A Liberal MP created an outcry after calling a witness who made a link between the “overfunding” of English-speaking post-secondary institutions and the anglicization of Quebec a “full of crap,” in the middle of the official languages committee.
“The fact that a university teaches English in Montreal, which is a speech I have heard since I was 40, I have heard it since I was one year old, that because of English-speaking universities, the fact that they are in the process of anglicizing Montreal, you are, excuse me, but you are full of shit,” said Franco-Ontarian Francis Drouin to independent researcher Frédéric Lacroix on Tuesday.
Mr. Drouin immediately withdrew his comments, but the damage was done.
Bloc member Mario Beaulieu quickly denounced an attempt to “intimidate” the witness. “Raising your voice, treating the guests like crap, all that… it’s Quebec-bashing that he is doing.”
“This is exactly what we often see among liberals. If we want fair funding, we attack or we are extremist,” added Mr. Beaulieu.
“I think that the Official Languages Committee cannot accept this speech towards our witnesses,” retorted Conservative MP Joël Godin. “We must respect our witnesses. If we do not share their opinion, we have the right, we are not of unique thought.
The video has been circulating on the web since Tuesday morning, and several elected officials have since expressed their dismay. Bloc member René Villemure believes that Justin Trudeau must “demand an apology from his MP.”
The crux of the debate lay in the potential for anglicization represented by English-speaking universities and colleges in Quebec, as well as their funding deemed “unfair” compared to French-speaking institutions.
Researcher Frédéric Lacroix was called to testify to demonstrate, supported by Statistics Canada figures, that the “overfunding” granted to English-speaking institutions leads many French-speaking and allophone-speaking people to lead their lives in English after their studies, even in Quebec.
In the eyes of Francis Drouin, Mr. Lacroix made “extremist remarks”.
“What I’m telling you is that if you think that because McGill or Dawson are learning English in Montreal, that they are anglicizing Quebec in its entirety, you are in the field of potatoes, and worse not almost,” said Francis Drouin.
“I am Franco-Ontarian, I have plenty of English-speaking universities. I find this speech insulting and which lacks intellectual respect for reality, what is happening at the international level.
Frédéric Lacroix, author of the book “Why Bill 101 is a failure,” defended himself by explaining that the figures were drawn from Statistics Canada, “an organization that is probably extremist in your eyes.”
“I didn’t want to publicize this incident but here it is. This MP lost his mind while I was talking about the OQLF and Stat Can studies establishing the link between post-secondary studies in English and the language of work, of the public space”, reacted on X the researcher and activist for French.
Francis Drouin’s office had not responded to our request for comment as of this writing Tuesday.
