SoVote

Context: House Hansard - 196 - May/12/23

Mr. Bernard Généreux (Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, CPC)

May/12/23 10:46:54 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-13

Mr. Speaker, I want to congratulate my colleague, with whom I sit as a member of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, as well as all the parties who worked on Bill C‑13 in committee. The committee members worked for some time on studying the bill. I sincerely think that my colleague did extraordinary work and that we did everything we could to improve this bill, unlike the coalition between the NDP and the Liberal Party, who prevented us from adopting certain amendments. Despite that, I think that we did good work. I am pleased to rise today to speak to Bill C‑13, an act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the use of French in federally regulated private businesses act and to make related amendments to other acts. We are now studying the bill at third reading after having studied it in committee. The way I see this legislation and the entire process for the final adoption of this bill is that it is a lot of effort for little result. We did a colossal job and in the end we do not have much to show for it. That is about the size of it. Some will say that it is better than nothing. Of course it is better than nothing, but this bill does not go far enough. In committee, this Liberal government tabled no fewer than 31 amendments. It was actually more than 31. Even yesterday, the Liberals tabled amendments in the House. Clearly, they were not prepared despite all the work they said they did beforehand on the previous bill, which was introduced before the 2021 election, and on the white paper. In passing, the white paper set out some extremely important elements, which, unfortunately, were not kept in the bill. The fact that a government tabled so many amendments to a bill that it drafted demonstrates how poorly thought-out it was. With the complicity of their faithful allies, the NDP, the Liberals imposed closure so this bill would be studied quickly. The closure motion stated that, after a certain amount of time, all the amendments would be deemed adopted by the committee without them even being studied. So much for respecting the work of parliamentarians in committee. The bill ignores the requests for amendments made by the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes, or FCFA, and the Commissioner of Official Languages. Their requests are not found in the final text of the bill. We were not given the time we needed to discuss them properly. The FCFA is the organization that brings together the largest number of associations and organizations representing francophones in Canada. It had only six requests; it did not put forward 80 of them. Not a single one of the FCFA's requests ended up in the bill. I could spend hours naming the problems with this bill, but I will concentrate on a few points on which we put forward amendments. Our party put them forward in good faith to give the bill more teeth and to give organizations the necessary tools to slow the decline of the French language in Canada. Unfortunately, those amendments were all voted down by the NDP-Liberal coalition. We tabled amendments regarding the power given to the Treasury Board. The Official Languages Act has been around for over 50 years. We have seen the result. French is in decline everywhere, not just in Canada but also in Quebec. It has been proven that the way the act is designed, but especially the way it is managed, structured and overseen, is not working. Everyone was unanimous on the proposal made by many organizations across Canada. Even the Liberals were on board in the beginning. In their white paper, they said that the central agency of the Treasury Board would be responsible for enforcing the act. Unfortunately, that is not what we are seeing and that is not what is going to happen in the current bill. That is really unfortunate. The bill as it now stands contains a provision to change the act every 10 years, unlike how it was before. There is a provision that says that we can review the bill every 10 years. We suggested that it should be every five years, but our amendment was once again defeated. That said, these 10 years should give us enough time to examine and verify whether it would have been feasible to make a central agency responsible for implementing the act. Ten years will be enough time to check whether making the Treasury Board the lead for implementing the bill would have worked. We could have made changes after 10 years, but no, a decision was made to stick with the same approach. Despite what the Minister of Official Languages said, the Treasury Board leads the only three agencies that have the binding authority needed to address violations of the act. We tabled amendments to that effect, and the majority of francophone organizations also made this request, but they were all rejected. We made concessions, proposed amendments to the amendments in order to reach a compromise, but again, they were flatly refused. In my mind, that confirms the lack of desire to make this bill more effective. With respect to the enumeration of rights holders, another very important element is that Bill C‑13, in its current form, does not ensure that all children of rights holders will continue to be counted under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As set out in the act, rights holders are divided into three categories of individuals who have the right to send their children to official language minority public elementary and secondary schools. This right allows the children of rights holders to preserve their mother tongue and retain their constitutionally guaranteed rights. Currently, the government is only obligated to estimate the number of rights holders, and that was the subject of much discussion. We proposed including a question to this effect in the census, but it was rejected. This will unfortunately lead to an underestimation of the number of children of rights holders. As for reviewing the legislation, we proposed that Bill C-13 be reviewed every five years. As I said earlier, unfortunately, that too was rejected. At least it is going to happen every 10 years. As I said earlier, we did a tremendous amount of work but have very little to show for it. The 10-year period is part of that. Once again, it is better than nothing. The same goes for the powers granted to the Commissioner of Official Languages. We wanted to increase the commissioner's power and give him the tools needed to enforce the act with businesses and federal agencies. The problem is that it means the federal government might have to fine federal agencies. It is important to understand that, here in Ottawa and in all government organizations across the country, several agencies and departments are not meeting their official languages obligations, especially in writing. The government is still sending English-only messages across Canada, on many platforms. There is no translation. With our amendments, the commissioner would have been able to crack down on this and do his job more effectively, but once again, the NDP-Liberal coalition did not want to enhance the commissioner's powers. The last thing that could have been improved, but was not, also concerns part VII of the act. We wanted to include obligations to ensure that federal institutions would implement more measures to protect and promote both official languages. This country was founded 150 years ago, and there were two founding peoples. After all these years, one might think it would be second nature to communicate in both languages, but even today some departments communicate only in English. That is completely unacceptable. Clearly, Bill C‑13, which we are debating today, is incomplete and has several flaws. The powers of the commissioner were not strengthened, there is no central agency to enforce the act and the act will not be reviewed every five years to keep it up to date. After eight years of this government, it is difficult to trust that it will stop the decline of French in order to protect the strength of both official languages. Again, I want to thank my colleague and colleagues because the Standing Committee on Official Languages may be the least partisan of all the House of Commons committees. Honestly, I have been a member of that committee for a long time. We have done some absolutely spectacular studies that are very interesting and very instructive at that committee. The process involved in Bill C‑13 was derived from its primary objective, which was to improve the legislation and come to a consensus among all parties to ensure that we have the best Official Languages Act possible in Canada. Unfortunately, that did not happen. However, fortunately, in 10 years, we will be able to review it. When a majority Conservative government is in power in the next few months or next year, we will review the act when the time comes to do so.

