Mr. Speaker, first, when we talk about Pierre Elliott Trudeau’s legacy, we need to be careful.
He was very contemptuous of Bill 101 and said that it was pushing us backwards. Then he brought in the Official Languages Act at a time when francophones were suffering significant economic discrimination and when French was very much in retreat. When it comes to official languages programs, all the money goes exclusively to supporting English.
Second, the principle behind the Official Languages Act runs counter to Bill 101, which is based on a model focused more on collective and territorial rights, meaning that, in a given territory, there needs to be a common language in order to integrate newcomers. In contrast, the Official Languages Act model promotes institutional bilingualism and sends newcomers the message that they can adopt the language of their choice.
Quebec is still part of Canada, unfortunately, and we are part of that minority that was recognized for the first time in the Speech from the Throne. Given this reality, there is a natural tendency for newcomers to choose English. The problem is that newcomers are not being integrated enough. It is the very foundation of the Official Languages Act that runs counter to Bill 101.
I would like to hear my colleague’s thoughts on that.