Senator Seidman: Thank you. I appreciate your certainty as you stand here very definitively assuring us that there is no issue with the reference to Quebec’s Charter of the French Language. I would like to assure the huge English-speaking community of Quebec, and many others, with such certainty. The way to do that is to have the legal testimony at a committee with those who are skilled enough to ask the right questions of constitutional experts. Would you not find that to be an appropriate way to deal with the uncertainty in the community?

Senator Seidman: Thank you for the question. The Official Languages Committee did a pre-study on Bill C-13, that is correct. The bill that returns is somewhat changed, with many more amendments and additional references to the Charte de la langue française. I feel that it is never harmful in a situation of such high-risk to the English-speaking community in Quebec to have a highly expert, very specialized approach to the potential constitutional issue around reference, for the first time in a federal piece of legislation, only to Quebec’s Charte de la langue française.

Senator Cormier: Senator Loffreda, thank you for speaking about the concerns expressed by the anglophone community in Quebec, particularly regarding the inclusion of references to the Charter of the French Language in Bill C-13. My question is fairly simple. Did I understand correctly from your speech that you’re suggesting that the Chair of the Official Languages Committee invite legal experts to clarify concerns regarding the inclusion of the Charter of the French Language in Bill C-13?

At the same time, did I also understand correctly that you’re suggesting that the committee chair, who is also the bill’s sponsor, vacate his seat, which he intends to do, to ensure that there is no appearance of conflict of interest?

Senator Cormier: Thank you, Senator Seidman. First, I want to congratulate you and thank you for your dedication and commitment to official languages. You have been on the Official Languages Committee for years, and you have done a lot of work. You are dedicated to the anglophone community in Quebec.

Considering that the Official Languages Committee’s mandate is broad and allows it to examine any matter relating to official languages in general — which includes constitutional language rights guaranteed by the Constitution Act, 1867 and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms — considering it is mandated to review the application of the Official Languages Act and the application of its regulations, and considering that the Official Languages Committee has paid particular attention to legal and constitutional questions during its pre-study of the bill, don’t you think that this committee is better equipped to exclusively examine this piece of legislation?

Senator Gold: Thank you for your important question. Immigration is an important vehicle through which our country grows and develops. Unfortunately, the recent census data shows that there is a very concerning decrease in the use of French outside of Quebec. In order to promote and support those francophone communities, especially outside of Quebec, it is imperative that they receive the benefit of the revitalization that francophone immigration would bring to them.

This has been a policy of the government, quite independent of Bill C-13, for some time. It’s a priority to increase francophone immigration so as to halt the decline of French in the country.

In 2022, the government reached its target of 4.4% of francophone immigrants outside of Quebec, and in that year, Canada welcomed a record number of more than 16,300 francophone immigrants outside of Quebec. In addition, with the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028, the government is planning to invest large sums in new measures in order to promote francophone immigration to Canada.

If this bill receives Royal Assent, as I hope it does soon, these plans will be put into place, measures will be introduced and indicators will be developed to guide the actions of the government. Indeed, these are actions, if I remember correctly, that our Senate committee studied, promoted and called for.

I should add, by the way, that the measures to increase francophone immigration across Canada were also enhanced and strengthened by several amendments in the other place.

That’s a long-winded answer, and I’m not sure I answered your question specifically because some of the measures will have to await the coming into force of this law, as well as the action plans that have been developed, but it’s a commitment of the government.

Hon. Claude Carignan: Colleagues, I rise today with a heavy heart to pay tribute to one of Quebec’s greatest actors. Michel Côté passed away yesterday at the age of 72.

People are sometimes described as giants, and this description is especially true of Michel Côté. His career spanned nearly 50 years during which he played a variety of grandiose, touching, zany and inspiring roles.

On stage, on television and in film, this pillar of the performing arts embodied every possible version of a man from Quebec over the years, and he did so with authenticity, diligence and integrity. Michel Côté said he loved his characters as a mother loves her children. He cared for them with love and kindness, which is likely one reason why he was so adored by all Quebecers.

His impressive filmography, both in terms of volume and box‑office success, reveals the full extent of his talent. He has often been called a chameleon actor. As he did in the well-known film Cruising Bar, in which he played the four main characters, Michel Côté was easily able to take on a wide range of characters in just a moment’s time.

In the renowned play Broue, in which he portrayed five different customers of the famous Chez Willy tavern, Michel Côté changed clothes in front of more than three million Quebecers for over 38 years. He used to say, with a broad smile, that one day, while shooting the film Cruising Bar and performing Broue in the evening, he played seven different characters in one day. This anecdote perfectly illustrates why he truly was a chameleon actor.

