44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 10, 2023 02:00PM
Mr. Speaker, perhaps the member and I will see each other at the next Festival du Bois. I have been there a number of times with students, and it is a great time.
With respect to the modernization, when in government and now as the Conservative Party, the Conservatives are committed to bilingualism, to the rights of all Canadians and to strengthening bilingualism in Canada.
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Mr. Speaker, I want begin by taking a few seconds to acknowledge the courage and resilience of the people of Baie‑Saint‑Paul and Saint‑Urbain, which have been hit by violent flooding. The beautiful Gouffre River overflowed its banks, washing away many houses, trailers and cottages and destroying roads in our community.
It has been a very difficult week in Charlevoix. I spent all last week there with the people, touring the area in my rubber boots. I saw the damage and the devastation, but I also saw the solidarity, the comradeship, the vitality and the generosity of the people of Charlevoix and the surrounding areas.
Since we are talking about the French language, I would like to quote Charles Aznavour, who sang, “Misfortune brings out the best in people”. I cling to that. I commend the mayors, municipal teams, firefighters, police officers, the Red Cross and the many volunteers, community organizations and donors. I admire them. They are dear to me and are always in my thoughts.
Speaking of Charles Aznavour, poetry, songs and literature, I have listened to all the speeches, the rhetoric, the multiple definitions, the amendments and the debates surrounding Bill C-13 on official languages.
The cultural aspect of our language, of our mother tongue, was all but forgotten. French is not a language. French is much more than that. French is a door that opens up to what defines us and brings us together. It is not a tool for talking about the weather, talking about a dream or arguing. It is much more than that. French defines us. French is part of our DNA, despite the different times in our history when attempts were made to burn it down along with our homes, to extinguish it by banning it from being spoken at school, a ban imposed by the conqueror. Despite all the efforts to crush it, French persists because it lies at the foundation of culture, and language and culture go hand in hand.
No federal legislation is going to determine whether Quebec, France or any other country or people in the world speaks French. No Canadian federal legislation is going to determine the survival of this language. Our love for our language will keep it alive. That is what will determine whether we survive and whether our language survives. Love for one's language is a vehicle for culture, which intrinsically becomes the primary power for protecting the French language.
I suggest that those listening to us start thinking very carefully. Putting the screws to the lovers of a language only strengthens their motivation. I would advise my colleagues not to try to stamp out the French language. Indeed, the more effort they put into doing just that, the more it will get back up again, the taller it will stand and the more we will love it.
This is what is happening right now in Quebec. I am happy because I know that when Quebeckers are provoked, they do not take it sitting down.
I would like to acknowledge a great poet, Yves Duteil. He wrote a magnificent song dedicated to his friend, Félix Leclerc.
It is a beautiful language with splendid wordsWhose history can be traced in its variationsWhere we feel the music and smell the herbsGoat's cheese and wheat bread... In this beautiful language tinted by the colours of ProvenceWhere the flavours can be tasted in the wordsWhere the party starts when people talkAnd we drink up the words like they are water... It's a beautiful language on the other side of the worldA bubble of France in the north of a continentHeld in a vice but still so fruitfulLocked in the ice at the top of a volcanoIt built bridges across the AtlanticIt left its home for another landAnd like a swallow transported by the springIt returns to sing of its sorrows and hopesIt tells us that in that far-off country of snowIt faced the winds blowing from all directionsTo impose its words even in the schoolsAnd that our own language is still spoken thereIt is a beautiful language to those who know how to defend itIt offers treasures of untold richnessThe words we lacked to be able to understand one anotherAnd the strength required to live in harmonyAnd from Île d'Orléans to ContrescarpeListening to the people of this country singIt sounds like the wind moving over a harpAnd composing a whole symphony
I love French. I love the French language, and Bill C‑13 will not snuff it out.
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Mr. Speaker, I really enjoyed the speech by my colleague, who spoke about how the French language will never be extinguished and about our culture and our identity. I can really relate to what she said about francophones in northern Ontario in relation to identity.
My father was here in the House in 1969, and he voted for the original Official Languages Act. I have always said that I am an MP today because of the work my father did on official languages. My father was asked in 1970 and 1971 to visit Quebec CEGEPs because he spoke French very well. It was a very important experience for him.
