Alexandre Boulerice

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague.

He just set the stage for my question. First, I would like to correct certain facts. The federal court challenges program was originally used by francophone minorities throughout the federation to uphold their rights. I think it is very important to remind members of that.

I think it is too bad to hear my Bloc Québécois colleague say that immigrants are not interested in learning French. I am shocked by the statement he just made.

Both the Government of Quebec and the federal government have made it hard for new immigrants, especially those who do not yet have permanent status, to access free French classes. I believe that instead of imposing restrictive or punitive measures, especially towards refugees whom we need to take in because they are fleeing war zones and prejudice, we must do the opposite and improve access to French classes.

It is unbelievable coming from the Bloc Québécois.

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech.

I share a home with my wife, who comes from Montreal's anglophone community. However, she is also a child of Bill 101 and now works in French. She is very proud of that.

If my Liberal colleague agrees that Bill 101 has helped several communities in Quebec and the French fact in Quebec, why is his government opposed to subjecting federally regulated businesses to the Charter of the French Language?

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague for his speech.

The NDP agrees. We are pushing for federally regulated businesses in Quebec to be subject to the Charter of the French Language.

I have a more specific question for my colleague about the need to modernize the Official Languages Act.

Why does the government seem to prefer issuing a white paper instead of introducing a bill to quickly modernize the Official Languages Act?

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Madam Chair, I thank my colleague from Hochelaga for her speech.

I also salute her because she is my neighbour and a fellow Montrealer. We share many realities regarding the situation and the precariousness of the French language.

If she is so convinced of the need to give workers the right to work and live in French, why does her government seem to be blocking the NDP's idea of applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses?

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Madam Chair, my colleague from the Bloc Québécois was surprised to hear a Liberal MP quote René Lévesque, but I am even more surprised that he can quote Gramsci. I find that fascinating, and I would love to debate that with him.

Does he not think that the broadcasting bill should include clear directives and guidelines on the creation of original French-language film, television and radio content in Quebec and Canada?

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the Minister of Canadian Heritage for the question.

I think that in the heart and soul of Quebeckers, the concepts of culture and language go hand in hand. That has been the case for decades, and I do not see that changing anytime soon. I invite the Minister of Canadian Heritage to be open to possible amendments to his Bill C-10, to further clarify the fact that we need original French-language content made in French in Quebec and Canada. I think that for the next 20 or 30 years, that would be crucial.

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the hon. member for Jonquière for the question.

All I said was that applying the Charter of the French Language to federally regulated businesses has been part of the NDP platform for at least 12 years. It is not only a good way to defend and promote French, but it is also a concept that affects equal rights for workers. We want employees at Caisse Desjardins and employees at Royal Bank to have access to the same rights, the same services in French and the same job contracts in French. We are so in favour of workers' rights that unlike the Bloc Québécois, we have never voted in favour of closure to impose back-to-work legislation in order to prevent striking workers from exercising their right to strike. That is what the Bloc Québécois did in 2009.

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank the leader of the NDP and member for Burnaby South for his question.

I find that extremely fascinating. It is a wonderful story. Now Quebeckers know that, in his teenage years, as part of his personal and family life, he chose to learn French out of curiosity and a love of that language. I think that will resonate with many Quebeckers. I also think that he was absolutely right in saying that we need to invest the necessary resources in teaching French to newcomers. The NDP prefers to take a constructive, positive approach that helps people to learn the beautiful language of Molière and integrate into society. We do not want a restrictive or punitive approach, particularly if it is less effective and harder to enforce. That is why, in my opinion, the New Democrats committed to not only apply Bill 101 to federally regulated businesses but also to allocate additional resources to French education.

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I thank my colleague from Louis-Saint-Laurent for the question.

I agree with him. Voting against a Bloc Québécois motion does not mean that we are against Quebec and Quebeckers. Quebec does not belong to a single political party. I completely agree with my colleague's comment.

French is actually at risk in Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie in terms of its day-to-day use and as a language of business, but we also have to recognize that Montreal's English-speaking community is the most bilingual in all of Canada. Its members are able to communicate in French fairly easily. More and more French-speaking Quebeckers speak English, and more and more English-speaking Quebeckers and Montrealers speak French as well.

This allows for a very respectful relationship, but we still need to be very careful, especially in the retail sector.

[Status of the French Language in Montreal, November 25th, 2020]

Mr. Speaker, I am right.

I do want to expand a bit on my answer. I remind the member that there are three types of immigration: economic immigration, which is managed exclusively by Quebec and which awards significantly more points for knowledge of French; family reunification; and refugees.

I find it hard to justify the idea of forcing a French test on people applying for family reunification or on refugees who are fleeing poverty, war or exploitation. In addition, the argument for requiring French tests does not account for movement between provinces. If someone becomes a citizen in Ontario, Nova Scotia or British Columbia and then moves to Montreal, any theoretical benefit of this bill is lost.

In our opinion, this is not fair to refugees, and it would be hard to enforce when someone moves between provinces.