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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 76

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 20, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Mr. Joël Godin (Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, CPC)
  • May/20/22 10:13:30 a.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-13 
Madam Speaker, I like what my colleague, the Minister of Official Languages, is saying, but the government is not walking the talk. In my opinion, Bill C-13 is very important because it establishes rules to ensure that, in 50 years, Canada will still be a bilingual country, where both French and English are spoken. The minister is from New Brunswick, the only bilingual province in Canada, yet she is supporting her government as it argues against including a requirement in the act stating that the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick must be bilingual. I am having a hard time understanding the logic behind what she is saying. Furthermore, the minister said that stakeholders were happy with what had been done with Bill C‑13. Indeed, it is a step forward, but when I met with the same stakeholders, they told me that it was not enough. We do need to work on it, but in a democracy like the Canadian Parliament, all parliamentarians must be respected, be given the right to speak and be allowed to express themselves, because this is a very important bill for the future of bilingualism in Canada.
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Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Mr. Gabriel Ste-Marie (Joliette, BQ)
  • May/20/22 10:23:34 a.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-13 
Madam Speaker, I have a great deal of respect for the Minister of Official Languages. She is very involved and believes in her commitments. However, I sincerely believe that the government appointment of a unilingual anglophone lieutenant governor in New Brunswick, the only bilingual province, sends the wrong message. That message conveys that the government does not care about French in minority situations, including in New Brunswick. The minister says that the government promises never to do this again, but it just did. Furthermore, it is defending the right to do this before the courts. How can she justify that?
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Context: House Hansard - 76 - May/20/22
Mr. Joël Godin
  • May/20/22 1:38:53 p.m.
  • Watch
  • Re: Bill C-13 
Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague from Joliette. I have enjoyed working with him since 2015. My colleague pointed to a glaring issue. How can we trust such an inconsistent government? In my speech, I presented what I feel are some very concrete facts to demonstrate this government's inconsistency. It makes us doubt, as Canadians, that the government will actually appoint a bilingual lieutenant governor in New Brunswick in the future. We have the opportunity to enshrine this in law. Not everyone on the other side of the House is acting in bad faith, but I would prefer that this be written into law so that there is no potential for misinterpretation or loopholes.
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