44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 25, 2022 10:00AM
- Mar/25/22 11:37:04 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Ottawa says that it wants to protect the French language, but it is dragging to court francophones from British Columbia who require employment support programs in French. These francophones won a court decision forcing the province to serve them in French, but the federal government is planning to appeal.
The crux of the dispute is that Ottawa was slapped on the wrist by the court for concluding an agreement with the province without once thinking about requiring that services in French be maintained.
Does the Minister of Official Languages agree that the future of French relies on more services in French, not less, and that going to court against francophones will be particularly unhelpful?
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- Mar/25/22 11:38:20 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, let us continue to talk about francophones outside Quebec.
In the last budget, the government promised $40 million for French-language post-secondary institutions. One year later, these schools have still not seen a penny of that money, and there are only six days left in the fiscal year. Rather than releasing the money, the minister is blaming the provinces and saying that she cannot do anything because of jurisdictional issues.
I have no words to describe the two examples I just mentioned. The Liberals recognize jurisdictions only when it suits them, so that they can avoid serving francophones.
When will the minister release the money? We want a date.
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- Mar/25/22 11:53:52 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, Ottawa says it wants to protect French, but the way it treats francophone veterans is a joke. In 2018, it took 19 weeks to process a disability benefits claim submitted in English, but it took 52 weeks to process the same claim in French.
It is now 2022, and where are we at? This week, the Library of Parliament's independent analysts revealed that wait times are the same for anglophones, while for francophones, they are now, believe it or not, 76 weeks—
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- Mar/25/22 11:55:21 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, the minister supplied the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs with numbers suggesting that processing times for applications in French were down by 10%.
The independent analysts, however, say it is worse than ever and that francophones are now waiting 76 weeks. Witnesses have even told us that government officials advise veterans to submit their applications in English because the situation is so bad. That is how the federal government treats francophones.
Will the minister explain why his numbers are being challenged and why francophones are being treated so poorly?
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- Mar/25/22 11:56:49 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I would like my Bloc Québécois colleague to be called to order. It is not the federal government, but rather the Liberals who are against francophones.
A Le Droit headline reads, “The federal government is dragging francophones to the Supreme Court of Canada”.
How can the Minister of Official Languages accept and endorse the fact that her government is attacking francophones and blocking their access to French-language services in British Columbia?
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- Mar/25/22 11:58:04 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Official Languages.
This government is talking out of both sides of its mouth. First, the Minister of Official Languages claims to want to protect the French language, but then, her colleague, the Minister of Justice, rejects the ruling from the Federal Court of Appeal and wants to take francophones to court. Talk about hypocrisy.
Will the Minister of Official Languages show some respect for francophones and put a stop to this legal action?
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