Although Canada is officially a bilingual country, French is not always suitable for certain elected officials. On Thursday, in the middle of a parliamentary committee, an Alberta Conservative MP insisted that Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge answer her questions in English, causing consternation among many elected officials.
“I realize it is entirely your decision, we are a bilingual country, but if it is possible I would like to have it in English,” explained MP Rachael Thomas while addressing Minister St-Onge.
Ms. Thomas claimed the minister systematically answered her in French, even though she had no problem answering in English when the questions came from Liberal elected officials.
The Lethbridge MP had not yet completed her sentence when elected officials from the Bloc, New Democrats and Liberals took to the barricades. There were at least five people screaming, said Canadian Heritage Committee chairwoman Hedy Fry, who struggled to figure out who should speak first.
“Insulting”, “insulting”, “unacceptable”…
“What I heard is an insult to Quebecers, to French speakers,” reacted Martin Champoux, spokesman for the heritage bloc. Committee members and witnesses can speak in the official language of their choice, he recalled, adding that the interpreting service was extremely efficient and he used it regularly.
Ontario Liberal Lisa Hepfner made similar comments. “I don’t think we can ask him to respond in one language or another,” she said in French.
It’s offensive to anyone to question bilingualism in the country, added Canadian Heritage NDP critic Peter Julian.
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Peter Julian, NDP MP for Burnaby-New Westminster
Photo: The Canadian Press / Justin Tang
However, Representative Thomas did not say her last word. Instead of repeating her questions, she decided to repeat her request. “I’m just curious if you would be willing to answer in English,” she said.
This only reignited the outrage. “This demand from the Conservative Party of Canada goes against everything this country was founded on,” complained Liberal Michael Coteau.
This is simply unacceptable, he added. It should be noted that this should never happen in committee or in the House of Commons. This simply goes against our core values as Canadians.
The minister defends herself
The Chair of the Committee has repeatedly confirmed that the point of order is valid and that the Minister can speak in the official language of her choice.
Given the development of the discussion, MP Peter Julian of the New Democratic Party set out to enlighten the MP. Having grown up in an English-speaking environment and learning French at school, there are many occasions when the vocabulary of a language allows one to express oneself more easily in that language, and this is the principle of official bilingualism, he said.
In his opinion, it is absolutely reprehensible to question this idea. I cannot believe how radical and extreme this party has become since becoming an Honorary Member of Carleton [Pierre Poilievre] took the reins, he claimed.
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Minister Pascale St-Onge
Photo: The Canadian Press / Justin Tang
When testimony resumed shortly afterwards, Minister St-Onge explained in French that she was answering in her native language because she had great respect for the questions [sa] colleague and wants to make sure he uses the correct vocabulary and answers clearly and appropriately.
Later in the day she described Ms Thomas’s request as insulting.
I speak French, I’m from Quebec and I will spend my life defending the French language. […] We are lucky to be in a country that has two official languages […]. I will continue to speak in French.
In the face of the outcry, Ms Thomas eventually apologized in a letter addressed not to Ms St-Onge but to the chairman of the parliamentary committee.
As you know, the Conservatives support official bilingualism, the preservation of the French language in Canada and the right of Canadians to communicate in the language of their choice, she writes. I would like to ask you to convey my apology to the Minister and other members of the committee.
An “unusual wish,” according to an expert
The Constitutional Act establishes that French and English are the official languages of Canada, that they have equal status and equal rights and privileges with respect to their use in the institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada.
In an interview with Radio-Canada, Geneviève Tellier, a political science professor at the University of Ottawa, recognizes that this is an unusual request in Ottawa, particularly in a parliamentary committee.
Ministers are keen to answer in both languages when questioned in the House of Commons, she said, but not in a committee where the questions are much more technical and targeted.
The expert indicates that the Conservative MP probably wanted the minister’s answer in English to share on social networks.
“We’re probably looking for a phrase that we can use elsewhere that our voters might understand,” she explains.
With information from The Canadian Press and Laurence Martin