“Full of shit” | An assembly of parliamentarians will hold an extraordinary meeting on Francis Drouin

(Ottawa) Franco-Ontarian MP Francis Drouin is not at the end of his troubles. Calls for his resignation from his position as president of the Canadian section of the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie (APF) will be directly reflected in the organization’s authorities, while an extraordinary general assembly has been convened to discuss the question.

“We are going to table a motion which will ask that the members decide on the resignation of Mr. Drouin,” confirmed Friday to The Canadian Press the Bloc member René Villemure, one of the two vice-presidents of the Canadian branch of the parliamentary organization.

Mr. Villemure – who signed with 16 other Bloc colleagues a letter requesting the meeting – judges that the file did not end with the apologies presented Thursday “with immense reluctance” by Mr. Drouin for having described as “full of shit” and “extremists” two witnesses who campaign for the protection of French in Quebec.

Three days earlier, the two witnesses, an independent researcher and a CEGEP professor, had explained, based on Statistics Canada data, that when a Francophone or an allophone attends an English-speaking university or CEGEP, this increases significantly the probability of leading one’s life in English.

During this stormy meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, MP Drouin made the controversial remarks after asking them if they sincerely believe “that the big problem with anglicization in Quebec is McGill and Dawson College.”

However, although Mr. Drouin apologizes for not having offered the witnesses “a respectful environment” with regard to the words spoken, “the depth of his thoughts remains no less” since he continues to deny “ the facts” and “trivializing” the fate of the Francophonie, argues Mr. Villemure.

He considers this “unacceptable, period” for the man he describes as “Canada’s first elected diplomat” in matters of the Francophonie. Mr. Drouin not only serves as president of the Canadian chapter of the APF, but he is also president of the organization internationally.

After apologizing, MP Drouin told reporters that “I said everything I had to say” when asked if he intended to resign as president.

The member for Trois-Rivières said he was “surprised” to reach the point of asking for a vote and implored his colleague to accept “the only verdict that is required” by leaving on his own. “It’s better than being dismissed,” he said.

For the moment, the leaders of the Bloc Québécois and the Conservative Party of Canada, Yves-François Blanchet and Pierre Poilievre, have spoken in the House to demand that Mr. Drouin resign from his functions at the APF, but the Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his ministers continue to defend him tooth and nail, noting that their colleague apologized.

In a written statement, the spokesperson for the New Democratic Party on official languages, Niki Ashton, indicated Friday that she “difficult to see” how Mr. Drouin could remain president of the APF “after having lacked respect and treated witnesses like that.”

The statutes of the Canadian section of the APF specify that “any senator or deputy” can be a member. It is not required that they speak French.

The Parliament of Canada page dedicated to the organization reveals that it had 88 members as of Friday morning. A calculation carried out by The Canadian Press reveals that 48.9% of members are Bloc or Conservatives.

Parliamentarians can become members up to seven days before the meeting. Mr. Villemure also noted that five members have been added since the start of the week.

The notice of meeting, which was sent Thursday evening in French, but also in English, specifies that the meeting must be held on Thursday, May 23, at 6:30 p.m.