We are talking about Bill C-13 and co-operating with the province of Quebec and the Bloc Québécois. There has been some progress. Things are not perfect, but we are getting there.
Can my colleague comment on why the leader of the Conservative Party has not come out in favour of the bill?
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Mr. Speaker, I have no idea what the Conservative leader thinks and I must admit that that is the least of my worries.
I would venture to say that the Bloc Québécois has always supported francophones outside Quebec. That is why we will support this bill. We are very reluctant to support it, but we are supporting it anyway, because we are very concerned about the fate of French outside Quebec and its chances of survival.
However, I remain extremely concerned that money in Quebec has been used to promote and support English when French is the language that is in danger, both in Quebec and throughout Canada, not English. That is a glaring issue in this bill. It is very worrisome for the future. However, at the same time, we see that people in Quebec are rising up. That is poetic justice.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to commend my colleague from Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix. I want to publicly announce that I am originally from her riding. I am very proud to have roots in Charlevoix.
Like her, I want to pay tribute to the people of Baie‑Saint‑Paul and Saint‑Urbain. I am thinking especially of the two volunteer firefighters who lost their lives in the floods. My thoughts are with their families.
I thank my colleague for that flight of oratory, for the poetry. Let us thank Mr. Duteil for his work, which my colleague did such a fine job of reading.
To begin, my colleague mentioned that it is up to Quebec to decide. I would simply like to remind her that this is a federal Parliament. The Conservative Party of Canada's mandate is to protect both official languages in Quebec—and we have worked closely with the Bloc Québécois on that—as well as in the rest of Canada, from coast to coast to coast. It is important to mention that.
I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on the tactics the Liberals are using to delay the passage of Bill C‑13. It is important to understand that we are at report stage today. We are not at third reading. The Liberals are delaying the process. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.
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Mr. Speaker, just as I am not privy to what the Conservative leader is thinking, I am not privy to what the leader of the government is thinking, either. Honestly, I have no explanation, but I hope that there will be enough understanding between them to bring around some of the MPs who seem reluctant to support the initiatives the government has undertaken.
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Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the speech by the member, who talked about the beauty of the language and the expressive way in which the language is used in the arts.
Does the hon. member have any suggestions on how solidarity between francophones across Canada and francophones in Quebec can be strengthened?
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Mr. Speaker, I think that Quebec has always been open and friendly. It has always made an effort to reach out. Furthermore, that is what the leader of the Bloc Québécois often does. He has met with a great many francophones outside Quebec. This is constantly on our minds. I have no concern about Quebec being in harmony with the rest of francophone Canada.
The issue is that we cannot just protect French outside Quebec. We also need to protect French in Quebec. That is what is missing from Bill C‑13, which is absolutely worrisome and disappointing.
We will see what Quebec does.
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- May/10/23 5:01:00 p.m.
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Is the House ready for the question?
Some hon. members: Question.
The Deputy Speaker: The question is on Motion No. 1. A vote on this motion also applies to Motions Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 8 to 10.
Shall I dispense?
Some hon. members: No.
[Chair read text of motion to House]
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.
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- May/10/23 5:02:12 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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The recorded division on motion No. 1 stands deferred.
The recorded division will also apply to Motions Nos. 2, 3, 5 and 8 to 10.
The next question is on Motion No. 4. A vote on this motion also applies to Motion No. 6.
If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
The hon. parliamentary secretary.
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- May/10/23 5:03:13 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, we request a recorded vote, please.
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The recorded division on the motion stands deferred. The recorded division will also apply to Motion No. 6.
The question is on Motion No. 7. A vote on this motion also applies to Motion No. 15.
The Deputy Speaker: If a member of a recognized party present in the House wishes that the motion be carried or carried on division or wishes to request a recorded division, I would invite them to rise and indicate it to the Chair.
The hon. member for Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d'Orléans—Charlevoix.
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- May/10/23 5:05:39 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I request a recorded division.
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The recorded division on the motion stands deferred. The recorded division will also apply to Motion No. 15.
