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Minutes of Proceedings

44th Parliament, 1st Session
Meeting 54
Tuesday, March 21, 2023, 3:58 p.m. to 6:08 p.m.
Webcast
Presiding
René Arseneault, Chair (Liberal)

House of Commons
• Jean-François Pagé, Legislative Clerk
• Émilie Thivierge, Legislative Clerk
 
Library of Parliament
• Lucie Lecomte, Analyst
• Emilie Lusson, Research Assistant
Department of Canadian Heritage
• Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions
• Marcel Fallu, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act
• Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act
Department of Citizenship and Immigration
• Alain Desruisseaux, Director General, Francophone Immigration Policy and Official Languages Division
Department of Justice
• Warren J. Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector
Treasury Board Secretariat
• Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer
Pursuant to the order of reference of Monday, May 30, 2022, the committee resumed consideration of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts.

The committee resumed its clause-by-clause study of the Bill.

The committee resumed clause-by-clause consideration on Clause 21 of the Bill.

By unanimous consent, it was agreed to amend the text of the English version of the amendment adopted on Friday, March 10, 2023:

That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by adding after line 21 on page 12 the following: “(iii.1) restore and increase of the demographic weight of French linguistic minority communities,”

with the following:

That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by adding after line 21 on page 12 the following: “(iii.1) restore and increase the demographic weight of French linguistic minority communities,”

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by replacing lines 31 and 32 on page 13 with the following:

“(2) The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall take the measures necessary for the im‐”

The question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Marc G. Serré moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by replacing lines 31 to 33 on page 13 with the following:

“(2) The Minister of Foreign Affairs shall implement the commitment under subsection (1)”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Marc G. Serré and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Mario Beaulieu, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by adding after line 13 on page 14 the following:

“42.2 (1) The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that, within one year after this section comes into force,

(a) the translation, interpretation, sign-language interpretation and terminology services that the Translation Bureau provides to federal institutions under the Translation Bureau Act are hereafter provided free of charge;

(b) the duties and functions set out in subsections 4(1) and (2) of the Translation Bureau Act are carried out; and

(c) the Translation Bureau is given the mandate to use the Government of Canada's purchasing power to develop the Canadian language sector.

(2) The Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the Translation Bureau shall take such measures as they consider appropriate for the implementation of the commitments under subsection (1).”

The Chair ruled the proposed amendment inadmissible because it infringed on the financial initiative of the Crown, as provided on page 772 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by adding after line 13 on page 14 the following:

“42.2 (1) The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that, within one year after this section comes into force,

(a) the translation, interpretation, sign-language interpretation and terminology services that the Translation Bureau provides to federal institutions under the Translation Bureau Act are hereafter provided free of charge;

(b) the duties and functions set out in subsections 4(1) and (2) of the Translation Bureau Act are carried out; and

(2) The Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Public Works and Government Services and the Translation Bureau shall take such measures as they consider appropriate for the implementation of the commitments under subsection (1).”

At 4:14 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 4:22 p.m., the sitting resumed.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Clause 21, as amended, carried on division.

On Clause 22,

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing line 14 on page 14 with the following:

“22 (1) The portion of subsection 43(1) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:

43 (1) The Minister of Canadian Heritage shall take the measures necessary to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society and, without restricting the generality of the foregoing, may take measures to

(1.1) Paragraphs 43(1)(b) to (g) of the Act are re-”

Debate arose thereon.

Francis Drouin moved, — That the amendment be sub-amended by substituting the passage “shall take the measures necessary to advance” with the following: “, in advancing”.

After debate, the question was put on the subamendment of Francis Drouin and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6;

NAYS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5.

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin, as amended, and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Mario Beaulieu, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 7;

NAYS: Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 4.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended

(a) by replacing line 23 on page 14 with the following:

“of the Government of Canada, responsible for transparently admin‐”

(b) by replacing line 27 on page 14 with the following:

“and quasi-constitutional official language rights, while taking into account the rights granted under provincial and territorial linguistic regimes;”

(c) by adding after line 27 on page 14 the following:

“(c.1) provide this funding as transparently as possible, including by requiring that, after a test case is brought, the name of the funding recipients of the program referred to in paragraph (c) and the nature of the case be disclosed in the annual report of the independent organization, unless there are reasonable grounds to believe that the disclosure would cause harm to the recipients;”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Mario Beaulieu and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended

(a) by replacing line 27 on page 14 with the following:

“and quasi-constitutional rights of French linguistic minority communities in Canada;”

(b) by replacing lines 29 and 30 on page 14 with the following:

“governments to support the development of French linguistic minority communities generally”

(c) by replacing line 32 on page 14 with the following:

“municipal services in French and to”

(d) by replacing lines 38 to 40 on page 14 with the following:

“portunities for everyone in Canada to learn French and to foster an acceptance and appreciation of that language by members of”

(e) by replacing lines 44 to 46 on page 14 with the following:

“tions or institutions to provide services in French and to foster the recognition and use of that language;”

(f) by replacing lines 47 and 48 on page 14 with the following:

“(g) implement programs in support of French linguistic minority communities in Canada; and”

The Chair ruled the proposed amendment inadmissible because it was contrary to the principle of the Bill, as provided on page 770 of House of Commons Procedure and Practice, Third Edition.

