CCP admits that criticizing answering a question in French in English was “unacceptable”

Photo: Justin Tang The Canadian Press The Conservatives have repeatedly insisted that MP Larry Brock has apologized.

Michel Saba – The Canadian Press in Ottawa

Published at 14:29 Updated at 16:07

• Canada

Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives believe that their Ontario colleague Larry Brock made “unacceptable” comments when, a week ago, he criticized in veiled terms, in the middle of the House of Commons, Minister Jean-Yves Duclos for having answered in French to a question asked in English.

“We recognize that the member should not have made those kinds of comments that created doubt. So, it’s unacceptable. Now, he has apologized,” Conservative official languages ​​critic Joël Godin said Thursday, after three hours of debate at the official languages ​​committee.

Mr. Godin, whose political party is trying every conceivable obstructionist maneuver to prevent his MP Brock from being blamed by the committee, implored the MPs around the table to water down their wine and find a way to allow him to “exit this impasse honorably.”

In the afternoon, during question period, Minister Duclos, who is also Justin Trudeau’s political lieutenant for Quebec, demanded, twice rather than once, that Mr. Brock rise in the House to apologize for “his anti-francophone remarks.”

Quebec Conservative Gérard Deltell told him that he sees through his game by trying to “focus people’s attention on their economic reality.” Mr. Brock, for his part, did not flinch.

It was Liberal MP Angelo Iacono, the same one who, last spring, declared that Quebec should be officially bilingual, who tabled, last Tuesday, the motion that initiated the paralysis that the Conservatives are now causing to prevent it from being voted on.

His motion condemns not only Mr. Brock’s remarks, but also his Alberta colleague Rachael Thomas, who in November 2023 asked Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge to answer her questions in English before a parliamentary committee.

“The Conservatives need to stop talking out of both sides of their mouths and take responsibility for their words,” Mr. Iacono said at the start of Thursday’s meeting. “The Conservatives have a recurring lack of respect for francophones.”

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The Conservatives have repeatedly insisted that Mr. Brock has apologized. However, the NDP official languages ​​critic, Niki Ashton, responded that “an apology on Twitter is not an apology in the House.”

“We're talking about a Conservative MP who has shown a flagrant lack of respect for the Francophonie,” she protested.

For the Conservatives, the Liberals have no lessons to give anyone, especially with two Quebec MPs, Anna Gainey and Emmanuella Lambropoulos, who don't even acknowledge the decline of French in Quebec.

In an interview with The Canadian Press, Mr. Godin explained that “being a parliamentarian doesn't make us perfect people,” that his colleague had a “mishap,” apologized, and that we have to move on.

Quebec MP Joël Lightbound reminded them, however, that the opposition “hardly” wanted Franco-Ontarian Liberal MP Francis Drouin to “throw himself in the tar and have feathers thrown at him” last spring after he called witnesses “full of shit.”

Obstruction 101

A total of about 3.5 hours of debate on the motion has taken place so far.

From the outset, Mr. Godin tried to rule the motion out of order, arguing that the committee would be “dictating the behaviour of a member of Parliament in the House of Commons,” but the Speaker ruled that there was no problem since the committee would not impose sanctions.

Mr. Godin then tried to have the decision overturned, and then to amend the motion so that the committee would express regret that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had appointed a governor general who did not speak French. It failed each time.

On Thursday, he announced that he had “both hands outstretched,” offering the Liberals that the committee would stick to reminding all MPs “of their right to speak in either official language at all times in Parliament.”

He also wanted to withdraw the condemnation of the remarks, the request that an apology be made in the House, and to criticize Mr. Poilievre for his “inaction […] in the face of his MPs’ repeated anti-francophone remarks.”

The “coureurs des bois”

During the debate, British Columbian Marc Dalton was called to the rescue to kill time, talking about everything and nothing for no less than an hour and 15 minutes. He notably discussed “the coureurs des bois” and found a way to supposedly quote “Jesus”.

Discussions are underway between the parties to try to find a compromise to amend the motion to “focus” on Larry Brock’s comments, Marc Serré, the parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Official Languages, said in an interview after the meeting.

“After today, I’m encouraged by the comments from the Conservatives here,” he said. “Maybe we shouldn’t paint all Conservatives in the same boat. […] Let’s be clear: apologizing to Twitter is not making an apology. Mr. Brock needs to take a little more responsibility.” »

Rather discreet during the discussions, the Bloc Québécois spokesperson for official languages, Mario Beaulieu, confirmed to The Canadian Press that he supports the original motion and that he considers the systematic obstruction “deplorable.”

“It's a bit of a reflection of what we see in the House: the Liberals and the Conservatives throwing mud at each other. But in reality, neither one nor the NDP wants to do anything for French in Quebec,” he said.

Under the rules, members can speak as long as they want on a motion. The committee's next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, and the chair has announced that he will not call the witnesses who are scheduled.