Procedure and House Affairs committee  It is a complex issue, but it is clear that, from the 1890s to the early 1960s, there was an intentional, voluntary and accepted policy of suppressing the French fact in Canada, especially outside Quebec. This dark time in our history is having demographic consequences now, which

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No, I don't want to take up too much time.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  On the one hand, if a decision were made that this is the end of the principle of proportional representation, that we no longer want it and want to abrogate it, it is clear that the agreement of seven provinces accounting for 50% of the population would be required. On the othe

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Let's be factual. Western provinces and Quebec are not under-represented in the House of Commons, as proportional representation applies. However, there is under-representation in the Senate, and that is a real problem and a real challenge, but it has unfortunately become a const

Procedure and House Affairs committee  There are two parts to the issue. In terms of comparative law, unfortunately, I have no perfect example in front of me that could answer the member's concerns. In terms of indigenous issues, however, I would be curious to look at New Zealand and Australia, which face difficultie

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I thank the member for her question. You'll understand that my initial presentation focused on the very sensitive issue of Quebec's political weight, which has been declining steadily since 1867. However, the issue of indigenous representation in federal institutions is obviousl

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I can propose two solutions. First, just as the principle of proportional representation is adjusted for the territories, a slight discrepancy—a reasonable and justified discrepancy that would be statistically marginal—could be established to maintain Quebec's weight at about 25

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Canada's Constitution enshrines proportional representation as a limit to the ability of Parliament to act alone in amending the Canadian Constitution in these areas. The member is correct in saying that the jurisprudence of the Supreme Court has made clear that the court did no

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I totally agree with the member that it's one of the many solutions. I deplore the fact that when certain types of applications from francophone Africans are processed by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, those files face obstacles. This is a phenomenon that's in th

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The answer is easy: Bill C‑14 already proposes an amendment to the Constitution. Clause 2 of the bill explicitly states how the text of the Constitution Act, 1867, will be worded going forward. The only difference is that the procedure used for Bill C‑14 gives Parliament the rig

Procedure and House Affairs committee  I thank the member for his question. The day when Ontario has double the political weight of Quebec is not far off. Do the calculation for the other provinces. The phenomenon that's emerging for the Canada of the future is visible: the demographic imbalance we're already seeing

Procedure and House Affairs committee  Western Canadians also have concerns about their representation in Parliament. The number of Senate seats in the western provinces raises very legitimate concerns. At times, this country must be able to have a genuine discussion to determine where it's been and where it's going.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The solution that I prefer is for there to be a certain number of provincial representatives in the Senate. Currently, senators are appointed by the federal executive. If the Prime Minister, through mere convention, were to accept the nominations recommended by the provinces, the

Procedure and House Affairs committee  No problem. I understand.

Procedure and House Affairs committee  The flexibility recognized in jurisprudence was related to discrepancies in the principle of proportional representation that exist within the same province, between representatives from urban and rural areas. Regardless, the Supreme Court demonstrated, in its decisions, that its