Normally at this time, the House would proceed to the taking of the deferred recorded divisions at the report stage of the bill.
However, pursuant to order made on Thursday, June 23, 2022, the recorded divisions stand deferred until Thursday, May 11, at the expiry of the time provided for Oral Questions.
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- May/10/23 5:06:23 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I suspect if you were to canvass the House, you would find unanimous consent at this time to see the clock at 5:30 p.m. so that we could begin the Private Members' Business hour.
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- May/10/23 5:06:31 p.m.
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Is it agreed?
Some hon. members: Agreed.
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- May/10/23 5:08:11 p.m.
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moved:
That:
(a) the House recognize that,
(i) Article 24 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which Canada signed in 2007 and ratified in 2010, states that signatories “shall ensure an inclusive education system at all levels and lifelong learning directed to enabling persons with disabilities to participate effectively in a free society”,
(ii) according to the Global Education Monitoring Report, in low- and middle-income countries, approximately 50% of children with disabilities are estimated to be out of school,
(iii) a 2021 UNICEF report found that, compared to children without disabilities, children with disabilities were 49% more likely to have never attended school; and
(b) in the opinion of the House, where the federal government spends money on education, domestically or internationally, clear consideration must be given to the maximum inclusion of people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
He said: Mr. Speaker, it is an absolute pleasure to be here.
This is usually a place where we have very passionate debates about things that there are wide-ranging opinions on, and sometimes those debates can be hotter than at other times. I think that this time of year traditionally is a time when the temperature outside is hotter and maybe things in here get a little bit hotter as we are moving towards summer. However, my hope is that today we can have a conversation that is every bit as passionate as the ones we usually have in here, but where we are able to maybe find a little more common ground.
I will give a little bit of context. My daughter is 23 now, and she just finished her second year of law school. She was six when I got elected, so it has been a while. When she was 13, we did an interview with her brother Jaden, who has autism, when Jaden was 16. He is now 27 years old. When Jenae was 13 and Jaden was 16, we did an interview with Steve Paikin on The Agenda.
Steve knows me and my kids well, and he did not give Jenae a heads-up that he was going to ask her a really tough question. He just said, in the middle of the interview, to 13-year-old Jenae, “Jenae, I'm going to ask you a really tough question right now. Are you ready for it?” She said that she was, and she steeled herself. He asked, “Do you ever sometimes wish that your brother was ‘normal’ like every other kid?” Thirteen-year-old Jenae, without hesitation, responded, “Well, honestly, since Jaden was diagnosed with autism before I was born, I don't exactly know what a ‘normal’ brother is like, so Jaden kind of is my normal, having autism.”
Steve asked, “You like him just the way he is?” Jaden was just smiling there the entire time, looking at his sister, whom he loves deeply. Jenae answered, “If he didn't have autism anymore or was cured or something, he wouldn't be the same as Jaden is now.”
Obviously, Jenae, being three years younger than Jaden and growing up in the same house, has not known a life without Jaden, as she referenced, so her “normal” has always included Jaden, for her whole life. However, when I am speaking to students or groups around the world internationally, or whatever the case might be, I always use it as an opportunity to draw a connection to the school environment that they both grew up in.
They went to a kindergarten to grade 12 school, so they went to the same school for their entire basic education lives. Obviously, Jaden was a few years ahead of Jenae. Jaden was fully included in a regular classroom, and that was right from the time he started. He had a full-time aide working with him. His needs are such that it was really important for him to have that full-time aide. In some circumstances, it might work a little differently; the needs might be a little different, as every kid with a developmental or intellectual disability is in a different circumstance.
Because the school made the decision to include Jaden in that school, certainly his life was better, his educational experience was better, and he will be more prepared to participate and be able to contribute his skills and abilities because of having been included in that school. However, for every other student who went to that school with him, their normal included Jaden. Their normal included life with somebody who had autism, somebody with a developmental disability.
