SoVote

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

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

May/12/23 10:17:09 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I thank the minister for this presentation. I am disappointed that the minister truly believes what she is saying. She said that she incorporated everything that was in the white paper into Bill C‑13. The white paper said that the central agency should be the Treasury Board and that it should have full power over the entire act. That was written in the white paper. The minister also said that in the process of developing the bill, she considered all the requests submitted by organizations representing official language minority communities. The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, or the FCFA, has made one clear request. The entire act needs to be overseen by the Treasury Board. Why did the minister not simply extend the Treasury Board's responsibility to encompass the entire act? I have other questions. Regarding immigration, the minister said that, coincidentally, since 2023, there has been a 4.4% target. In the Liberals' marketing strategy this year, they note that, coincidentally, just as Bill C‑13 was being introduced, they reached the target. In the bill, the only thing the Department of Citizenship and Immigration needs to do is set targets and indicators. We all know that we are behind and that we have some catching up to do. The FCFA recommends an increase of 12% to 20% to make up for lost time. Who will make the Department of Citizenship and Immigration fulfill its commitments? Who in this government will hold the department accountable so that it meets its immigration targets?

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

Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor

May/12/23 10:19:14 a.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I would like to thank my colleague for his questions and his work on the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I think that co-operation really is key. We understand just how important our two official languages are to our beautiful country, and we can always do more. That is why we introduced an ambitious and robust bill. We often speak about stakeholders across the country. In recent months, the FCFA and many other stakeholders have asked us to pass this bill as soon as possible. They have also said publicly that it is a very good bill. With regard to the question about the Treasury Board, we made absolutely sure that the Treasury Board will play the role of coordinator for the act. In last fall's economic statement, we put money aside to ensure that the Treasury Board has the resources it needs to do its job. Let us also look at the matter of francophone immigration. I think that we were very clear in our bill that we want to ensure that we have a robust francophone immigration policy with targets, indicators and so on. Once again, we recognize that francophone immigration is very important to compensate for the demographic loss in this country. In addition to introducing this bill, we have made historic investments of $4.1 billion in the action plan, and that includes $137 million for francophone immigration. However, I do have a question for my hon. Conservative colleague. Will the Conservatives finally support Bill C‑13? The Bloc Québécois, the NDP and the province of Quebec say that it is a good bill. I hope my colleague will answer. Will they support it, yes or no?

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

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

May/12/23 1:12:04 p.m.
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Mr. Speaker, I have a quick question for my colleague. I was asking her about rights holders earlier. Now I have a question about the Treasury Board. The FCFA, which represents several organizations across Canada, asked that the Treasury Board be extended to the entire legislation. Why did my colleague vote with the Liberals again in the NDP-Liberal coalition?

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