Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I think on this I would say that the preamble normally does a summary of the key articles and important concepts from the bill. In proposed Bill C-13, only one article comes up to remind us that official languages legislation applies in emergency situations.

Official Languages committee  It is a departure from the symmetrical approach that has been adopted in the Official Languages Act in the past.

Official Languages committee  What this proposal or ratification sets out.... It is an attempt to codify that these communities have different needs, but it is not defined elsewhere. However, it is something that is understood—that both communities have different needs even though they are treated equally.

Official Languages committee  In the preamble, it is a statement of intent, so not if it's only in the section of the preamble. Perhaps where we get into the more binding articles, it could.

Official Languages committee  Could you ask your question one more time?

Official Languages committee  Here I would say that we are in the preamble of the legislation. It's a summary of what is in the clauses in the rest of the legislation. This does not have a binding effect, but it does state the intent of Bill C-13. Having said this, if a federal law and a provincial law apply and there's a conflict in interpretation, the federal law supersedes.

Official Languages committee  With respect to the official languages bill, no, not that I know of.

Official Languages committee  It means that the federal government is committed to respecting Quebec's choices regarding its language planning, which is provided for in the Charter of the French Language. That also includes future versions of the charter. So the government is committed to respecting what's in the Charter of the French Language and any future versions of it.

Official Languages committee  Yes, the federal government would be committing to respect Quebecers' language planning choices, regardless of future amendments.

Official Languages committee  Yes, we would respect the Charter of the French Language.

Official Languages committee  My understanding, but perhaps I'll turn to the legislative clerk, would be that the entirety of the law is taken into consideration when it's interpreted by the courts.

Official Languages committee  I can confirm that what I just said is correct. I would also point out that the preamble essentially summarizes everything in the bill. If certain parts of the bill are changed, the preamble may very well also need to be amended, at the very end.

Official Languages committee  I'm going to continue in French. Thus, the phrase “to ensure the vitality of francophone minorities” creates another obligation for the federal government, but we're talking about a jurisdiction shared with the provinces. The federal government does not have all the necessary levers to ensure that immigration contributes to increasing the demographic weight of francophones.

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much. If I may continue, amendment BQ‑1 seeks to delete lines 36 and 37 on page 2 of the French version of Bill C‑13, recognizing “the diversity of the provincial and territorial language regimes....” Part (e) of amendment BQ‑1 simply recognizes the Charter of the French Language and “that French is the official and common language of Quebec”.

Official Languages committee  Thank you very much for your question. I will refrain from giving my opinion, but I will explain what this amendment intends to do. The first part, part (a) of the amendment, says, “the Government of Canada recognizes the importance”, but it would be modified to say “the duty” to provide opportunities for everyone to learn a second language.