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Mr. Mario Beaulieu (La Pointe-de-l'Île, BQ)

May/12/23 10:56:22 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his work on the Standing Committee on Official Languages and his support for a number of proposals. I would like to hear his opinion. We know that the House of Commons recognized Quebec as a nation with one official and common language, French. We know that, in the beginning, language was supposed to fall under Quebec's jurisdiction. What does my colleague think about the Government of Quebec's request to have authority over linguistic development and management in the province, while respecting the rights of the anglophone community, obviously? With regard to positive measures, what does he think about the action plan that we have seen that invests a massive amount of money in English in areas under provincial jurisdiction? I also would like to know whether he agrees that we should review the act before the 10 years is up, because, although I think that this bill does make some progress, it will continue to have an anglicizing impact on Quebec.

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Mr. Bernard Généreux

May/12/23 10:57:31 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, to answer the last question my colleague asked, because he asked several, yes, a Conservative government would review the act, likely within 10 years. We believe that a central agency is absolutely fundamental to managing official languages in this country. Our leader, the member for Carleton, has said very clearly that the act is not strong enough and does not go far enough and, most importantly, that there is no central agency to ensure compliance. I also want to talk about the division that we have been seeing on the Liberal side. In fact, yesterday, one Liberal member abstained from voting on the Liberal bill, and another voted against it. Anglophone MPs from Quebec have been working hard to derail the process of passing this bill. It was unmistakably clear that the Liberal Party of Canada is divided.

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Mr. Joël Godin (Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, CPC)

May/12/23 10:58:37 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I want to return the favour and thank my hon. colleague, who is an active participant at the Standing Committee on Official Languages. He is doing a great job. The minister said she has a great relationship with Quebec's minister of the French language, Mr. Roberge. That is interesting because I saw Mr. Roberge make a statement about the massive investment in Quebec's anglophones. I would like to hear my colleague's thoughts on that.

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Mr. Bernard Généreux

May/12/23 10:59:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, during the process, at the last minute, less than 12 hours before a meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, we were presented with a series of amendments proposed by the Government of Quebec, so we were able to speed up the bill's passage, because it was about Quebec's demands. Once again, it was a game of ping-pong between the two ministers, one in Quebec and one in Ottawa, who could not come to an agreement. That is pretty much what happened. The day before yesterday they were once again patting each other on the back while holding a falcon. Maybe they will be less happy three months from now, I have no idea, but one thing is certain. We in the Conservative Party will listen to Quebec, and we will solve this bill's problems in the future.