United since the announcement of his passing, his former peers are praising his great skills as an actor, but also — and unanimously — his great skills as a human. On a sound stage, Michel Côté made sure to learn everyone’s first name, from the director to the sound mixer, the entire crew, and he tried to acknowledge each one individually every day.

Six years ago, this great Quebec artist chose to slow down a little so he could spend more time with his dear Véronique, his two sons and his grandchildren. In an unfortunate turn of events, illness was waiting for him and despite his determination and desire to fight it, Michel Côté succumbed this past Monday, May 29.

To Véronique Le Flaguais, his long-time partner, his sons Charles and Maxime, his grandchildren and extended family, including his many friends, I wish to express my compassion and offer my sincere condolences. I also wish to express my real sympathy to the many Quebecers who today are grieving a man they claimed as their own and who they cherished with tender affection.

Goodbye, Michel.

[English]

Hon. Jim Quinn: Thank you for that speech, because it helped bring some clarity for me with respect to why Bill 96 is referenced in the legislation. The explanation I thought was very helpful insofar as the distinction of French in the province of Quebec.

But as a New Brunswicker, I worry about other parts of the country that may not understand Bill 96 and its importance to underscore the importance of the French language in Quebec.

Why would we not stress the importance of English and French across Canada, specifically in a province like New Brunswick where it is the official position of the provincial government that French and English are the languages of New Brunswick? I’m just a little worried that there could be confusion in some parts of Canada that may not have a very noticeable French presence or in other areas of the country where, perhaps, English is more dominant than French.

Hon. Pierre J. Dalphond: Honourable senators, I am pleased to speak to Senator Klyne’s inquiry, which seeks to recognize the contribution of Indigenous businesses to the Canadian economy and more particularly to that of Quebec. Despite how late it is, I hope everyone will enjoy my remarks.

I will address three points: first, the context of economic reconciliation; second, Indigenous Economic Development Corporations; and third, examples of Quebec-based companies that are a model for others.

I will begin by talking about the global context. Within the boundaries defined by the colonial governments of what is now our country, where Indigenous peoples were well established long before Jacques Cartier’s arrival, Indigenous groups had their own economic relationships. However, colonial regimes, with their concepts and their laws, imposed different visions on these peoples and deprived them of full economic participation.

Moreover, the colonizers set up a system of land and wealth appropriation built on low compensation and under conditions that did not respect the rights of Indigenous peoples. When our system of governance was established in 1867, it was accompanied by racist policies and laws based on the principle of the supremacy of the white man and his religious, cultural and economic beliefs, which led notably to the residential school system, prohibition of the use of Indigenous languages and practices, and other forms of assimilation.

It’s time to talk about reconciliation, especially economic reconciliation, as called for by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada’s Call to Action 92.

[English]

Canada has received strategic directions and made progress on these goals in recent years. In 2021, Senator Klyne and others addressed economic reconciliation in our debate on Bill C-15 respecting the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, or UNDRIP. Senator Klyne spoke about the importance of involving Indigenous business organizations in the UNDRIP action plan. We are looking forward to the government plan that will hopefully deliver on that commitment.

We also heard from Senator Klyne today about the importance of Bill C-45.

Senators, Indigenous entrepreneurs and business owners are key to self-determination and increasing Indigenous participation in the Canadian economy. This participation must be a priority for Canada. The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business reported in its Business Reconciliation in Canada Guidebook of 2019 that the national Indigenous economy is growing exponentially, contributing over $30 billion to Canada’s GDP in 2019. As the Senate Prosperity Action Group noted in its 2021 report, Indigenous business leaders have set a $100 billion performance target.

[Translation]

This brings me to my second point, which relates to Indigenous Economic Development Corporations. These companies are owned and operated by Indigenous communities. They invest money from the community in community-owned projects, such as holding companies and social purpose parent companies. The Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business estimates that there were nearly 500 Indigenous Economic Development Corporations in Canada in 2020, 79% of which had generated profits in the previous year. In addition, 70% had business partners who hired workers from Indigenous communities, and more than 85% offered support services to community members.

[English]

With these statistics in mind, I move to my third topic: some successful Indigenous businesses in Quebec. The Listuguj Mi’kmaq fishery on the Restigouche River and Chaleur Bay is a multi-million dollar industry. It was the focus of a recent APTN documentary series. In 2021, the Listuguj government signed the rights reconciliation agreement on fisheries, acknowledging its Aboriginal and treaty rights to fish. We hope that, one day, we’ll see the same in Nova Scotia. The agreement further acknowledged that the Listuguj First Nation has a sacred and inherent responsibility for the stewardship of the land, waters and living things in their traditional territory.

