Mr. Speaker, today I would like to make some remarks about Bill C‑254, introduced by my colleague from Beauport—Limoilou. I am very pleased to see that the promotion of French is a priority for her, and I sincerely wish to continue working with her on this file.

This is a priority for our government. That is why, since 2018, it has been working hard to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act and its related instruments in order to protect the French language from coast to coast.

The reform document entitled “English and French: Towards a Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada” was tabled in the House last February by my hon. colleague the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages and proposes concrete legislative and administrative solutions to protect French across Canada, including in Quebec.

We recognize that there has been a decline in French in this province and across the country. Our bill to modernize the Official Languages Act seeks to remedy this.

This reform document presents a modernized vision of bilingualism to ensure the future of Canada's linguistic duality. It attests to our government's ambitious vision for the protection and promotion of French, whose survival we care about deeply.

Six proposed guiding principles can be found in this document. First, we are committed to recognizing the linguistic dynamics in the provinces and territories, as well as existing rights regarding indigenous languages, to promote a respectful Canada that is committed to building on its diversity.

We are also asserting our willingness to provide more opportunities for learning both official languages, which will help support English-speaking parents who are enrolling their children in French immersion classes to bolster the presence of French across the country.

We will be supporting the institutions of official-language minority communities, including post-secondary establishments, so that they keep reflecting the strength and resilience of these communities.

We are committed to protecting and promoting the French language throughout Canada, including in Quebec, as we recognize its particular situation within the North American context. The modernized Official Languages Act will recognize this and provide increased protection and promotion of the French language, most notably in the Canadian public service and in federally regulated institutions.

We will promote awareness and appreciation of both official languages within the public service by appointing bilingual Supreme Court justices, by strengthening the Treasury Board Secretariat's oversight function and the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

Finally, going forward, we propose reviewing the Official Languages Act at regular intervals to ensure it remains relevant to the rapidly changing Canadian society of the 21st century.

Among the proposed changes, the Government of Canada will adjust its interventions and take concrete measures to strengthen the place of the French language in private businesses under federal jurisdiction and in the fields of cultural and scientific research. This will be done while respecting provincial jurisdiction, as well as the existing rights of English-speaking minority communities in Quebec. Our government is committed to promoting linguistic duality. We will do so until Canadians no longer feel linguistic insecurity. This is a matter of respect and dignity for all Canadians, both English and French speakers alike.

I would also like to add that our most recent budgets outlined significant investment in the field of official languages, including $180.4 million over three years to support immersion programs to help increase the vitality of French in Canada. We are also putting forward $6.4 million over two years in order to proceed with the modernization of the Official Languages Act. Additionally, our budget includes a commitment to invest $121.3 million in minority-language post-secondary education, as well as $81.8 million over two years to support the expansion of educational and community space. This will help maintain the vitality of French across Canada.

Our reform document contains proposals that respond directly but are not limited to the concerns of the member for Beauport—Limoilou, since we intend to go even further. This document includes major proposals to protect and promote French in federally regulated private businesses both in Quebec and in regions across Canada with a high concentration of francophones.

What is more, a committee of experts, including members of the two linguistic communities, was implemented with the mandate to consider the subject and come up with options and recommendations for the government. We are listening carefully to that expert advisory committee's recommendations, and we are quickly approaching the time when this bill to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act will be introduced.

The Government of Canada believes federally regulated private businesses have an important role to play in the protection and promotion of the French language. That is why we have every intention to further regulate these businesses to promote and protect the use of French as a language of service in work.

That is also why our government established the aforementioned expert panel. Its work has helped our government create our vision for a modernized Official Languages Act further by including not only federally regulated private businesses in the province of Quebec, but also those within communities with a strong francophone presence established throughout Canada.

As the Government of Canada, we cannot in good conscience limit ourselves to Quebec. While I certainly support my hon. colleague's goal of protecting French in Quebec, our government firmly believes a Quebec-only approach does not work. We need to work with both linguistic communities across the country. In other words, while our goals are the same, we absolutely need to put forward a pan-Canadian approach.

We have repeatedly heard from Canadians that the modernization of the act is a priority in order to progress toward a quality of status and use between our two official languages, the ambition of a federal government aimed to do just that, supporting French in and outside of Quebec.

Our proposed measures to modernize the Official Languages Act includes the rights of workers in Quebec and in regions with a strong francophone presence to carry out their activities in French within federally regulated businesses. It would also prohibit discrimination against employees based on the sufficiency of their knowledge of a language other than French as well as the responsibility of employers to communicate with their employees in French in Quebec and in francophone designated regions. This would obviously benefit francophone Quebeckers but would not limit itself. It would also support all francophones across Canada.

Finally, as the member for the riding of Orléans, which has one of the biggest francophone populations in Ontario, I care a lot about protecting the French language.

The reform of the Official Languages Act will have a major positive impact on all francophones in Canada, whether they be in Quebec or in minority communities in other provinces.

As members can see, the modernization of the Official Languages Act is far reaching. The use of French in federally regulated businesses is certainly a part of that. The government believes it is important to take action to make these businesses promote and protect the use of French as a language of service and a language of work, both in Quebec and in regions across Canada with a high concentration of francophones.

Our government committed to introduce a bill to modernize the Official Languages Act in 2021, and we will keep our commitment. The measures set out in our reform document seek to do just that, and we would like to invite our colleagues in the House who have already spoken in favour of modernizing the Official Languages Act to work with us so that we can successfully reform Canada's linguistic framework.

Marie-France Lalonde

$481,938.00