44th Parl. 1st Sess.
November 3, 2022 10:00AM
- Nov/3/22 10:28:54 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my colleague on the delays in service for francophone veterans.
There is no doubt. It has been very clear that francophones are, in fact, receiving even worse service than anglophones.
I will condemn that, but even more importantly, I will condemn the fact that the government is leaving veterans out in the cold. It is leaving them to wait for two years, in many cases, to even get their benefit applications processed. That is completely unacceptable, and the Liberal government should be ashamed of itself for the way it is treating our veterans and our veterans' families.
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- Nov/3/22 11:02:05 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question and for his outstanding work on the Standing Committee on Veterans Affairs. I also want to acknowledge the work we have done to address the situation for francophones, for whom things seemed to take longer.
A unit has been dedicated to francophones to ensure that progress is made on their files and that they will not wait longer than anyone else. We are also hiring more francophones and bilingual people.
With respect to many of the recommendations that were made in the reports, we are developing programs to support these veterans.
I am very proud of our government. Much of the $11 billion it has spent has been invested in programs to enrich the lives of veterans and to help them.
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- Nov/3/22 11:23:00 a.m.
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Of course I am familiar with that, Mr. Speaker. For the past three years, I have been fighting so that francophones can get the same type of services as anglophones. The unit was implemented in Montreal, but it is not being managed properly, so the response time for French applications is much longer than for English applications. Francophones have never been treated equitably in that regard. The resource is there, but the results are not.
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- Nov/3/22 11:24:26 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, that is a very interesting question.
I must say that delayed responses are an appalling source of stress for families and veterans. Again, these delays are worse for francophones than for anglophones. That would be the first point.
Some may say that this is a bit far removed from homelessness, but it is not. Homelessness is part of a process. In order to address it, we need to tackle issues earlier on and find a way to adequately meet francophones' needs. I think that would be my main recommendation or where the focus should be.
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- Nov/3/22 11:42:57 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, my colleague is correct. It is a major problem.
The figures show that, in 2018, the wait time was 19 weeks for applications in English and 52 weeks for applications in French. That is outrageous.
In 2021, the wait time was on average 43 weeks for both anglophones and francophones. Service for anglophone veterans has gotten worse, and it has not gotten any better for francophones.
I cannot help but feel as though there is a certain level of systemic discrimination against francophones in this country.
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- Nov/3/22 12:10:23 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, the Bloc Québécois is very aware of the issues facing the French language. The hon. member for Rivière‑des‑Mille‑Îles, our veterans affairs critic, has taken up the fight and has often spoken about the major inequities between francophone and anglophone veterans, including the fact that francophones' files are shelved and nothing is done about them.
I would like to know whether my colleague also condemns this, and whether he thinks it is acceptable for there to be two ways of doing things in this country, the fast way for anglophones and the slow way for francophones.
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- Nov/3/22 12:11:07 p.m.
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Madam Speaker, I thank my hon. colleague for bringing this important advocacy to the attention of the House.
It is important that we understand that, often in Canada's history, francophones have been discriminated against not only in veterans affairs but often in other social programs for which they are eligible. This is part of a systemic problem not only in this place but also in local legislatures across the country, which continue to grapple with the promotion and protection of francophones.
I am in solidarity with the member from the Bloc Québécois who is raising this important point. Francophone veterans do deserve the same level of respect and access to programs that they deserve.
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- Nov/3/22 2:26:25 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is unfortunate that, for the Bloc Québécois, immigrants are reduced to numbers, statistics and percentages. We are talking about men, women and children.
I have said it before, and I will say it again: Quebec already has full authority to welcome as many immigrants as it wants, all of them francophone, if it wants.
I have a question for the Bloc. If Quebec welcomes 70,000 people who speak French, 70,000 francophones, how many will require French language lessons?
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Mr. Speaker, the Liberals and the NDP imposed a gag order in committee to shut down debate on modernizing the Official Languages Act.
After 50 years of inaction on their part, it seems suspicious that this is suddenly so urgent. It is so urgent that they are limiting debate on the amendments to seven hours. Clearly, they want to avoid talking about the amendments that the Bloc Québécois wants to table. Obviously, these are not our amendments; they come from the Government of Quebec. The amendments from Quebec, which represents 90% of francophones, deserve to be debated.
Why are they trying to avoid them?
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