At least three federal ministers declare that the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada (PLC) must be fluent in French.
“It goes without saying that the next leader of the Liberal Party of Canada must be able to communicate in French and English, the two official languages of Canada,” published the Minister of Innovation, Economy and Development. Energy and MP for Saint-Maurice–Champlain in X last Friday.
François-Philippe Champagne is not the only one to have spoken out in this direction on January 10. Jean-Yves Duclos, the Minister of Public Services and Supply who also plays the role of lieutenant of Quebec, also insisted, in Elon Musk’s social network, that the next leader of the party be “imperatively” bilingual.
Respect and values
“It’s a question of respect and value,” he explained, stressing that the bilingualism of the next leader was “essential to maximize [ses] chances of winning the next elections.
The same day, Steven MacKinnon, Member of Parliament for Gatineau and Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour, echoed his brothers in arms in X.
“For me, bilingualism means appreciating the French fact in Canada, appreciating Quebec as a whole and all the communities in the country, whether French-speaking or English-speaking.”
François-Philippe Champagne has also affirmed that the future leader’s mastery of French should be good enough for him to be able to debate.
A controversial candidate
These positions are not trivial since the day before, the only candidate for the Liberal leadership, Chandra Arya, admitted not to speak French in addition to minimizing the importance of the language for Quebecers.
“For Quebecers and English speakers in Canada, it is not the language that is important, it is what we deliver to them,” declared the Ottawa MP in an interview given to CBC.
In 2023, the MP of Indian origin attracted attention by sponsoring a petition to ask the Trudeau government to cancel its proposed register of foreign agents.
See: Foreign interference: PLC leadership bid raises ‘red flags’
This opposition to the registry has raised red flags about foreign interference among experts.