Surprisingly, when we talk to those students afterwards, to a person, they say that their life was better off because of that experience in school and getting a chance to work with Jaden. Their experience since they left school has also been better, when, for example, they come across somebody who thinks a little differently than they do, maybe not even with autism or a developmental disability, just somebody who thinks a little bit differently. We all know people we can think of when I say that. I guarantee that everybody can think of somebody in their life who thinks a little differently than they do. However, because Jaden had been included in a regular classroom, their lives were better, and they were better prepared to come out into the world.
The motion has some preamble that is really easy to skip by, but I will focus on just a couple of things in the preamble that I think are really important at a global level.
The second point in the preamble reads, “according to the Global Education Monitoring Report, in low- and middle-income countries, approximately 50% of children with disabilities are estimated to be out of school”. This is not about developmental disability or intellectual disability and being included in a different part of the school. They are out of school. Approximately 50% of children with disabilities are out of school.
Point (iii) in the preamble says:
(iii) a 2021 UNICEF report found that, compared to children without disabilities, children with disabilities were 49% more likely to have never attended school
We are not talking about them dropping out later in their teenage years or whatever the case is. We are saying that they were 49% more likely to have never attended school at all.
The action statement in the motion says:
(b) in the opinion of the House, where the federal government spends money on education, domestically or internationally, clear consideration must be given to the maximum inclusion of people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
I am going to explain this a bit because that language is very deliberate.
First of all, regarding “where the federal government spends money on education”, in Canada, obviously we get into jurisdictional questions, and much of the funding for education domestically is provincial. However, the federal government does spend money on education. I think particularly of indigenous communities, for example. We have a lot of work to do there. What the motion says is that as we have those conversations, we need to consider people with disabilities, particularly people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
I have had great conversations. We have some fantastic leaders in the disability community. I think of conversations I have had leading up to this point with Neil Belanger and Ken Robertson. We have an up-and-coming researcher in Alberta named Grant Bruno, who is doing some fantastic world-leading work on these issues. That is one important component.
Then the motion says, of course, “or internationally”. The federal government just contributed over $80 million to Education Cannot Wait, an international organization that does fantastic work in refugee camps, war zones and those kinds of places. It is an organization that I have had the chance to do a lot of work with. As we are pursuing that work and funding education, we want to make sure that people with disabilities are included.
The motion talks about “maximum inclusion”. I use the words “maximum inclusion” because we want to make sure we are having a conversation in which it is really easy to get into wordsmithing and to get into some important debates about what full inclusion looks like and what inclusion looks like broadly. My view is that whatever the level of inclusion we are at, we can do more. We can move to maximize what inclusion looks like.
In Jaden's case, he was included in a regular classroom, but some schools that do great work might have an interactions classroom, where there may be six, seven or eight kids with a developmental disability or an intellectual disability. They are in a separate classroom, maybe because their support needs are so significant. Those schools might be striving to include those kids as much as they can in field trips, lunch, recess, phys. ed., musical theatre or any kind of art program they have. We can imagine a world of opportunities, and ultimately, maybe the goal is to move them to a regular classroom with proper supports. That might be the goal there. “Maximum inclusion” is meant to allow anybody to get a vision for where they want to go with it, depending on their point of view and the work they are doing.
The motion then says, “people with disabilities, including people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.” It is really important that we have disability-inclusive education, but oftentimes many advocates in the world of developmental or intellectual disabilities say that even in inclusive education conversations, people with intellectual and developmental disabilities are excluded or are left behind. The language is designed to create a bridge so that we are working on both and are not leaving anyone behind in the conversation.
This motion comes at a really interesting moment. It is actually a really great moment, I think, for this motion. While it is a motion and some people might think a motion is non-binding or has a bit less action to it in a sense, I believe the opposite. I believe it allows us to have an important conversation on the floor of the House of Commons. We can vote on it as members of all parties and hopefully pass it, and then we can point to the motion as being a driving force or guide for us as we do the important work we do on education.
The timing is important because, in September, the UN General Assembly held the Transforming Education Summit, with a broad approach and countries coming together on the important issue of education, something that both the former Conservative government and the present Liberal government have supported. There was a specific note that came out of it called “A Call to Action to Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education”. That was at the UN General Assembly.
