LANG Committee Report

BLOC QUÉBÉCOIS DISSENTING OPINION TO THE STANDING COMMITTEE ON OFFICIAL LANGUAGES STUDY OF IMMIGRATION AS A DEVELOPMENT TOOL IN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE MINORITY COMMUNITIES

First of all, the Bloc Québécois would like to thank all the witnesses who appeared before the Committee during its study of immigration as a development tool in official language minority communities.

The Bloc Québécois has always been committed to defending the interests of Canada’s Francophone and Acadian communities, while also recognizing the rights of Quebec’s Anglophone minorities.

Nevertheless, due to the numerous recommendations that clearly constitute interference in Quebec’s areas of responsibility and jurisdiction, we cannot support the Standing Committee on Official Languages report before us.

First of all, proposals such as recommendations 3 and 4 completely ignore Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction. Under the Constitution and the Canada-Quebec Accord of 1991, the federal government is required to fully respect Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction, in particular as regards the integration of immigrants. The Bloc Québécois does not consider this prerogative to be negotiable.

At the same time, as to the foundations that underpin Francophone and Anglophone minority communities in Canada, we reject the notion of symmetry put forward in this study. Such an approach effectively asserts that all official language minority communities in Canada are the same. Since Anglophone and Francophone minority communities face different circumstances and challenges, the Bloc Québécois cannot accept this approach.

Special status of French

The Bloc Québécois has repeatedly reminded the federal government and its decision-makers of the need to review federal language policies based on bilingualism, as they fail to recognize the specific, difficult and uncertain circumstances of Canada’s Francophone communities, and to recognize the special situation in Quebec, where the services available to Anglophones are superior to those available to Francophones elsewhere in Canada.

The situation of Quebec’s Anglophone minority cannot in any way be compared with that of Canada’s Francophone communities, which over the years have seen their language come under threat and which face strong assimilation pressures.

Since the challenges faced by these two communities are very different, we consider it simplistic and inappropriate to make recommendations that ignore these differences. After all, Quebec’s Anglophones are part of Canada’s linguistic majority and therefore do not constitute a minority as defined in international law.

In view of the decline experienced by Francophone minority communities, their situation cannot be compared with that of Quebec Anglophones, who have their own well-established institutions. Quebec’s Anglophone community, for example, has its own education system, including three universities, health care institutions, and a wide range of English-language radio stations and television channels. This is not the case for Francophones in English Canada.

The adoption of Bill 101 in Quebec led to heightened awareness of the treatment of Quebec’s linguistic minority. As such, it is understood that while the public language is French, the rights of the Anglophone minority will always be respected and protected. The challenges that Francophone minorities in Canada face are much greater.

Respect for Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction

The Bloc Québécois notes that the Committee’s work and the recommendations in its report focus too much on matters concerning the provinces and Quebec, even though the Canada-Québec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens of February 5, 1991 recognizes the need to “ensure the integration of immigrants in Quebec in a manner that respects the distinct identity of Quebec.” Education (recommendations 15 and 16), culture (recommendation 10), regional development (recommendations 11 and 12) are good examples of this.

All too often, the Committee’s recommendations show an inclination to deny “the distinct identity of Quebec” and are incompatible with the recognition of Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction. The Bloc Québécois will continue to tirelessly defend the recognition of Quebec’s areas of jurisdiction and thus condemns the direction this study has taken.

In this regard, we must point out that in matters of settlement and integration, Canada undertook to withdraw from the services to be provided by Quebec for the settlement and the linguistic and cultural integration of permanent residents in Quebec, and from specialized economic integration services. Moreover, “reasonable compensation”[1] is to be provided in exchange for withdrawal from these services.

The Bloc Québécois demands therefore that, where these recommendations pertain to matters under the National Assembly’s jurisdiction, full control be restored to Quebec and that the opting out formula with compensation be respected where applicable.

Some good points

In view of the threats to Francophone minority communities, depending on their particular interests, and to the extent that the provinces agree with the federal government, the Bloc Québécois considers the proposed recommendations to be constructive and acknowledges that they could indeed further the development of these communities.

Conclusion

In the opinion of the Bloc Québécois, claiming that both official language communities are faced with the same circumstances and challenges as regards settlement and integration is not the answer. Nor is centralization in Ottawa and encroachment on the jurisdiction of Quebec and the provinces. In our opinion, Québec and the provinces are in the best position to tackle these challenges themselves and to ensure that their minorities can express themselves and thrive.

Francophone communities contribute to the influence of French in North America and throughout the world. They are of great importance to English Canada, Quebec and all countries in La Francophonie. Vibrant and evolving, these communities offer a unique voice, which we must continue to defend and ensure that it can be heard everywhere.

Since Francophone communities represent a living example of the need for and relevance of cultural diversity, the Bloc Québécois will continue, as it has always done, to defend these communities everywhere in Canada.