Marc Miller hurt by Legault’s ‘disgrace to all Quebecers’ comment

The new minister responsible for official languages in Mark Carney’s government, Marc Miller, says he’s hurt by comments from Quebec Premier François Legault, who accused him of being “a disgrace” and spreading “nonsense.”

“It hurts me,” said Miller on Wednesday, who recently returned to the cabinet, replacing Steven Guilbeault, who resigned.

Miller says he found Legault’s outburst surprising after he expressed reservations about the discussion surrounding the decline of French in Quebec.

“It’s especially strange because I was part of a government that recognized the decline of French across Canada, including in Quebec, and amended the Official Languages Act accordingly,” he said on his way to the weekly Liberal caucus meeting in Ottawa.

The man who also succeeded Guilbeault as minister of culture and Canadian identity also touted the $4.1 million in investments planned in the 2025 budget.

“I think it’s all well and good to talk, but, you know, I’ve proven myself, and the evidence speaks for itself,” he added before stating that he did not want to “personalize the debate.”

“In my previous role as minister of immigration, I doubled Francophone immigration to Canada and I sent $800 million to Quebec specifically for French language training,” Miller said.

The day before, the minister had maintained the nuances he had been keen to express since 2023 regarding the decline of French in Quebec. “What I reject is this dogma that some political parties want to impose, claiming that French is in total decline,” he had declared.

He argued that “the reality in all of this is that there is good news, particularly the news from the past several decades thanks to Bill 101” and “thanks to the Canada-Quebec agreement,” which granted the province several powers regarding immigration, including the ability to prioritize Francophone newcomers.

“French, I will repeat, is immensely fragile in North America, and it must be protected,” Miller added.

When asked to specify at what level he recognizes the decline of French, the minister replied that it is the case for “the language spoken at home” and, “statistically, at work.”

“We need to make an extra effort,” he concluded.

Miller showed signs of exasperation regarding “the politicization of the issue.”

“I think it’s being used for identity-based reasons, and I think that, as a Quebecer, I’m pretty fed up with this debate, which is generally quite focused on identity,” said the MNA for Ville-Marie—Le Sud-Ouest—Île-des-Soeurs.

It was these comments by Miller that set Premier Legault off.

“Marc Miller is a disgrace to all Quebecers,” he thundered on Tuesday as he headed to Question Period. “I don’t know how he’s going to show up at a cultural event in Quebec after saying such nonsense.”

On Wednesday, practically at the same time as Miller was addressing the incident in Ottawa, Legault doubled down from Quebec City. “I’ll repeat what I said yesterday. … It makes no sense for a federal minister to mock the decline of French in Montreal by saying he’s tired of hearing about it.”

As for Guilbeault, he declared himself “a fan of Marc Miller.”

“He’s a friend. I think he’s an excellent minister. Just look at the ministries he’s held, particularly Indigenous Services. It’s quite rare in history to see Indigenous groups express sadness at a minister’s departure and praise his work. So I have complete confidence in Mr. Miller,” he said, as he headed to the weekly Liberal caucus meeting for the first time since his resignation as minister.

The Liberal parliamentary leader, Steven MacKinnon, commented on Legault’s remarks, stating that the Quebec premier “sometimes has interesting opinions.”

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews