Lost his last election, in 1997, with 41% of the vote.
An Act To Change The Names Of Certain Electoral Districts November 8th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I propose, seconded by the hon. member for Rimouski-Témiscouata, the following amendment:
That the name of the electoral district of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine be changed and that the future electoral district of Bonaventure-Gaspé-Îles-de-la-Madeleine be designated under the name of Pabok.
Asbestos November 8th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the diplomatic efforts made by Canada over the past few months on the issue of asbestos paid off once again yesterday in Brussels.
Our diplomats' work with the European Union has averted the imposition, by the industry sector, of an almost total ban on asbestos in Europe.
This new victory of Canadian diplomacy is encouraging for the asbestos industry and its workers. There are still issues to be resolved, but we are confident that we can convince our European partners that Canadian asbestos is safe and reliable.
I should point out to the opposition that this matter is important to our government, and we are determined to take all necessary measures to protect the thousands of jobs depending on this industry in the Asbestos and Thetford-Mines regions.
Prisons And Reformatories Act October 1st, 1996
Mr. Speaker, I will be voting for the motion.
(The House divided on the motion, which was agreed to on the following division:)
Committees Of The House June 19th, 1996
Madam Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 81, I have the honour to present, in both official languages, the second report of the Joint Standing Committee on Official Languages concerning application of Part VII of the Official Languages Act.
Pursuant to Standing Order 109, the committee requests a comprehensive response to the report within 150 days.
I take this opportunity to thank the various witnesses who appeared before the committee.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Madam Speaker, I am pleased to listen to my colleague, my neighbour from across the bay. I should explain to the public, and particularly to the hon. members in the House, that right across from my riding of Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine, across Chaleur Bay on the south shore, you find the distinguished gentleman who is among us today.
I should point out that there are very close links between the Gaspé peninsula, the Magdalen Islands, and of course the Acadian people who are rather well represented here in the House. There are Acadians to be found not only in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, all the maritimes, but also in the province of Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.
I would like to hear the parliamentary secretary describe some of the changes that have taken place in his province. The words of some of the opposition members have revealed their ignorance of the existence of a vibrant community, one that is working hard to improve its future. I feel that they have a most promising future, moreover.
I can tell you that a great deal is being accomplished in New Brunswick in connection with multimedia and the information
highway. I must admit there are even some Quebec government ministers who are envious of what the francophone community of New Brunswick has accomplished. Unfortunately for us, although their programs have been working very well, I feel, for a quarter of a century now, we have not been able to adapt them.
I have been listening to the hon. member for Mercier, who was telling us that an independent sovereign Quebec will put in place a program to assist francophone communities, since it has a Quebec model. I would point out that the hon. member for Mercier served as a minister in the Parti Quebecois government during the 1980s.
And you know that the PQ model, then and now, is openness to the cultural communities. In other words, the percentage of allophone and anglophone public servants, which has been 1 per cent for the past ten years, is to be brought to close to 5 per cent, which is a proportion equivalent to the allophone and anglophone population in Quebec.
Unfortunately, hardly 2 per cent of the Quebec public service are anglophones and allophones. I do not believe that the model proposed by the hon. member for Mercier could be applied to the whole francophone population of Canada. I believe we should look at the successes of New Brunswick which has come a long way in the past 25 years.
I had the opportunity to discuss this with former Premier Robichaud who sits in the other place. I respect his work and I admire the efforts made by the Government of New Brunswick to enhance the image and role of the Acadian community in this province. In my opinion, this is the model to follow.
We must not forget that the Gaspé Peninsula and northern New Brunswick have fairly close ties. I believe that the exchanges between families and fishermen now extend to business. Increasingly, we see joint ventures with several well-known figures of the business world in northern New Brunswick.
I believe several developments occurred in recent years. I do not want to use up all the time I have, but I would ask the member to explain to us the changes he has witnessed since his childhood. I would ask him to describe what has happened and what it still going on in New Brunswick.
I think we might apply this model not only in Quebec but throughout Canada. This is why I look forward to the speech by the parliamentary secretary.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, this shows how truth holds no interest for the Bloc Quebecois. Unfortunately, figures were quoted today. They reflected the interpretation and the perception of the Bloc Quebecois of democracy in Quebec compared to democracy in the rest of the world. It is deplorable to see the Bloc Quebecois refusing to accept the reality of the figures that I have here.
Having said that, I regret that the Bloc Quebecois did not establish a consistent policy on francophones outside Quebec. Where we the separatist forces, a few years ago, when francophones outside Quebec asked for their support on several issues? Unfortunately, they did not get an enthusiastic response.
I know we are pressed for time, but I urge our listeners to examine carefully and understand the data from Statistics Canada. We know very well that the number of francophones outside Quebec has gone up by 50,000 between 1971 and 1991. This fact has been confirmed by Statistics Canada, an agency the Bloc is fond of quoting.
Time flies, but let me say that if we were to examine the data on and the level of success of Canadian bilingualism, which we owe to Pierre Elliott Trudeau, I could tell you this: If we stay the course, like we say in my riding, I am convinced the percentage of young Canadians who use French outside Quebec will increase from 22.6
per cent to 50 per cent in the next 20 to 30 years. It augurs well for the future of the French language, and the future of Canada.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, once again, I must object to the way the Bloc Quebecois manipulates data from Statistics Canada. It is well-known that there are data on language, culture and values in our country, as we move into the 21st century. They are published by a government agency. We can see, for instance, that only 5.7 per cent of Canadians aged 65 and over living outside Quebec speak French. By contrast, the percentage of young people between 15 and 19 who speak French fluently is 500 times greater, at 22.8 per cent.
I will ask permission to table these statistics with the Clerk of the House, in order to show their importance and make sure the opposition parties and, of course, all the hon. members are aware of them.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Yes, the Bloc Quebecois just recently realized that; for twenty years now, for a long time, we have been asking separatists to pay attention to Canadian francophones outside Quebec.
However, as we all know, the reply of the Quebec government was that, last year, it closed its office in Edmonton; it just abandoned that francophone community in Western Canada. I find that very unfortunate.
But they still quote data so I will take this opportunity to quote some data of my own which I find very interesting. They mentioned today the percentage of Canadians who can speak French.
Over the last ten years, that percentage has increased. I am speaking here about Canadians outside Quebec, excluding Quebec. The proportion has gone from 9.4 per cent to 10.5 per cent in ten years.
This is very interesting. We heard about immersion classes and I would like to hear what the Bloc Quebecois has to say on these facts I am making public here today. As concerns the proportion of Canadians who can speak French, we can see for example that, in my age group, 25 to 34, 8.2 per cent of the people can speak French. However, the most interesting data are those pertaining to the next generation, young people 15 to 19; in that age group, 16.7 per cent can speak both official languages and particularly French in this case. That is, between these two age groups, the percentage of young Canadians who speak French has actually doubled.
Another very interesting fact, and that is the one I prefer, of course, with the mass arrival of new Canadians who came to enrich the country, we find, as told you, in the population newly arrived in Canada, that 22.8 per cent of young people aged between 15 and 19 also speak French.
So, compared to those in my generation, the number of people who are able to speak French has almost tripled. I find that is very interesting and that we must still encourage the government to promote bilingualism and, of course, ensure the prominence of French in Quebec, but also ensure that French is more widespread throughout the country.
I would really like to hear the Bloc Quebecois has to say about the data I have just given.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, this debate brought us to do some research and correct the Bloc Quebecois on some points. I think it is very interesting that this Party is now concerned by the situation of francophones outside Quebec. It was not the case before.
Supply June 13th, 1996
Mr. Speaker, the comments made by the hon. member have more to do with the anecdotal than with facts. Statistics are mentioned and I find this very interesting. I do not accept everything the government says, including Statistics Canada.
I would like to talk about the birth rate. As you know, the birth rate of francophones living outside Quebec, and even of those living in Quebec, is lower than the natural replacement rate. This is something which Statistics Canada cannot explain, but which must be taken into account.
Moreover, no mention is made of the increase in Canada's population over the last 50 years. As we know, the population increased tremendously because of the massive immigration movement to Canada, which is known the world over as a good host country. In fact, this is why people came here and helped build the prosperous nation that we know. Canada's population has doubled over the last 50 years, but not the number of francophones living outside Quebec. These are the facts.
I realize that the proportion of francophones in Ontario is now smaller, but their actual number has remained stable. I find it regrettable that anecdotal information is being used and that, in this debate, we are told that a francophone married and anglophone and that their children are assimilated.
Let me tell you about my own situation. I would say that 95 per cent of my work is done in French and that 90 per cent of my speeches are in French. My wife's mother tongue is Spanish, and it is true that, at home, we speak English together. However, this does not mean that my children are not francophones.
In spite of what Statistics Canada may say, it does not necessarily mean that I am assimilated. Based on Statistics Canada's criteria, the member for Bonaventure-Îles-de-la-Madeleine is
assimilated because his family speaks English. But this does not tell the whole story.
My father, Alban Gagnon, and his mother, an Irish woman named Jones, spoke English together. However, my father worked to improve his skills and became bilingual. In fact, French was spoken in the family. My father works exclusively in French.
The same is true in the case of my great-grandfather. His story is even more interesting. He dared marry a Protestant, a Scot. You cannot imagine how strongly the clergy protested at the time. However, these people not only preserved their language, they managed to promote it and to learn a second one. This is more than anecdotal information. It shows that couples with French and English speaking partners can actually help its members improve their linguistic skills and their knowledge of both official languages.
Let us not forget that 30 per cent of Canadians are now bilingual. This means 10 million people out of a population of 30 million. This is very interesting.
I also note, while acknowledging the point made by the Bloc Quebecois, that French immersion programs for anglophones are a tremendous success. I will end on this note. I hope more English speaking Canadians will consider French immersion, as many have done over the last 15 years.