Legault slams Marc Miller over French language comments, calls him a disgrace to Quebecers
Global News
Quebec Premier François Legault blasted federal minister Marc Miller for suggesting the decline of French is overstated.
Quebec Premier François Legault blasted federal culture minister Marc Miller on Tuesday, accusing him of downplaying the decline of French in Quebec and calling his comments an embarrassment to the province.
“Marc Miller is a disgrace for all Quebecers,” Legault told reporters. “I don’t know how he’s going to show up at a cultural event in Quebec after saying nonsense like that.”
Earlier Tuesday, Miller said he was “fed up” with the politicization of the language debate. He was named federal culture minister responsible for Official Languages on Monday, replacing Steven Guilbeault, who resigned from Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet last week.
“As a Quebecer, I’m pretty fed up with this debate that is identity-based,” Miller said in French during a scrum in Ottawa. “I refuse the catechism that some political parties want, insisting that French is in complete decline.”
He added that “the reality in all this is that there is good news, notably the gains made over several decades thanks to Bill 101 and thanks to the Canada–Quebec agreement,” which granted the province several immigration powers, including the ability to prioritize French-speaking newcomers.
“The French language is, I’ll say it again, immensely fragile in North America and must be protected,” he said.
Legault told reporters that over the last two years, from 2022 to 2024, the percentage of francophones in Montreal dropped by five points, from 48 per cent to 43 per cent.
“And now Marc Miller, the new federal culture minister, says he’s tired of the debate about the decline of French. What a shame,” Legault said, appearing visibly upset.
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