Girard says he knows English speakers are dissatisfied with tuition increases

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QUEBEC – The minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers acknowledged Tuesday that the government’s decision to increase university fees for out-of-province students has generated discontent in the community, despite his promise to fix the relations after the adoption of Bill 96.

But Eric Girard repeated that he does not believe his job is to lobby the community in cabinet, just to make sure the Anglophone point of view is heard.

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He said that although he hasn’t made the headlines, he and the English Language Secretary have been working behind the scenes to improve the lives of English-speaking Quebecers. He said the government has approved plans to ensure English-speaking Quebecers have access to health care in their language.

And revealed the network of Wellness programs for seniors (community-run programs that help maintain the health and well-being of English-speaking seniors) have proven such a success that the government has added $1 million to the program for 2024-2025.

The number of programs will increase from 73 to 124 in 16 Quebec regions, Girard said in response to questions from Jacques-Cartier MP Greg Kelley during the annual evaluation of Girard’s ministry spending by a committee of the National Assembly.

“In this area, we’ve been able to do big things with small amounts,” Girard said. “We do not measure the success of this secretariat by the noise it makes. “These programs have proven their value.”

In fact, in the last budget the total funding of the secretariat was increased, as Girard, who is also Minister of Finance, explained to the committee. For the period 2024-2025, financing will amount to $13.3 million.

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But Kelley used his time in the debate to remind Girard of the promise he made to improve relations with the English-speaking community after the adoption of controversial laws like Language Bill 96 and Language Bill 21. state secularism.

Girard made the promise in a 2022 interview with the Montreal Gazette, shortly after Premier François Legault appointed him to the position Legault held during the first term of the Coalition Avenir Québec government.

It wasn’t long after the interview that the government decided to increase university tuition for out-of-province students, a move that McGill and Concordia University condemned because it jeopardized their finances.

Girard responded that the government tried to reach a compromise by reducing the increase and partially exempting Bishop’s University, but knows that “universities are still dissatisfied.”

“I know very well,” he said before adding that he cannot comment further because the matter is now before the courts.

Kelley later reminded him that there have been reports of anglophones having had problems obtaining services in English since the adoption of Bill 96, including being forced to wait for French death certificates before closing deals after the death of a loved one because a certificate in English is not considered legal. under Bill 96.

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Kelley said he has heard reports from some anglophones complaining about encountering bureaucratic obstacles at the Société de l’assurance automobile du Québec (SAAQ), which has asked some citizens to prove they were entitled to receive services in English.

Girard responded that he believed these were “unfortunate incidents” and repeated that anyone who received services in English before the adoption of House Bill 96 is entitled to the same services today.

“It is not our intention to not provide services to citizens,” Girard said.

The committee’s Quebec solidarity member, Alejandra Zaga Méndez, returned to an issue that dominated last year’s spending hearings: the high unemployment rate of English-speaking Quebecers compared to francophones.

A 2023 study by the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) revealed that while the unemployment rate for Francophones was 6.9 per cent, it was 10.9 per cent for English-speaking Quebecers. It is even higher in regions such as Gaspé and North Shore (18.7 percent).

As he did last year, Girard said he hopes the situation will change as the economy improves, but said the department is working with community groups to boost access to support services for English speakers.

“We have to do more,” Girard said, referring to Anglophone unemployment. “In today’s economy (with a labor shortage) we need everyone. Anglophones are part of it. “It is in the best interests of Quebec.”

He admitted, however, that the number of English speakers working in the public sector remains a dismal one percent.

He noted that he himself tried to hire an English-speaking person to work in his Ministry of Finance, but failed, to which Kelley said that there are many top finance specialists from McGill and Concordia who would be willing to work.

At the same hearing process last year, Girard said he wanted to hear new ideas about how to improve public sector diversity.

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