QUESTION PERIOD — Canadian Heritage
Official Languages
May 7, 2024
Leader, an article in today’s La Presse is alleging that a Liberal MP intimidated and insulted witnesses who appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
The topic was funding for anglophone post-secondary institutions in Quebec and francophone ones in Canada. The Liberal MP insulted two witnesses who were advocating for the protection of French in Quebec. He accused them of making extremist statements and called them names so vile they don’t bear repeating here.
Isn’t the government embarrassed that one of its members made such comments and behaved in such a shameful way? When is the government going to censure this MP?
Thank you for your question. Every witness who appears before a committee of the Senate or the other place deserves to be treated with respect. I’m not aware of all the details you shared, but I do want to emphasize the importance of showing appropriate respect to the people who appear before our committees.
Will your government apologize for the MP’s blatantly inappropriate remarks?
I’m not in a position to answer that question, but I will reiterate that it’s unacceptable to treat anyone appearing before a parliamentary committee disrespectfully.