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Mr. Irek Kusmierczyk (Windsor—Tecumseh, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:00:12 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the incredible nurses and nurse practitioners in my community of Windsor—Tecumseh and to say thanks for their dedication, talents and compassion. On Monday, our community gathered to recognize nurse practitioner Mary Cunningham as the recipient of the Lois Fairley Nurse of the Year community service award. Mary, reflecting on her 46-year career of service above self, much of it taking care of the most vulnerable in the intensive care unit, says she always wanted to be a nurse, since she was a little girl. “I think when you touch people’s lives and you can help people, there’s nothing more rewarding than that”, says Mary. Nursing is a calling, and nurses are our angels. To Mary, my wife Shauna and all the incredible nurses and nurse practitioners who look after our community, we wish them a very happy National Nursing Week.

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Mr. Dane Lloyd (Sturgeon River—Parkland, CPC)

May/12/23 11:01:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, wildfires continue to ravage communities across Alberta, including in Parkland, Yellowhead, Brazeau County and Drayton Valley. A state of emergency is in place and many residents have evacuated to the towns of Stony Plain and Spruce Grove. Last weekend, our community stepped up to help the evacuated families by hosting a pancake breakfast at the Stony Plain Legion. I would like to thank all the volunteers who showed up, including Roger Hebblethwaite and Kristine Alex, as well as those from the Stony Plain Legion and the Kinsmen Club. I also want to thank our generous local businesses like Freson Bros., the Grove RV and the Co-op for their generous support. While there has been some rain, the situation remains volatile. I want to thank Parkland Mayor Allan Gamble, MLA Shane Getson and their teams for their leadership. Finally, I also want to thank all of our first responders, particularly our newly deployed Canadian Forces members, for their assistance at this terrible time. This is truly an all-of-Canada effort, and I am so proud of my community for stepping up to help our neighbours in their time of need.

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Mr. Paul Chiang (Markham—Unionville, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:02:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, today I rise to pay tribute to all mothers across Canada who will be celebrating Mother’s Day this weekend. As we celebrate this special occasion, I cannot help but reflect on the immense contributions of mothers across Canada. As a member of Parliament, I am privileged to represent the values and aspirations of my constituents, but today I want to take a moment to recognize the hard work and dedication of my wife, Monica, who is the mother of three and grandmother of six. She has been a source of inspiration and strength for our family, and her selflessness and devotion to our children and grandchildren have been unwavering. Indeed, mothers everywhere play an essential role in shaping the lives of their children and building strong families and communities. They provide care, support and guidance to their children, and they instill the values that shape their character and shape our future. On Mother's Day, let us celebrate and appreciate the countless contributions of mothers in our lives. Let us honour them, cherish them, and give them the respect they deserve. I wish a happy Mother's Day to all.

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Mr. Blake Desjarlais (Edmonton Griesbach, NDP)

May/12/23 11:03:34 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the out-of-control wildfires in western Canada have forced thousands of my fellow Albertans from their homes. Even worse, many have no homes left at all, like one of my elders, Harry Supernault. A retired community leader and constantly hard-working man, he carved his home out of the bush in the East Prairie Metis Settlement. He has raised his children and his grandchildren on that land, passing down many invaluable indigenous teachings, his home now reduced to ash. My friends, let me be clear, this crisis is the product of the deadly combination of climate change and UCP austerity. The UCP's cuts to first responders and firefighter programs, like the rappel program, have undoubtedly left Albertans with less protection. Albertans are paying for the Conservatives' dismantling and defunding of first responders. To Harry and to folks like him, I say, “We are with you. Stay strong, and we will rebuild.”

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Ms. Anita Vandenbeld (Ottawa West—Nepean, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:04:41 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to highlight the contributions to Have a Heart Day of students in my riding attending Dr. F. J. McDonald Catholic School, École élémentaire publique Charlotte-Lemieux and École élémentaire publique Mamawi. This annual event is organized by the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society and dedicated to indigenous reconciliation. On Have a Heart Day, these engaged youth took the initiative to write to our Prime Minister to plead for lasting and positive change in the lives of Inuit, Métis and first nations children. It is heartwarming to know that youth are fighting for justice. Seeing the energy and determination of these young people, I am convinced that our future is in good hands.

