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.