44th Parl. 1st Sess.
December 14, 2022 02:00PM
- Dec/14/22 2:30:33 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, how about a little holiday spirit? The Prime Minister got a generous invitation from the provincial premiers. It is like a family gathering. Maybe they will talk to him about an old aunt who is sick. They will talk about how expensive it is. He will find it tedious, but one does not turn down that kind of invitation. It is simply not done.
In the spirit of the holidays, will the Prime Minister accept the invitation of Quebec and the provinces?
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- Dec/14/22 2:31:07 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, no other prime minister in our country's history has met with the provincial premiers to discuss a health crisis more than I have.
I will continue to meet with the premiers regularly. I am looking forward to sitting down with the Premier of Quebec in a few days to talk about Quebeckers' concerns and discuss how we can continue to work together. We know that our health care systems need improvement. The federal government will be there to support the provinces while they make those improvements. We know how important this is to families across the country.
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Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the member for Notre-Dame-de-Grâce—Westmount commented on Bill C-13 and the French language and said, “It would be a big mistake for us, as federal MPs...to give Quebec free rein to do whatever it might want to do with respect to language in that province”.
He clearly said that Quebec's hands should be tied when it comes to protecting French, and indeed, what Bill C‑13 does is prevent Quebec from imposing the Charter of the French Language on federally regulated businesses.
Why is the Prime Minister protecting English in Quebec when French is the language that is at risk?
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Mr. Speaker, we are the first federal government to recognize that we have a responsibility to protect French across Canada, including Quebec. Protecting French across Canada is also one of our responsibilities. That is why we introduced measures through Bill C-13 that will ensure that federally regulated businesses in Quebec and across the country promote the use of French. That is a way of ensuring that we remain a country where French is spoken proudly from coast to coast to coast.
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Mr. Speaker, let us recap. First, Quebec introduces its Bill 96, which imposes the Charter of the French Language on federally regulated businesses. Then, suddenly, Ottawa just happens to introduce its own reform of the Official Languages Act with Bill C‑13. This is neither a coincidence nor something that came out of thin air, judging by what the Liberals said in committee yesterday. Bill C‑13 is a response intended to prevent Quebec from making French the only language of work.
Why is the Prime Minister refusing to accept a Quebec where everyone works in French, the only common language of Quebec?
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Mr. Speaker, for several years now we have recognized that the federal government has a role to play in protecting the French language in Quebec. Yes, the Government of Quebec has its own responsibility, but the federal government does too. We will always respect the areas of jurisdiction.
That is why we are ensuring that federally regulated businesses respect the principle of French first in Quebec, as well as in all the french-speaking communities across the country.
That is one way to protect French from coast to coast to coast and we are proud of that.
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Mr. Speaker, the Prime Minister and the leader of the Bloc Québécois are totally out of touch when it comes to the safety of Quebeckers. They are working together to criminalize law-abiding citizens, while allowing criminals to roam free in our communities.
Bill C‑5, which was passed with the Bloc's support, allowed a criminal to avoid jail time this week despite being arrested in possession of two fully loaded guns. In addition, Bill C‑21, which the Bloc Québécois also supported, directly attacks Quebec hunters.
Why are they so out of touch?
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- Dec/14/22 3:01:55 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Roxham Road is breaking records. By the end of the year, 40,000 asylum seekers will have likely used that route. That is why Quebec's immigration minister, Christine Fréchette, is asking the federal government for funding so that Quebec can give asylum seekers money to help them learn French. It is a good idea, one that is both humane and productive, and it would be one way of supporting them during the long months they will have to wait for Ottawa to issue them a work permit.
Since the Prime Minister is responsible for Roxham Road, will he provide funds to help asylum seekers learn French while waiting to work?
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- Dec/14/22 3:02:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, since this situation started, we have been there to invest, to establish a partnership and to help Quebeckers continue showing their trademark generosity by welcoming asylum seekers.
We recognize that this is a heavy burden for the Quebec government to bear, so we are here to provide support. I would like to point out that we send more than $700 million a year to the Quebec government for French-language learning programs. We will continue to be there to ensure that Quebec continues to implement those programs.
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- Dec/14/22 3:03:02 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, when the Prime Minister says he wants Quebec to welcome 112,000 newcomers every year, what he really means is 112,000 plus the 40,000 from Roxham Road. He expects Quebec to welcome a total of 152,000 people every year, but is he also providing more money for French language instruction? We just got our answer, and it is no. Is he increasing health transfers in response to demographic changes? The answer is no. What about the full-blown housing crisis? Is he providing more money to keep pace with the growing population? Again, the answer is no.
Does the Prime Minister realize that immigration is about real people, not just a number to be bandied about?
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- Dec/14/22 3:03:41 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as I just said, we send the Government of Quebec more than $700 million every year for French-language learning programs. If Quebec wants more, it need only ask because we believe in helping newcomers learn French, and we are happy to help.
What I want to make crystal clear is that Quebec can set its own immigration thresholds. If it wants more immigrants, it can accept more. We will gladly rise to the challenge so we can address the labour shortage.
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