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Mr. Mel Arnold (North Okanagan—Shuswap, CPC)

May/12/23 11:05:42 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, this week we lost another police officer, and two more were injured in the line of duty. Sergeant Eric Mueller lost his life while working to keep his community safe. Our condolences go to his family and the entire law enforcement community. We wish for a speedy recovery for the other officers injured. Across the country, this week in Vernon, B.C., the RCMP and School District No. 22 are partnering to hold the Jean Minguy Memorial Youth Academy, in honour of RCMP Constable Jean Minguy, who lost his life in an accident while on duty in 2005. The academy provides an opportunity for candidates to explore law enforcement in a hands-on, simulated police academy format. It is my hope that the candidates' experiences will lead to a bright future in law enforcement. I also hope that we, as legislators, can work with law enforcement agencies to draft and amend effective laws that will keep our officers and our communities safe in the future.

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Mr. John Aldag (Cloverdale—Langley City, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:06:49 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, the John and Muriel Arnason Award is granted to a couple who “serve together to make the Township of Langley a better place through charitable, philanthropic, or other means”. This year’s recipients were Township of Langley residents Darcy and Manjit Gill. Since 1994, Darcy and Manjit have both been actively volunteering in the community and have made a significant difference in people’s lives. They are or have been involved with the Langley Memorial Hospital Foundation, Langley Meals on Wheels, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, the B.C. Cancer Society, and the list goes on. Even right now, every week, Manjit delivers meals to students at HD Stafford Middle School. Our community is very grateful to this couple. I congratulate Darcy and Manjit on this recent recognition. Their work makes our community a better place. I would like to take this opportunity to wish all moms, including mine, a happy Mother's Day.

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Ms. Ruby Sahota (Brampton North, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:07:42 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize Leo O'Brien, a resident of Brampton North, for his tireless efforts to protect the environment and the turtles that call Heart Lake home. Heart Lake Road divides a conservation area from a marshy wetland. With an increase in traffic, the community noticed a spike in deaths of wildlife on the road. This, of course, prompted Leo into action. He recruited a team of volunteers to do the arduous task of gathering data by tracking how many and what type of amphibians and other animals were being killed by vehicles. This involved even having to scrape dead turtles off the road and meticulously catalogue them. This sad and often gruesome task played a vital role in understanding the impact on the local ecology, which led to the approval of the installation of an eco fence, a huge victory for Leo and the team of turtle troopers, but also for Bramptonians. As a community, we are fortunate to have someone like Leo. I want to commend him for his hard work, his passion and his unwavering commitment to the environment. I hope his example will inspire others to take action to protect our planet.

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Mrs. Karen Vecchio (Elgin—Middlesex—London, CPC)

May/12/23 11:08:53 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, Mother's Day is a day to celebrate and honour mothers and mother figures for the love, support and care they provide to their children and families. It is a day to appreciate the hard work and the sacrifices mothers make to raise their children and maintain their households. The day also recognizes the many different forms of motherhood, including stepmothers, foster mothers, adoptive mothers and grandmothers. Mother's Day is essential because it promotes gratitude, respect and love towards the most important women in our lives and strengthens the family bond. It is also an opportunity to reflect on the importance of maternal figures and the impact they have on our society. On a personal note, it is a day when I reflect on the love of my family: my children, who have made me the woman I am today and have given me a reason to fight for this country. To my own mother, I say, “I love you. I thank you for always having my best interest, and for the love and support you have always provided to me. I know you are watching today. Happy Mother's Day.” To all the mothers abroad and here in Canada, I wish them a happy Mother's Day.

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Mr. Gary Anandasangaree (Scarborough—Rouge Park, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:10:03 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I rise today to highlight Canada’s continued support for the vital work of the International Criminal Court. Last week, the Minister of Justice and I had an opportunity to meet with Mr. Karim Khan, chief prosecutor of the ICC, on his first official visit to Canada. Canada has been a leader in supporting the ICC since its inception, and we continue to support its efforts in bringing those who commit atrocities and crimes to justice. Victims, survivors and their families deserve to know the truth and have a path toward justice. While much work remains ahead, I am encouraged by the leadership and the relentless commitment of Karim Khan toward pursuing accountability. I would like to thank and salute Karim Khan and all of the staff at the ICC for their tireless efforts to ensure that independent and impartial investigations are undertaken and the pursuit of justice is at the centre of their work.

