Girard says he knows Anglophones are upset about tuition hikes

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QUEBEC – The minister responsible for relations with English-speaking Quebecers acknowledged Tuesday that the government's decision to increase university tuition for out-of-province students has sparked public outrage despite promises to restore relations after Bill 96 is passed.

But Eric Girard reiterated that he does not see it as his role to lobby for the community in the cabinet, only to ensure that the English perspective is heard.

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He says that even though it's not in the headlines, he's working behind the scenes with the English Language Secretariat to improve the lives of English-speaking Quebecers. He said the government has now approved plans to ensure that English-speaking Quebecers have access to health care in their own language.

And it launched a network of community-led programs to help maintain the health and well-being of English-speaking seniors – with the government adding $1 million to the program for 2024-2025.

The number of programs will increase from 73 to 124 in 16 regions of Quebec, Girard-Jacques-Cartier MNA said in response to questions from Greg Kelly during the National Assembly committee's annual cost estimate of Girard's ministry.

“In this industry, we've been able to do great things with little,” Girard said. “We do not measure the success of this secretariat by its noise. These programs have proven their worth.”

Overall funding for the secretariat was increased in the last budget, said Girard, who is also on the finance minister's committee. Funding for 2024-2025 is $13.3 million.

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But Kelly used his time in the debate to remind Girard of his promise to restore relations with the English-speaking community after the passage of controversial legislation like Language Act 96 and State Secularism Act 21.

Girard made the promise in an interview with a Montreal newspaper in 2022, shortly after Prime Minister François Legault appointed him to the position that Legault held in the first mandate of the Coalition Avenir Quebec government.

Shortly after the interview, the government decided to increase university tuition fees for out-of-province students, a move McGill and Concordia University condemned as it threatened their finances.

Girard responded that the government had tried to compromise by reducing growth and partially exempting Bishop's University, but he knew “universities are still unhappy.”

“I know very well,” he said, and could not comment further because the matter is currently in court.

Kelly later reminded her that since Act 96, there have been reports of Anglophones having trouble getting services in English, including having to wait for French death certificates before closing deals after a loved one died because the English certificate was not considered legal. According to Bill 96.

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Kelly said he has heard complaints from some anglophones that they faced bureaucratic stonewalling at the Société de l'assurance automobile du Quebec (SAAQ), which asked some citizens to prove they were entitled to services in English.

Girard responded that he believed these were “unfortunate events” and reiterated that anyone receiving services in English before Bill 96 was entitled to those services today.

“It is not our intention to not serve the citizens,” Girard said.

Alejandra Zaga Méndez, a Quebec union member of the committee, returned to a theme that dominated last year's eastern hearings: the unemployment rate of English-speaking Quebecers compared to francophones.

In 2023, a study by the Provincial Employment Roundtable (PERT) put the unemployment rate for francophones at 6.9 percent, compared to 10.9 percent for English-speaking Quebecers. It is even higher (18.7 percent) in regions such as the Gaspé and the North Coast.

Like last year, Girard said he hopes things will change as the economy improves, but said the secretariat is working with community groups to increase access to assistance services for Anglophones.

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

However, he admitted that the number of English speakers working in the public sector is one percent.

He has tried to recruit an anglophone to work in his finance ministry but has failed, Kelly said, adding that McGill and Concordia have plenty of top finance professionals willing to work.

During the same hearing process last year, Girard said he wanted to hear new ideas about improving the diversity of the public sector.

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