Madam Speaker, I am pleased to rise once again to speak in the House, this time on an issue that is just as important as the maple, the tree after which the riding of Mégantic—L'Érable is named. I am talking about the French language.
Some time ago, I had the opportunity to ask a question in the House regarding the difficulties public servants were experiencing working in French at that time during the pandemic. This problem still exists today. We were somewhat hopeful at the time, because the minister had promised us, in the absence of a new Official Languages Act, a white paper before Christmas or not long after.
Finally, after five years of consultations and promises, what we got was a discussion paper. The Liberals had years to take action, but instead decided to table a document full of good intentions. We still do not have a target date for when legislation might be introduced, although it could perhaps come later this year based on what we learned today.
The Liberals will not admit it, but we know that they want to trigger an election as soon as possible, which means this discussion paper is actually a document they will use during the election campaign to make more promises on the backs of Quebeckers and especially francophone Canadians. The Liberals will be able to say that a bill will be introduced based on this discussion paper and that everything will change. Unfortunately, it cannot happen that way.
We would have expected the minister to show some responsibility toward francophones in Quebec, federal public servants and Quebec businesses that are not subject to the Charter of the French Language, Bill 101. We expected the minister to introduce a bill that we could have debated properly here in the House.
Instead, the minister once again chose to let things slide. She chose not to propose anything new to support francophone minority educational institutions that are struggling. She also failed to propose anything regarding the creation of an official languages administrative tribunal that could help minorities assert their rights more effectively, even though this was unanimously requested by stakeholders. She did not propose anything for minority groups either, nor anything to ensure that French, not English, would be recognized as the official language that is in jeopardy in Canada.
We certainly expected much more than this.
The Conservatives presented a plan to Quebec's francophones. The leader of the official opposition clearly indicated his intention to introduce a new Official Languages Act within the first 100 days of a Conservative government. This new act will facilitate faster negotiations with the Government of Quebec so that it can extend Bill 101 coverage to federally regulated businesses operating in Quebec. This act will centralize its implementation and enforcement powers under the Treasury Board, which means officials will be accountable to a central agency.
We need concrete action. We know that we must take action, and the next Conservative government will do just that. We will not just listen to the Minister of Official Languages talk and do absolutely nothing.