Joël Godin

[Finance, December 12th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, this Prime Minister—

[Business of Supply, December 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, on the screen earlier, we saw a member addressing the House virtually without her headset. Is that acceptable?

I think the instructions are very clear out of respect for our interpreters. The rules must apply to everyone.

[Finance, December 9th, 2024]

Mr. Speaker, everyone is reaching the same conclusion. For the past nine years, this Liberal government has wasted money and saddled Canadians with more debt. Unfortunately, the Bloc Québécois has voted to keep the government in power on two occasions. I know that Quebeckers deserve better.

This minority government is once again proving that it has lost control of finances by tabling its economic update on the eve of a House break.

Does the most wasteful government in history have another deficit in store for us as a Christmas present?

[Committees of the House, December 5th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, allow me to explain. My NDP colleague said that members from a specific party were leaving the House. That is not permitted, as per the Standing Orders. I would like you to take a stand.

[Committees of the House, December 5th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I rise on a point of order.

My colleague alluded to the presence or absence of members in the House, and that is unacceptable. I would like him to withdraw his remarks.

[Historical Societies of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, December 3rd, 2024]

Madam Speaker, “he who does not know how to look back at where he came from will never get to his destination”.

Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier has a rich history that is constantly being enriched by its many historical societies. We are currently producing an annual calendar highlighting 12 historical facts about the riding. I want to thank these historical societies for their co-operation and valuable contributions.

I want to thank the presidents and their teams: Michel Bertrand from Cap‑Santé; Louise Mercier from Deschambault‑Grondines; André Parent from Neuville; Jacques Matte from Pont‑Rouge; Pierre Gignac from Portneuf; Bertrand Juneau from Saint‑Augustin‑de‑Desmaures; Pierre Cantin from Saint‑Basile‑de‑Portneuf; Michel Tessier from Saint‑Casimir; Allen Dawson from Sainte‑Brigitte‑de‑Laval; Johanne Boucher from Sainte‑Catherine‑de‑la‑Jacques‑Cartier; Sylvain Gingras from Saint‑Raymond; Mike-James Noonan from Shannon; Réal Dufour from Stoneham‑Tewkesbury; and Debbie Chakour from Saint‑Gabriel‑de‑Valcartier.

The best way to predict the future is to study the past. I thank them for keeping our history alive.

To one and all, a very happy holiday season.

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, governing means being a responsible manager.

Let us look at the facts. North America has a pool of more than 350 million anglophones and some 10 million francophones. We have Radio-Canada and the CBC. Before going any further, I would like to remind my colleagues that Radio-Canada costs Canadian taxpayers more than $1 billion. Radio-Canada gets approximately 30% to 40% of the audience. Unfortunately, the CBC gets only 3%. Those are the facts. Decisions need to be made.

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, first of all, I would like to congratulate the new member for LaSalle—Émard—Verdun on his recent election. He managed to capture a Liberal stronghold, so I commend him for that.

Now, had he listened to my speech, he would know that we in the Conservative Party of Canada have made it clear that we will allow Radio-Canada to communicate in French throughout Canada, both in Quebec and in all the provinces and territories of this great French and English bilingual nation.

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I would remind the House and everyone tuning in that my colleague is the only person who has voted against the Official Languages Act.

To answer his question, I would just like to say that the status of English in North America and the status of French in Canada are completely separate. I can assure Quebec anglophones that they will have access to news in English, in their language.

[Committees of the House, November 26th, 2024]

Madam Speaker, I move that the third report of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, presented on Tuesday, December 5, 2023, be concurred in.

I will be sharing my time with my colleague from Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup.

Today, we are talking about the third report, and the motion reads as follows:

That the committee report to the house its deep condemnation of the CBC using a Paris-based audio studio to record a podcast, choosing it over a Quebecois-based recording studio to avoid the Quebec accent.

I am proud to rise in the House this morning to represent the people of the wonderful riding of Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, but I am also proud to live in a bilingual country where people speak French and English. I am taking the time to focus on French and English because it is important to remember that the Prime Minister of this Liberal government appointed a Governor General who is bilingual but does not speak one of the two official languages, French. Worse still, he appointed a unilingual anglophone lieutenant governor for Canada's only bilingual province, New Brunswick.

The list of examples demonstrating this Liberal government's lack of intention or willingness to protect French is too long for me to read right now. I would not want to run out of time for my speech.

