Statement made on 24 November 2010 by Senator Maria Chaput
Hon. Maria Chaput:
Honourable senators, my question is for the Leader of the Government in the Senate.
Yesterday, I asked a question about an article that ran in La Presse newspaper on November 18, 2010, about French-language services before the Immigration and Refugee Board in Montreal.
Today, I have another question on the same subject for the Leader of the Government. The author of the article, who, as I said yesterday, is a lawyer specializing in immigration law, said it is getting harder and harder to obtain services in French in Montreal. He said:
It is unacceptable that anyone should have to fight to obtain acceptable services in French in Quebec in 2010.
The author asks why it is that people who land at Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport speaking neither French nor English are received by a francophone immigration officer, and will have their immigration file completed in English.
I would like to know if the Leader of the Government agrees that this situation is unacceptable and needs to be corrected. Can she get us more information on this matter?
Please click here to read the full text of the Senator's question