SoVote

Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 46

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
March 25, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 46 - Mar/25/22
Mr. Luc Desilets (Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, BQ)
  • Mar/25/22 11:53:52 a.m.
  • Watch
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—
86 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 46 - Mar/25/22
Hon. Lawrence MacAulay (Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.)
  • Mar/25/22 11:54:40 a.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, we recognize that more needs to be done to ensure that francophone veterans receive decisions on their applications in a timely manner. That is why we established a dedicated francophone unit to improve processing. We have hired more francophone and bilingual staff to further reduce wait times for francophone veterans. With our nearly $200-million investment, we have reduced the backlog by 40%, and I can assure my hon. colleague that we will continue to work to make sure we reduce it even further.
86 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 46 - Mar/25/22
Hon. Lawrence MacAulay (Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, Lib.)
  • Mar/25/22 11:56:02 a.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, as I indicated to my hon. colleague, we have hired more francophone and bilingual employees to make sure we reduce the backlog. That is why we invested $200 million, and just previously another $140 million, to make sure we continued to reduce the backlog. With more francophone and bilingual employees, we will make sure that francophone applications are reviewed in an appropriate manner. We are making sure this is done appropriately because veterans truly deserve—
78 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border
Context: House Hansard - 46 - Mar/25/22
Hon. David Lametti (Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, Lib.)
  • Mar/25/22 11:57:18 a.m.
  • Watch
Madam Speaker, as I explained earlier, we support francophone communities across Canada, as well as the anglophone community in Quebec. Bill C-13 will really anchor our protection of and support for official languages across the country. The precedent set by this decision could affect the Government of Canada's ability to enter into agreements with the provinces and territories in all areas. We should keep the record straight. Our commitment to official languages remains firm, and we look forward to seeing the provisions of Bill C-13—
89 words
  • Hear!
  • Rabble!
  • star_border