Bilingualism is central to our Canadian identity. I stand here today in our nation's most important democratic chamber, where French and English have been granted equal privileges since its creation in 1867. Canada's francophonie outside Quebec is vibrant and resilient, reflecting the perseverance of a language and a culture that have endured for generations despite facing challenges. At the same time, Quebec's francophonie, with its rich culture and its role as the stronghold of French in North America, bears witness to a strong, proud collective identity. Together, these two distinct, but complementary, facets of the francophonie enrich Canada's identity and remind us about the importance of preserving this unique linguistic duality, which is a source of national pride.

Why am I talking about Canadian identity? The answer is quite simple. The Broadcasting Act states that the programming provided by the CBC should:

(i) be predominantly and distinctively Canadian,

...(iv) be in English and in French, reflecting the different needs and circumstances of each official language community, including the specific needs and interests of official language minority communities,

(v) strive to be of equivalent quality in English and in French,

(vi) contribute to shared national consciousness and identity,

...(viii) reflect the multicultural and multiracial nature of Canada;

Understandably, I nearly fell off my chair when I saw a headline in the Journal de Montréal on October 11, 2023, that read: “CBC Podcasts translated podcast into French in Paris to avoid the Quebec accent”. What a disgrace. I thought I must have read it wrong. As I read the article, I learned that CBC Podcasts chose to contract a studio in Paris instead of local talent to adapt the hit Canadian podcast Alone: A Love Story into French—I said the title in English because I am a staunch defender of English-French bilingualism in Canada—because the Quebec accent would have less international potential. Is that part of CBC/Radio-Canada's mandate?

When confronted in committee, Ms. Tait, the CEO of CBC/Radio Canada, told us that it was just a mistake and that it would never happen again. Can such contempt for Quebeckers and Canada's francophones be so easily excused? She said this as the person who was CEO during the period when the CBC's audience numbers plummeted by nearly 50%, forcing her to cut 800 jobs last December.

Yesterday, Ms. Tait told the Canadian heritage committee that she was entitled to a performance bonus. Wow. After failing to produce content that Canadians actually want to consume, and after missing 79% of the key performance targets that they made for themselves, it is clear that the last thing CBC executives deserve is more bonuses. To all the Radio-Canada fans out there, I want to be crystal clear that we in the Conservative Party of Canada will defund the CBC, which is an antiquated broadcaster that has fallen out of touch with the interests of Canadian anglophones, but we will maintain funding for Radio-Canada and its French-language programming. It is important that we make this clear.

The role of a public broadcaster is to offer content that the private market cannot deliver, and the CBC's English-language services are no longer getting the job done. By contrast, Radio-Canada remains an essential broadcaster for Quebeckers and francophone minority communities. For them, there simply are no other comparable sources of news. By refocusing Radio-Canada's resources, we could enhance the services offered to francophone communities from the standpoint of programming quality or access to local and national news that actually reflects their reality. The Conservative Party's goals when it comes to official languages have always been clear. We must halt the decline of French and protect and defend both official languages, both in Quebec and across Canada.

Yesterday in committee, my colleague from Battle River—Crowfoot moved a motion to halt the payment of bonuses to CBC executives. When I found out how it went, I fell off my chair again, and now my hip is a little sore. Do my colleagues know which members voted with their Liberal friends against the cancellation of these bonuses? It was the members of the Bloc Québécois. How disappointing. How can they justify paying a bonus to a CEO who holds Quebeckers and francophones in contempt? What is the point of the Bloc Québécois? Whom is it good for? The Bloc poses as the defender of Quebeckers and Canada's francophones, but it is in cahoots with the Liberals. What happened yesterday in committee was just the latest demonstration. I would add that the Bloc has introduced a bill that would add an extra layer of bureaucracy and worsen the daily struggles of official language minority communities.

I have the privilege of working with official language minority communities and organizations that fight for their rights on a daily basis, and I can assure the House that they are showing perseverance and determination in their fight to keep French alive in minority communities across Canada. Here is an example. Outside Quebec, the place where the use of French as a second language is increasing the most is Yukon. I commend Yukon's communities for their hard work and perseverance. The results are very clear. All across Canada, people are proud to be Quebeckers and Canadians and proud to be interested in learning the other official language. According to a report from the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, 87% of Canadians want to be bilingual.

In conclusion, the only party that really wants to halt the decline of French throughout Canada, including in Quebec, and protect and promote both official languages is the Conservative Party of Canada.