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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 187

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
April 28, 2023 10:00AM
  • Apr/28/23 11:25:56 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, in Quebec, French is declining as the language spoken at work. French is declining as the language spoken at home. The proportion of people whose first official language learned is French is declining. In short, French is declining across Quebec. However, the Liberals' official languages action plan invests hundreds of millions of dollars in promoting English in Quebec. The entire portion available for Quebec focuses on English. Can the Liberals explain how providing huge amounts of funding for English in Quebec will slow the decline of French?
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  • Apr/28/23 11:27:05 a.m.
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Madam Speaker, I do not need lessons from anyone when it comes to being open-minded. We heard a real gem from the Minister of Official Languages yesterday. She said her action plan does not provide funding for English, it provides funding for the vitality of Quebec's English-speaking community. That changes everything. Nearly 30% of people mainly use English at work in Montreal. Meanwhile, the use of French as a main language has dropped by 13% in the communications sector and by 11% in the finance sector. In short, the vitality of the English language seems to be doing just fine. Why are the Liberals investing in English when we keep reminding them that French is the language that is at risk?
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