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Mr. Speaker, the member for Saint-Laurent's comments and lack of sensitivity about the decline of French in Quebec are shocking.

However, we have not seen very many Liberal members stand up to condemn her comments and even fewer Liberal members from Quebec. Their silence is disturbing and it confirms more and more what everyone is thinking: Many Liberal caucus members think the same way as the member for Saint-Laurent.

Will the Prime Minister do the right thing and immediately take the member for Saint-Laurent off the Standing Committee on Official Languages, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, the minister cannot even answer a simple question about removing the member for Saint-Laurent, who does not believe that French is in decline. That is what she thinks, and that is what the Quebec president of the Liberal Party thinks.

We will take no lessons from the minister of the two official languages or the Prime Minister when they claim to be defending francophones across the country, including in Quebec.

I would also like to hear the other members from Quebec stand up once and for all to defend francophones and Quebeckers. I am talking about members from Quebec like the members from Louis-Hébert, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, Compton—Stanstead, Sherbrooke, Brome—Missisquoi and Gaspésie—Les Îles-de-la-Madeleine.

They need to stand up and they need to condemn the comments—

Mr. Speaker, the Liberal member from Saint-Laurent shocked francophones when she called into question the decline of French in Quebec.

Privately, we are even hearing that other Liberals believe that French is not all that important. It was the Prime Minister who appointed the member to the official languages committee, and she no longer has the legitimacy to sit and remain on the committee.

When will he do what is required and immediately replace her on the Standing Committee on Official Languages?

Mr. Speaker, I have a simple question. Did the Minister of Official Languages know that WE Charity gave a contract to National to implement the scholarship program for the entire francophone sector in Quebec and across the country, yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, in this cabinet there are 11 Quebec ministers as well as other francophones: the Minister of Official Languages, the President of the Treasury Board, the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and political lieutenant for Quebec, the Minister of Transport, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Minister of Indigenous Services, the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Agriculture, the Minister of National Revenue, not to mention the Prime Minister, who is a Quebecker.

Why did not one of these people rise and state that it is unacceptable to award a contract without a bidding process to an organization that only works in English? It is unacceptable to all Quebeckers and francophones across the country. Did even one of these ministers rise to say that awarding a contract to the Prime Minister's friends was ill-advised?

Mr. Speaker, we are starting to see the pattern. The government awards a contract to an organization, which then subcontracts to friends of the government. I think all of the links are clear.

Here is a very simple question for the Prime Minister. Could he tell us whether WE Charity has repaid the $30 million? Is there anyone in this government, whether it is the clerk of the Treasury Board, one of the ministers responsible or the Prime Minister, who can tell us whether this $30 million, which belongs to the people of Canada, will be returned to the government's coffers? Yes or no?

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister burst out laughing at my simple but serious question, which I will now repeat.

What did the Prime Minister offer the leader of the Bloc Québécois to buy his vote and ensure that the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner will not testify about the “Trudeau II Report”, a report that clearly shows the Prime Minister interfered in our justice system?

Here is what his House leader told me: If you want to know, invite them out for a beer.

If a person has to go for a beer in order to talk to the government about national issues, that is totally irresponsible.

What did he offer the leader of the Bloc Québécois in exchange for his vote?

Mr. Speaker, the only job the Bloc Québécois and the Prime Minister are trying to save is the Prime Minister's job.

There is a scathing report called the “Trudeau II Report”. The Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner wants to appear and testify. All we want is to hear from the commissioner so he can answer questions on the report that found that this Prime Minister interfered in the justice system. This is not about jobs at SNC-Lavalin; this is about the Prime Minister's job.

What did he do to buy the Bloc Québécois's vote to keep the commissioner from coming to testify?

Mr. Speaker, last week the Liberal leader invited the leader of the Bloc Québécois to a private meeting to discuss the upcoming budget. Imagine meeting with a leader who wants to separate from Canada and who voted against a motion to question the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner on his devastating report on the Prime Minister. The Bloc was in favour of preventing the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner from testifying about the Prime Minister.

What did the Prime Minister offer the Leader of the Bloc to buy his vote this time?