Hon. René Cormier: Thank you for your question, Senator Quinn.

I recognize your passion and dedication for New Brunswick, and I appreciate having received your very important question in advance, so I will make sure I answer it properly.

With respect to the current process of modernizing our country’s Official Languages Act, the OLLO committee has always been and will continue to be very sensitive to the issues affecting official language minority communities, such as francophones in New Brunswick. I can assure you that francophones outside of Quebec, along with the English linguistic minorities in Quebec, have been and will continue to be heard by our committee and their interests are taken into due consideration. Actually, they are at the core of Bill C-13.

For instance, between 2017 and 2019 our committee conducted a comprehensive five-part study on the perspective of Canadians on the modernization of the act, including those of official language minority communities. During that study, we heard from approximately 300 witnesses, including nearly 200 in committee sessions and in 100 informal discussions during our study missions, which were held actually in places like Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. Last year, as you mentioned, our committee conducted a pre-study of Bill C-13 where we have heard from organizations and experts on some of the provisions that will directly support the vitality and development of French and English linguistic minority communities in Canada, such as those related to positive measures to be taken by federal institutions. I invite you, senator, to consult our final report, which details some of the witnesses’ comments and observations in this regard.

Finally, concerning New Brunswick, it is not forgotten in Bill C-13. The province is explicitly mentioned six times in the bill, namely in the preamble and Part VII. It is mentioned that the Constitution provides that English and French are the official languages of New Brunswick and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the legislature and Government of New Brunswick, and that the Constitution provides that the English language linguistic community and the French linguistic community in New Brunswick have equality of status and equal rights and privileges.

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