiding over this debate, and that is inspiring.

My colleague has spoken a great deal about official languages. I am pleased to ask him this question. He spoke about the importance of francophones in minority communities and our role as the federal government. I know that, as a former minister, he understands the need for action.

Is he prepared to join us in condemning the budget cuts currently being made at Campus Saint-Jean in Alberta? It is a key institution for Franco-Albertans, and it is under threat from other Conservatives who are part of Jason Kenney's government.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank the minister for her question.

Her question is interesting, because the minister has the ability to support post-secondary institutions across the country. It is the role of the federal government to assist institutions, and this role is entrenched in the current act. Campus Saint-Jean was founded by the Oblates and is truly an important beacon for the French language across western Canada. The minister has the ability to take action.

We know that the provincial governments are currently facing significant challenges because of the pandemic. We expect the government to fulfill its leadership role and support the communities, as we did when we were in office.

[Louise Chabot, Bloc, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Madam Chair, I know that I need to ask a question about the speech I just heard, but I want to give a quick preamble.

This evening's debate feels like a love-in to me. I do not see Quebeckers as a minority. They are unique. Our common language is French, we are the majority in French, we are unilingual francophones. We must be allowed to live in French, to teach French and to work in French. Quebeckers will base decisions on what is done, not what is said.

My question has to do with some very concrete issues, such as the language of work, citizenship, barriers to the law and the Charter of the French Language in Quebec.

What are you prepared to do to promote and not restrict the French fact in Quebec?

[The Deputy Chair, NDP, Carol Hughes]

I remind the member that she must address her comments to the Chair, not to the member directly.

The hon. member has the floor.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, basically I can tell my colleague that we are in favour of applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses. I can also tell her that we are in favour of adequate knowledge of French for candidates who want to obtain Canadian citizenship in Quebec. These are two firm commitments that we want to put forward.

We have also submitted solid recommendations for modernizing the Official Languages Act. These are five elements for ensuring that across the country, not just in Quebec, linguistic minority communities and the anglophone community can continue to move forward to maintain our linguistic vitality and linguistic duality which, as I was saying, is an integral part of our Canadian identity.

[Peter Julian, NDP, New Westminster—Burnaby, BC]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I know that he has always stood up for francophone rights across the country. He knows that several million people now speak French outside Quebec. There are of course francophones outside Quebec, but there is also a growing number of young francophiles across the country who are learning French in immersion schools, and who have an appetite for and interest in the French language.

I wanted to ask my colleague a very simple question. I know that he has travelled a lot through Canada and he knows where these pockets of francophiles and francophones are. Is it important to him that we continue to provide resources to increase the presence of francophones outside Quebec, but also that of francophiles who are learning French and want to learn and improve their French?

Is it important that the federal government play a key role in this?

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Madam Chair, I thank my hon. colleague for his question. Like many people, I admire his mastery of the French language.

I want to tell him that I had the opportunity to visit Saint-Boniface. The first time I was there I was not even an MP. I felt like I was in Saint-Hyacinthe. I could sense the vitality of the language and the impact it was having on Winnipeg's development. Today, that has become a real asset. It is absolutely the government's role to do that.

What is new is that the federal government needs to be aware that, to maintain linguistic vitality, we need to promote and protect English and French, including French in Quebec. Quebec is joining minority language communities across the country. It has become a new large minority community.

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

Madam Chair, my colleague spoke about the roadmaps that various governments presented in the past to advance the cause of French in Canada.

I have been a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages since 2009. I was not there from 2011 to 2015, but I came back in 2015 and I have been there since then.

The Standing Committee on Official Languages made representations a number of times. Reports were submitted by both the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages and the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. Many letters were sent to the minister, even in recent months. I found that out from various committee members, including the deputy chair and the chair.

These letters were sent directly to the Minister of Official Languages, who forgot something important in one of her answers to the House. She said that she had never received any correspondence in the five years since she became the Minister of Official Languages.

I would like to give my colleague the opportunity to correct the minister's mistake.