Mr. Speaker, it goes without saying that the Bloc Québécois supports the principle of Bill S-227, which establishes Arab heritage month. Bill S-227 is a reincarnation of Bill C-232 from the 44th Parliament, which the Senate had not finished studying before dissolution in March 2025. Therefore, the House has already dealt with the bill's content at every stage of the legislative process between February 2022 and March 2023.
The Bloc Québécois participated in debating and studying this bill in committee and voted in favour of adopting it. We therefore reiterate our support for recognizing the cultural heritage of Quebeckers of Arab origin or who speak Arabic. The Bloc Québécois would like to highlight the outstanding contribution that Arab Quebeckers have made to Quebec society and Quebec culture. We would also like to remind members of the unique economic, political and cultural ties between Quebec and the countries of the Maghreb, as evidenced by the co-operation agreement on education and training between the Government of Quebec and the Government of the People's Democratic Republic of Algeria.
The success of immigrants admitted to Quebec in recent years from countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco and Syria—as evidenced by statistics—is a sign of the importance of French language proficiency in ensuring successful immigration to Quebec. The Bloc Québécois has not forgotten that Canadian laws discriminating against Asian populations, in force from 1910 to 1950, had a negative impact on Arab immigration. At that time, Syrians were lumped into the Asian category. We acknowledge the courage of citizens of Arab origin at the time, particularly those who took political action to change laws and attitudes and promote the successful integration of new citizens of Arab origin.
Ultimately, it is questionable whether Canadians of Arab origin and Quebeckers of Arab origin share the same history, particularly since the Quiet Revolution and the adoption of the Charter of the French Language. That difference is precisely because of the special bond that unites Quebeckers of all origins and that shapes our shared history, namely our shared French language and Quebec culture.
Nevertheless, Quebec's history from 1882, which is when Arab immigrants first began arriving in Montreal, to the present day is also part of Canada's history, and Arab Canadians outside Quebec also have their own history. The Bloc Québécois welcomes the House of Commons' recognition of Arab heritage and its cultural contribution to our respective nations, the Canadian nation and the Quebec nation.
In reference to Arab Canadians and Arab Muslim communities, the text of the bill paints a picture of Arab populations in Quebec and Canada that does not entirely reflect reality, suggesting that the Arab diaspora forms a uniform community across Canada. This approach is not surprising, since it is consistent with the Canadian multiculturalist vision, which portrays the population of Canada as a vast cultural mosaic that is not influenced by the existence of nations within Canada. However, the respective national realities of Quebec and Canada do in fact influence how successive waves of immigrants have been welcomed over the decades.
While Canadian immigration laws and policies were applied across the entire country and influenced the pace of Arab immigration during what could be called its golden age, Quebec's explicit desire to strengthen its ties with the Maghreb countries and promote French-speaking immigration, which it has expressed since the Quiet Revolution, has necessarily had an impact on the trajectory of Arab immigration to Quebec that distinguishes it from the rest of Canada. Above all, and this cannot be emphasized enough, linguistic and cultural factors alone are enough to make a definite distinction between the life experiences of Arab Quebeckers and those of Arab Canadians. In fact, they do not integrate into the same society. Immigrant populations settling in Canada outside Quebec integrate into Canadian society, in other words, the English-speaking majority. Immigrant populations settling in Quebec integrate into Quebec society, or the French-speaking majority.
Given the historical factors that explain why many Arab populations already share a francophone culture, it is normal for integration paths to differ depending on whether people settle in Quebec or Canada. It is entirely appropriate to recognize the cultural heritage of people of Arab origin in Quebec and Canada. That is why the Bloc Québécois intends to support the principle of Bill S‑227. I would simply like to point out that it is unnecessary to equate Quebeckers and Canadians as if they were part of a single community, “Arab Canadians” as the bill seems to mistakenly suggest.
We plan on supporting the bill while also fully emphasizing the unique contribution that Arab Quebeckers make to Quebec society and the crucial role the French language plays in their successful integration. I will conclude by inviting all members of the House to read Rachida Azdouz's highly enlightening book called Panser le passé, penser l'avenir: racisme et antiracismes. It is a fundamental contribution to cultural reconciliation that demonstrates the richness of both Arab and Québécois intellectual traditions.