Coming up in June, there are the annual meetings on the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Those annual meetings will take place next month. Governments from both sides of the political spectrum have been supportive of the convention over the years, so that is an important opportunity. Then at the end of June, Special Olympics are happening in Berlin. Around Special Olympics, Tim Shriver, the chair of Special Olympics and the son of co-founder Eunice Kennedy Shriver, is putting together a global education summit, where they are going to talk about these very issues at a global level. This is a real opportunity for Canada to play a leadership role.
I do want to point out that, in the world of international development, there is a lot of conversation about the hardest to reach and leaving no one behind. These are important concepts in the world of international development, particularly in the education context. When we think about people who are vulnerable, we try to avoid some of the debates that we have, as we do not want to play one group against another group. However, one thing I would quickly remind folks of is that, as we work on, for example, education for people in refugee camps and war zones, those kids would be incredibly vulnerable if they are living in a refugee camp or a war zone, but any one of those vulnerable kids could, on top of their vulnerability, have a developmental, intellectual or physical disability, and then they would be even more vulnerable.
We talk about girls' education, and we rightly we talk about girls' education. There are tens of millions of girls who are not in school right now who should be. When we think about girls' education and the vulnerability around that, particularly in some parts of the world, we have to recognize that any one of those girls could also have a developmental, intellectual or physical disability, and then we have even more vulnerability.
As we build our systems, as we build the structures and the programs at an international level to tackle these issues, we need to make sure that we build those systems to reach that girl, maybe in rural Africa, who is 13 years old and dealing with maybe an early forced marriage, in some countries, and the stigma of having a disability on top of that. If we can reach that girl with an intellectual disability in rural Africa, we can reach every girl along the way. If we can reach a little boy in a refugee camp or a war zone, who is six years old with a disability, if we can wire our hearts and our systems to reach out, find that boy and make sure that boy is included in the education systems that we set up, we are going to reach everybody along the way as we are doing that.
I will finish with a story. I was in Tanzania about eight years ago, and I came across this group of teenage boys. They were intrigued by my iPad. I showed them a picture of my daughter and one of the boys said, “She's nice”, in Swahili, and I agreed. My daughter is very nice. Then I showed them a picture of Jaden, and I explained through the interpreter that he has autism and what he is like. The boys were riveted to my words as I was explaining what Jaden is like.
One of them, who had been quiet up to that point, looked me straight in the eye and said, again in Swahili, “I like him. He's beautiful. I'll pray for him.” This was unprompted. With just a bit of understanding, that 15-year-old boy's heart became attached in a very special way to another young person with autism half a world away from him.
This is the time for us to have this conversation. There is a world of impact we can have if we not only have the conversation, but then also activate that conversation. I look forward to the opportunity to hear members from all parties weigh in on the conversation.
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- May/10/23 5:23:27 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I just cannot thank my colleague enough on behalf of everybody in my riding whose family is struggling with the circumstances around a loved one's disability. I do not want to suggest all of them are struggling. Many of them thrive thanks to great community support. It is great because of a lot of volunteers. It is great because of organizations like the Special Olympics.
There is an organization in my riding that is really special called the Special Friends Network. I have spoken to the member for Edmonton—Wetaskiwin about the Special Friends Network before and how it brings so many people together for sports, arts and all sorts of different things. It just does such extraordinary work.
I just stood today to thank my friend and colleague for dedicating his private member's bill to this, and moreover, for dedicating much of his political career to standing up for people who live with disabilities. His work is exemplary and I thank him very much for it on behalf of everybody in Milton and across Canada who relies on this progress.
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- May/10/23 5:24:42 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, it is nice. I am going to zero in on two points the member made. First of all is the incredible importance of connection. He talked about the Special Friends Network. The Special Olympics now has its unified program, where it is having people with developmental or intellectual disability playing alongside people without disability. Building those connections is so important to social health, mental health and all of the different aspects of our health.
The second thing is the language we use. It is interesting because he talked about struggling but then talked about strengths. Absolutely one of my missions is to focus on talking about unlocking the potential. There is a world of skills and abilities that reside in the capabilities of people with developmental disability, with intellectual disability, with autism. I see it in my son. We absolutely need to cultivate those skills and abilities, and as a society, we will all be better off for it.
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