Photo: Adrian Wyld The Canadian Press The Trudeau government “doesn't care about the French fact in Canada,” accuses Conservative official languages critic Joël Godin.
Michel Saba – The Canadian Press in Paris
Published yesterday at 8:10 am
- Canada
As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau flies to France for the Francophonie Summit, the opposition accuses his government of dragging its feet in tabling the decrees and regulations that would allow the modernized version of the Official Languages Act — adopted in June 2023 — to come into force.
“When we have the will, the intention, we speed up the process. […] It shows that this government doesn’t care about the French fact in Canada, the French language and (its) decline, and that it is not consistent with its public discourse,” said Conservative official languages critic Joël Godin in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Up to three regulations and nine decrees are expected. These are “fundamental things,” insisted the Conservative MP.
One of these regulations will determine which are the famous “regions with a strong francophone presence” where, in addition to Quebec, it will be possible to work and be served in French in private companies under federal jurisdiction. Another will specify the fines that could be imposed on those who do not comply.
When the modernized law received royal assent, the Minister of Official Languages at the time, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, told reporters that it would be about two years before knowing its contents.
Initially, a spokesperson for his successor, Randy Boissonnault, refused on Wednesday to confirm that the initial schedule would be met, nor the more specific 18-month schedule agreed with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA).
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000“As soon as the mandatory stages of developing the various regulations are completed, they will be tabled in Parliament,” said press attaché Mathis Denis. He specified that “pre-consultations” took place “this spring,” that the drafting of the regulations is “underway” and that the government wants to “do things well.”
A government source, who was informed of the fears of opposition politicians and the organization that represents Francophones outside Quebec, however, on condition of anonymity, stated that officials working on the file estimate that a submission could take place in December.
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The president of the FCFA, Liliane Roy, who is accompanying the Prime Minister's delegation to the Francophonie Summit, said that it is “not normal” that it takes years to learn the regulations and decrees.
“We agreed with what we heard, the 18 months. We said 'ok' with all the elements that had to be done, but no more. But now, what we're being told is that we don't really know when the 18 months started,” laments Ms. Roy.
And while the time left for the Liberal government is more than uncertain, her fear is “that all the work that has been done will have to be redone,” she said.
Ms. Roy did, however, welcome the unveiling of a federal policy on Francophone immigration that presents “concrete measures” for the communities, including the establishment of an economic immigration program. “This is a direct result of the new law,” she said.
But regarding the Liberals' general lack of will to protect French, both the Bloc critic for international Francophonie, René Villemure, and the NDP critic for official languages, Niki Ashton, said they were on the same wavelength as the Conservative Joël Godin.
“The federal government in many areas is a government of announcements. “Projects are announced that are not followed up or a law is passed but not implemented,” Mr. Villemure mentioned.
He said he hoped that Mr. Trudeau's participation in the summit would be “beneficial” for him and that it would give him “a little boost,” although he is not counting on it too much.
For Ms. Ashton, the delay in implementing the law is simply “unacceptable.”
“The Liberals wanted to be able to check off the election promise (to adopt the modernization of the law), but not do the real work that is needed for the implementation […] as well as the funding,” she maintained.
She too fears the election deadline and the arrival, if the polls are true, of a Conservative majority government in Ottawa led by Pierre Poilievre. “We will see the same lack of respect, the same negligence, towards the protection of French that we saw during the Harper years,” she insisted.
Ms. Ashton fears cuts to support official languages and cuts at the public broadcaster Radio-Canada/CBC, in particular.