OTTAWA — The Minister of Official Languages, Randy Boissonnault, does not believe that studying in English encourages Anglicization, contrary to what was explained by witnesses described as “extremist” and “full of crap” by his colleague. Liberal and Franco-Ontarian Francis Drouin.
“No. I don’t think so because when we have French speakers studying in Alberta, like me, I did at the Saint-Jean campus, it has not made the province of Alberta French. And if we look at the number of students we have in Quebec, that doesn’t anglicize the province either,” he declared Wednesday.
Minister Boissonnault was commenting on the spat that occurred Monday at the official languages committee while two witnesses – a researcher and a CEGEP professor – explained that when a Francophone or an allophone attends an English-speaking university or CEGEP, this significantly increases the probability that he will then lead his life in English.
They had been invited to discuss with parliamentarians as part of a study on the financing of English-speaking post-secondary institutions in Quebec and French-speaking ones elsewhere in the country.
The words of the Franco-Albertan minister are “stupidity” in the eyes of the leader of the Bloc Québécois, Yves-François Blanchet. “Mr. Boissonnault revealed the abysmal depth of ignorance that Canada has about Quebec,” he said in the foyer of the House of Commons.
“No one thinks that studying in French in Alberta will ensure that people who leave university will work in French. There is no one who works in French in Alberta apart from French teachers. (…) Canada does not know Quebec and is not interested in it,” he insisted.
“Simplistic,” retorts Drouin
Wednesday morning, Mr. Drouin deplored that some “extrapolate” his remarks by affirming that he insults those who defend the French language. However, he judges that the two witnesses provided a “simplistic” explanation which is not “unanimously” within the research community.
“I went to school in English,” he told reporters. Am I an English speaker? Am I less French-speaking?
Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant for Quebec, Pablo Rodriguez, insisted that Francis Drouin is “a proud francophone who fought all his life for the right, for example, to educate his children in French “.
“And sometimes he gets a little carried away. He lost his temper. Those were not the best words he chose,” Mr. Rodriguez added.
The member withdrew his words immediately after uttering them in committee. He has never apologized and has indicated since Tuesday that he would “of course” agree to do so “if the two witnesses feel offended”.
“I have not had any official communication from the two people,” he said on Wednesday.
The Bloc leader could not believe this explanation. “Frankly,” he said. I insult someone and I tell the person I insulted that they have the burden of apologizing to me. Does he want him to wash his chariot too? There are limits!”
In Quebec, Prime Minister François Legault limited himself to saying that Mr. Drouin’s comments denote “a total lack of judgment.”
His Minister of the French Language, Jean-François Roberge, considers that the entire Liberal government of Justin Trudeau has “an examination of conscience” to do given that the Prime Minister himself refuses to “condemn” such “unworthy” comments .
“(Mr. Drouin) had a statistical, scientific, mathematical fact presented to him, and he responded with insults. Then, he was in a way defended or excused by the Prime Minister and by ministers,” lamented Mr. Roberge.
The Bloc attacks a Franco-Ontarian, says Trudeau
For a second day, the subject came up a lot during question period while the Bloc Québécois devoted all its questions to it.
“There was an excess of zeal for which he apologized and withdrew his comments,” Mr. Trudeau said. He said his government will defend French not only in Quebec, but elsewhere in the country as well, “something the Bloc can never do and never wants to do.”
The Prime Minister took the opportunity to accuse the Bloc of “attacking a Franco-Ontarian”. “They don’t like French speakers who speak French outside Quebec,” he said.
Mr. Blanchet retorted that not only does the Prime Minister “continue to endorse comments that make no sense,” but that he is now trying to divide “Francophones in Quebec and the rest of Canada.”
Since Tuesday evening, the Bloc has been distributing letters to push MP Drouin to resign not only from his position as president of the Canadian section of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF), but also to leave his functions on the stage. international, which implies that he is no longer at the head of the organization.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre followed in the footsteps of the Bloc on Wednesday in the Commons by denouncing the “filthy language” of someone who is also “a diplomat for Canada”.
“He only has one choice: to resign,” said Mr. Poilievre. Will the Prime Minister ask his friend to resign to show a little respect for the French-speaking world?
Mr. Trudeau replied that it is “finally” time for the Conservative leader to “be concerned about the fate of French in Canada”, then immediately confronted him about the long silence of his spokesperson on heritage matters, Rachael Thomas, when asked about the future of Radio-Canada.
Minister Roberge indicated that he is not ready to go as far as asking that Mr. Drouin leave the presidency of the APF at this stage.
