The committee was studying the draft regulations for the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act (UFPBA), with witnesses including Liane Roy and Alain Dupuis from the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA), Peter Hominuk and Sonia Behilil from the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario, and Eric Prud'homme and Christian Petit-Frère from the Canadian Bankers Association.
Liane Roy and Alain Dupuis of the FCFA argued that the draft regulations' criteria for designating regions with a strong francophone presence exclude many communities, such as Chéticamp, Nova Scotia, and urban centres like Toronto and Halifax, because they rely on census tracts rather than smaller dissemination areas. They recommended using dissemination areas with a 20% threshold, adding provincial capitals, aligning with provincial designations in Ontario and Manitoba, and including vitality criteria like historic communities and immigration hubs. They also proposed setting the minimum employee threshold at 25 across Canada, requiring a list of subject businesses be provided to the Commissioner of Official Languages, mandating a five-year regulatory review, and applying a non-reversal principle to prevent de-designation after demographic decline. They disagreed with the current approach's reliance on complaints, calling for proactive measures.
Peter Hominuk of the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario supported the FCFA's recommendations, emphasizing that the draft regulations' list of designated Ontario regions should be a minimum, not a maximum, and that many historic communities and urban areas like Toronto, Windsor, and Penetanguishene are excluded. He argued that the regulations should complement existing provincial frameworks, such as Ontario's French Language Services Act, to avoid confusion, and that implementation must not rely solely on complaints, as francophones in minority settings often switch to English out of habit or fear. He called for clear specification of designated regions and proactive enforcement, including an active offer of service in French.
Eric Prud'homme of the Canadian Bankers Association stated that banks already serve clients in French in regions like Quebec, New Brunswick, and eastern Ontario, and that digital platforms offer French-language options. He recommended tightening the criteria for designating regions with a strong francophone presence, particularly in very small areas where recruiting bilingual staff may be difficult, and urged flexibility in supervising francophone employees, such as allowing supervision from outside a designated region. He also stressed the need for an adequate implementation period, noting that two years is reasonable, and that small and medium-sized banks have fewer resources to comply. This testimony disagreed with the FCFA and Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario's calls for broader designation criteria.
A procedural debate arose when Joël Godin moved a motion to order the production of documents from a 2021 expert advisory committee on the modernization of the Official Languages Act, arguing it would inform the committee's work. Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault moved to adjourn debate, citing the committee's agreed priority of studying the UFPBA regulations and respect for the witnesses present, which was supported by a majority vote, ending discussion of the motion. Later, the committee discussed a media release for a report, with Mario Beaulieu requesting mention of a dissenting opinion from the Bloc Québécois; after debate, the chair was left to decide, with some members urging that the release highlight consensus to maximize impact.
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