LANG Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion from the Bloc Québécois

The Bloc Québécois would first like to thank all of the witnesses who appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages during the tour and at public hearings in Ottawa.

The Bloc Québécois supports the report’s objectives and applauds all parliamentarians for their concern about the future of official-language minority communities, especially French-language ones, in Canada.

The situation of the anglophone minority community in Quebec cannot be compared to the francophone minority community in the rest of Canada, which is threatened by assimilation and whose language of use has been at risk over the years. Moreover, the anglophone minority in Quebec has become almost as large as the francophone minority across all of Canada combined.

The challenges these two communities face are therefore very different. It seems simplistic to us to make recommendations that ignore these differences. Furthermore, the anglophone community in Quebec has a comprehensive school system including three universities, health facilities and a wide range of English radio stations and television channels, which is not the case for francophones in English Canada. We believe that the passage of Bill 101 in Quebec led to a particular sensitivity to the treatment of the linguistic minority in Quebec. It is therefore understood that, while the public language is French, the rights of the English minority will be respected and protected. Francophone communities face far greater challenges.

Risks of centralization

The Bloc Québécois notes that the Committee’s work and recommendations often addressed issues under provincial jurisdiction. Health, education, culture and regional development are good examples of this. The Committee’s recommendations therefore frequently tend to be too centralist and disrespectful of areas of provincial responsibility. The Bloc Québécois has always argued that jurisdictions must be respected and questions the direction of this report.

With respect to Quebec, the Bloc Québécois demands full control and the right to opt out with compensation, as the case may be, for all recommendations addressing sectors having provincial responsibility.

However, if we can have agreement among the provinces, the Bloc Québécois believes that, in the interest of francophone communities and given the risks they face, the report’s recommendations are constructive and could effectively contribute to the development of these communities.

However, we feel that the solution cannot be found at the federal level and that the provinces must work hard so that their minority communities develop and flourish. Francophone communities are full of drive and evolving, connected to the new realities of the 21st century and vital to English Canada and Quebec. They are a unique voice that we must continue to defend and make heard everywhere.

Francophone communities contribute to the influence of French throughout North America and around the world. They are a living example of the need for and importance of cultural diversity. The Bloc Québécois will continue to defend francophones across Canada, as it has always done.

The Bloc Québécois hopes this report will help enhance their vitality.