Whereupon, Mario Beaulieu appealed the decision of the Chair.

The question: "Shall the decision of the Chair be sustained?" was put and the decision was sustained on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 10;

NAYS: Mario Beaulieu — 1.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing line 5 on page 15 with the following:

“sure public consultation and full consultation with each of the provincial and territorial governments in the development of policies”

The question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended

(a) by replacing line 5 on page 15 with the following:

“sure public consultation and separate consultations with the provincial and territorial governments in the development of policies”

(b) by replacing line 9 on page 15 with the following:

“public and the provincial and territorial governments relating to those policies and programs.”

The question was put on the amendment of Mario Beaulieu and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing line 6 on page 15 with the following:

“and review of programs relating to the achievement of”

The question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Mario Beaulieu, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 11;

NAYS: — 0.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 22, be amended by replacing line 8 on page 15 with the following:

“Canadian society and taking into account the specific need to protect the French language in Quebec and its status as the only official language in Quebec and shall provide information to the”

The question was put on the amendment of Mario Beaulieu and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu — 1;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 10.

Clause 22, as amended, carried.

On Clause 23,

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended by replacing lines 13 to 15 on page 15 with the following:

“shall adopt a policy on francophone immigration whose purpose is to restore and increase the demographic weight of French linguistic minority communities in Canada in order to enhance their vitality.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 4;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Mario Beaulieu, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 7.

Mario Beaulieu moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended by replacing lines 13 to 15 on page 15 with the following:

“shall adopt a policy on francophone immigration to re-establish and augment the demographic weight of French-speaking Canadians, including in Quebec, that respects the provisions of the Canada-Quebec Accord relating to Immigration and Temporary Admission of Aliens.”

The question was put on the amendment of Mario Beaulieu and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu — 1;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 10.

Arielle Kayabaga moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended

(a) by replacing line 15 on page 15 with the following:

“ties in Canada, including by restoring and increasing their demographic weight.”

(b) by deleting at line 17 on page 15 the word “and” after “(a) objectives, targets and indicators;”

(c) by adding after line 17 on page 15 the following:

“(b) mechanisms for information sharing and for reporting; and”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Arielle Kayabaga and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 10;

NAYS: Mario Beaulieu — 1.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended by replacing lines 18 to 20 on page 15 with the following:

“(b) a statement that the Government of Canada is committed to restoring and increasing the demographic”

The question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended by adding after line 22 on page 15 the following:

“(c) a statement that the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of francophone immigration to economic development.”

The question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was agreed to on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Richard Lehoux, Marc G. Serré — 10;

NAYS: — 0.

Joël Godin moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 23, be amended by adding after line 22 on page 15 the following:

“44.2 (1) Before disposing of federal real property or a federal immovable, the federal institution that manages it shall consult any official language minority school board or commission and any other interested official language minority community organizations that serve the area in which the property or immovable is located with regard to their needs and interests in relation to it.

(2) Before selling or leasing the property or immovable in question, the federal institution shall offer interested official language minority communities organizations

(a) in the case of property or an immovable whose area does not exceed 12 acres, the opportunity to purchase or lease it in whole or in part; or

(b) in the case of property or an immovable whose area exceeds 12 acres, the opportunity to purchase or lease up to 12 acres.”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Joël Godin and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Francis Drouin, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 6.

Clause 23, as amended, carried.

On Clause 24,

Anthony Housefather moved, — That Bill C-13, in Clause 24, be amended by replacing lines 7 and 8 on page 16 with the following:

“(b) the National Assembly of Quebec has determined that French is Quebec’s official language within its own sphere of jurisdiction;”

After debate, the question was put on the amendment of Anthony Housefather and it was negatived on the following recorded division:

YEAS: Anthony Housefather, Angelo Iacono, Arielle Kayabaga, Patricia Lattanzio, Marc G. Serré — 5;

NAYS: Niki Ashton, Mario Beaulieu, Bernard Généreux, Joël Godin, Jacques Gourde, Richard Lehoux — 6.

At 6:08 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.



Michelle Legault
Clerk of the committee