Hon. Bernadette Clement: I’d like to thank Senator Moncion for that tribute to Gisèle Lalonde, who was a wonderful woman.

Honourable senators, I rise today in honour of Franco-Ontarian Day, which is on September 25.

On this day, the green and white flag with the fleur-de-lys and the trillium is proudly raised, and students across the province will sing “Mon beau drapeau.” Allow me to share a few lines:

This land so white is where it all begins.

The families grew, there was lots of kin.

They raised their children until fully grown,

and against the conquerors they held their own.

This song tells the story of newcomers, colonizers hoping to leave their mark and build a community in a majority‑anglophone country. This battle, the battle of Franco‑Ontarians, is ongoing. New advocates are needed because, as we can see everywhere, those now championing the cause do not resemble those who came before them.

Go to a meeting of the Réseau de soutien à l’immigration francophone de l’est de l’Ontario or the Association des communautés francophones de l’Ontario, de Stormont, Dundas et Glengarry and you will see faces that look like mine. You will hear accents from all over the world. You will see the present and the future of the French language in this province.

My hope is that the francophonie in Ontario and Canada will flourish, because it is welcoming. Second-language speakers, who are so numerous in this place, will feel confident enough to express themselves in French. Anglophones will want to engage with francophone culture. There will be exchanges between Indigenous and francophone communities.

Make no mistake: not mentioning colonialism in our celebration of the survival of the francophonie is an omission I cannot accept. French is a colonial language. We cannot do better in the future unless we acknowledge our past. This country was already rich in culture and language before we, the colonizers, the settlers, arrived.

Today, francophones come from all over the world, they have identities and customs that are unique and valued for weaving together common cultures and traditions. My hope is that, if we embrace differences in others, the refrain of “Mon beau drapeau” might come to be interpreted a bit differently, that it will not just apply to those who arrived hundreds of years ago and their descendants. My hope is that it reflects the colour of the skin we are in today and that the pride this song refers to is shared by everyone, regardless of their skin colour, accent or origin.

As we have sung many times here in Ontario:

True to their past,

speaking a language of old.

Proud to have come and stayed,

and still be here after all these years.

Thank you.

Hon. Bernadette Clement: Welcome, minister.

According to Public Safety Canada’s 2020 annual report, in 2019-20 Indigenous offenders represented 26.1% of the total federal offender population, while Indigenous people make up only about 5% of the total population in Canada. In the federal prison population, Indigenous people account for 32% of incarcerated people.

Since Bill C-5 in its current form will not completely eliminate mandatory minimum penalties, which significantly contribute to the overincarceration of Indigenous and Black people, how is your government instead helping to resource Indigenous communities based on the priorities they have identified? What is your plan for meaningful consultation with the people who are impacted by your government’s policies?