According to a CBC article, with the agreement in place, the Listuguj Mi’gmaq Rangers, empowered by Indigenous law, meet fishing boats at the wharf and count lobsters every day during the lobster season. They collect 10% of the total catch to distribute it among the Mi’kmaq community of about 4,000 people. Community members cook the lobsters and deliver them to elders or are picked up by their families. The remaining 90% of the catch is sold commercially.

This is a success story of a community operating a prosperous industry based on its inherent and constitutional rights.

The second Indigenous business working in Quebec that I want to highlight is Avataa Explorations & Logistics Inc. AEL is a family-owned Inuit consulting firm in Nunavik that specializes in site assessments and remediation and sells fishing and hunting permits. The company’s Inuit family founders are outdoor enthusiasts who have lived all their lives in the North and are raising their family there.

AEL has a strong corporate social responsibility policy, which includes organizing community, social, educational and cultural activities for youth. In addition to this community impact, AEL has a large economic impact. It partnered with Sanexen Environmental Services Inc. to incorporate Avataani Environmental, which provides logistics, remote workforce camp and catering and environmental services to the mining and exploration industries. The partnership balances local traditional knowledge with technical expertise and provides holistic solutions to a wide range of environmental issues.

The third organization I would like to mention is CREED, the Cree Real Estate Entrepreneurship Development Program of the Eeyou Istchee Cree government. North of the village of Nemaska, near James Bay, but far southwest of AEL in Nunavik, the Grand Council of the Crees allocates a significant amount of funding to local Cree entrepreneurs.

The CREED program grants up to $100,000 to James Bay and Northern Quebec Agreement beneficiaries whose businesses are based and operated in Eeyou Istchee as long as they work in private home construction, renovations, home materials, financial services, landscaping and design and commercial real estate.

As Grand Chief Abel Bosum said at the Senate committee pre‑study on UNDRIP in 2021:

It has been precisely because our rights have been acknowledged and because we are recognized to be fully legitimate participants in the economy and in the political life of our region that we have contributed to the journey toward peaceful coexistence and social harmony.

Before concluding, I’ll quickly tell four stories of smaller Indigenous businesses of note operating in Quebec: a restaurant, a bookstore, a beauty brand and an internationally renowned designer.

The next time you are near Quebec City, make a reservation at Sagamité, an Indigenous-owned restaurant. The original location is in Wendake — a well-known place to our colleague Senator Audette — an urban reserve 25 minutes northwest of downtown Quebec City, and the second restaurant is in a stone-walled building in Old Quebec. The restaurants use food to introduce guests to the culture of the Huron-Wendat, with a menu highlighting the First Nation’s traditional diet of wild game, including deer, caribou, moose, along with fish, native plants, herbs and berries.

Before a fire destroyed the original Wendake location in 2018, the business had seen its profits increasing by 20% to 35% per year. Owner Steeve Wadohandik turned the fire into an opportunity to expand the space. He doubled the number of his employees and recruited from the Wendake community. He and his partner now also own two nearby boutique hotels in Old Quebec.

A second smaller business is Sequoia, an Indigenous beauty brand founded by Michaelee Lazore in 2002. The company is 100% owned and operated by Indigenous women. Their products are scented with sweetgrass, cedar, red clover, blackberry and sage. The design, production and packaging are all done locally. The production is sustainable, and the ingredients are ethically sourced. She now has a shop in Kahnawake and also sells online throughout North America.

[Translation]

The third business is Librairie Hannenorak, which is also located in Wendake. It is the only bookstore located in an Indigenous community in Quebec.

The bookshop has a special section for Indigenous books, some of which have won the Governor General’s Award.

[English]

Finally, you may have heard of Mohawk designer Tammy Beauvais. She is a fourth-generation artisan and designer based in Kahnawake. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau owns one of her capes. In 2016, she gifted another one of Ms. Beauvais’ beaded capes to Michelle Obama, featuring three glass beads that belonged to Ms. Beauvais’ great-grandmother. Ms. Beauvais’ website features bespoke feather dresses, bags, ties, blankets and jewellery and includes her own designs and those of other Indigenous designers.

[Translation]

In conclusion, the examples I just spoke about represent only a fraction of the contributions of Indigenous businesses and also represent the hope that they will serve as examples for other Indigenous entrepreneurs.

Thank you, Senator Klyne, for initiating this inquiry. We must recognize the economic achievements of Indigenous peoples and work together to make economic reconciliation a reality. When Indigenous businesses prosper, all Canadians prosper.

I also support Bill C-45, which was introduced today and which seeks to provide Indigenous communities with more modern and effective instruments to create Indigenous wealth. Thank you. Meegwetch.

(On motion of Senator Patterson (Nunavut), debate adjourned.)

(At 9:58 p.m., the Senate was continued until tomorrow at 2 p.m.)