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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 68

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 10, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)
  • May/10/22 2:27:20 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-13 
Mr. Speaker, there is a language crisis in Quebec, but the federal government wants to prevent Quebec from enforcing the use of French in all workplaces. With its official languages bill, Bill C-13, Ottawa is creating an exception for federally regulated businesses. Thanks to Bill C‑13, these businesses will be able to continue to work “bilingually” or, as they say at Air Canada and CN, “in English only”. The Charter of the French Language will become unenforceable at these businesses. Does the Prime Minister realize that allowing bilingual work at these businesses is not defending French, it is simply speeding up the English takeover of Quebec?
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • May/10/22 2:27:58 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-13 
Mr. Speaker, we are here as a government to protect French, not only in Quebec, but throughout the country. That is why we have committed to protecting and promoting French throughout Canada, and we introduced Bill C-13. It adds important provisions that ensure better compliance with the Official Languages Act while also giving the Commissioner of Official Languages more power to strengthen the use of French in federally regulated businesses in Quebec as well as other regions of Canada with a strong Francophone presence. We are always here to defend French not just in Quebec, but throughout the country.
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Mr. Alain Therrien (La Prairie, BQ)
  • May/10/22 2:28:39 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-13 
Mr. Speaker, French should be the language of work for everyone in Quebec, but the Prime Minister's Bill C‑13 makes French optional. This is not hard to understand. He is telling Air Canada and CN that, if they want to make an effort for French, they can adopt the Charter of the French Language, but, if they do not, they can keep being bilingual, as they have been for the past 30 years. We see what the results are today. If the government's goal is to anglicize French even faster, that would do it. It seems very hard to admit that bilingualism is not in jeopardy in Quebec but that French is. Why is that?
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
  • May/10/22 2:29:14 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-13 
Mr. Speaker, not only do we recognize that French is in decline in Quebec, but we also recognize that it is in decline across the country. I realize the Bloc Québécois does not really care what happens outside of Quebec, but we do. We will be there to protect French across the country, and that is exactly what we are doing with Bill C‑13.
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Lib.)
  • May/10/22 2:40:46 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, again, I thank my friend for the question. As a francophone who lives in New Brunswick in an official language minority community, I know the importance of protecting and promoting French throughout the country, including in Quebec. That is why we are introducing a bill, a new version of the Official Languages Act, and I hope the Bloc Québécois and every opposition member will support our bill, which is very important and will make a real difference in the lives of all Canadians.
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Mr. Mario Beaulieu (La Pointe-de-l'Île, BQ)
  • May/10/22 2:41:19 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the unilingual English appointments at CN are the result of the federal Official Languages Act. The federal government created this situation by allowing CN to circumvent Bill 101 for three decades in favour of the Official Languages Act. The application of the federal Official Languages Act in Quebec creates corporate cultures like the one at CN, where French is not important. Why is it that, even today, the new Liberal bill continues to encourage CN and similar businesses to circumvent the Charter of the French Language?
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Lib.)
  • May/10/22 2:41:59 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is quite the opposite. With our bill on the Official Languages Act, we want to ensure that francophones inside and outside Quebec can work in their language, French. We recognize that French is declining in Canada, including in Quebec, and that is why we are moving forward with a new version of the law, a law that has more teeth to ensure, once again, that francophones will be protected across the country.
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Mrs. Claude DeBellefeuille (Salaberry—Suroît, BQ)
Mr. Speaker, Quebeckers want French to be mandatory in workplaces. Workers can, of course, be bilingual or even trilingual, but French should be the language of work in our businesses. There is a solution, which can be found in Bill C‑238, which I introduced. This bill would make federally regulated businesses subject to the Charter of the French Language. It is as simple as that. Does the minister realize that by refusing such a simple solution she is encouraging businesses to avoid using French?
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Context: House Hansard - 68 - May/10/22
Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor (Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Lib.)
  • May/10/22 2:43:07 p.m.
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  • Re: Bill C-13 
Mr. Speaker, once again, I encourage my hon. colleagues to read through Bill C‑13. They clearly have not read it. Under Bill C‑13, federally regulated workers will have the option, or rather, the right, to work in French, an official language. Once again, we want to ensure that we protect and promote French all across Canada, including in Quebec. I hope that the Bloc Québécois will work with us to ensure that our bill moves forward.
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