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Mr. Ziad Aboultaif (Edmonton Manning, CPC)

May/12/23 11:10:59 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, as wildfires rage across Alberta, the people of Edmonton have opened their doors and their hearts to those fleeing the devastation. Adversity brings out the spirit of community adopted by the pioneers who settled our province in the face of much hardship. Many times, we have no control over the situations we find ourselves in, but we can control our response. Canadians come together in a crisis. We support each other, because that is the Canadian thing to do. Albertans and Canadians understand the need to work together. I am grateful to those across the country who have travelled to Alberta to aid the firefighting efforts. On behalf of everyone in Alberta, I want to thank those from other provinces and territories for standing with us to fight the wildfires. I hope the federal government will do the same.

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Mr. Colin Carrie (Oshawa, CPC)

May/12/23 11:11:59 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, under the Prime Minister, life in Oshawa costs more. Housing is through the roof, food costs are up and this tired, expensive government is out of touch. While Oshawa seniors struggle, the Prime Minister takes his private jet to New York to take selfies with his rich friends, or to one of five vacations this year alone. Who pays for this Hollywood lifestyle of his? It is Canadians and his Trudeau Foundation donors, of course. While the Prime Minister lives it up, seniors are paying twice the amount for rent and have to choose between food and energy. With the new carbon tax, gas will go up another 41¢ per litre. To make things worse, the Liberals' catch-and-release “justice” makes our streets less safe, and by decriminalizing hard drugs, we are seeing record overdoses and violent crime skyrocketing. Why will he not put the needs of victims ahead of the rights of repeat violent offenders? Oshawa needs a Prime Minister who works for them, not a Prime Minister who is out of the country and out of touch while Canadians are out of money.

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Mrs. Élisabeth Brière (Sherbrooke, Lib.)

May/12/23 11:13:12 a.m.
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Re: Bill C-311

Mr. Speaker, I join my voice to that of my many colleagues who are concerned about the Conservatives' Bill C‑311, which is an attempt to reopen the abortion debate. Our government will always protect access to abortion and affirm that it is an essential right for women's health. In budget 2023, we committed to pay Health Canada $36 million to renew funding for sexual and reproductive health and to guarantee access to sexual and reproductive health care for vulnerable populations across the country. Since 2015, we have invested more than half a billion dollars in international aid for reproductive health and we have expanded access to the morning-after pill. In Canada, our mothers fought hard for their rights until abortion was decriminalized in 1988. That said, the fight for women's rights is far from over. On this side of the House, it is crystal clear, we are proudly pro-choice and we always will be.

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Ms. Rachel Blaney (North Island—Powell River, NDP)

May/12/23 11:14:18 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, hearing a parent say, “Once they are dead, there is no helping them” is terrible. Across Canada, so many people have lost their loved ones to the toxic drug crisis. In the past six years, nearly 25,000 Canadians have died of apparent overdoses. Moms Stop the Harm is fighting back, in the name of the precious children they have lost, using all that pain to take action for every opportunity to save a life. A recent report by the Mental Health Commission of Canada and the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction found that fewer than one in four people with problematic substance use accessed services. Many constituents have talked to me about safe consumption, knowing that safe supply is there to address what is killing their loved ones, the toxic drug supply. This is not a treatment for addiction; it is an intervention to keep people alive. There is nothing I would not do to keep someone alive long enough to consider treatment. To save lives, we must stop the stigma.

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Mr. Jean-Denis Garon (Mirabel, BQ)

May/12/23 11:15:28 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, from September 8 to 10, my hon. colleagues are all invited to Volaria, the biggest air show in Quebec. Drawing over 50,000 visitors last year, this proudly Mirabel-based festival is shooting for the moon for its second edition, with an open-air museum, breathtaking air shows, a futuristic showcase featuring the latest advances in aerospace technology, a job fair, a family zone, a gourmet food court and more. The festival has everything visitors could want to make their weekend unforgettable. To top it all off, the Volaria festival has secured level 3 carbon accreditation. Everyone knows how strongly I feel about developing Mirabel's aviation industry. I talk about it often in the House. From providing jobs to promoting the future of the Mirabel airport and our aviation sector, this event is extremely important to local residents. This summer, I urge everyone to make room in their schedule for the Volaria festival and prepare to be amazed. Everyone is welcome.

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