After being appointed as the federal culture minister, Marc Miller is facing criticism from various Quebec officials, including the premier of Quebec. Miller, who took over Steven Guilbeault’s position in the cabinet, stated that the French language is at risk across North America, rather than specifically declining in Quebec as portrayed by the provincial government.
Expressing his frustration with the identity-focused debate, Miller emphasized the complexity of the language issue in Quebec. He highlighted that labeling French as declining could undermine the impact of legislative accomplishments like Bill 101 and the Canada-Quebec Accord.
Back in 2023, when serving as the immigration minister, Miller refused to acknowledge the decline of French in Quebec, opting to refer to it as a language “under threat.” In response, Quebec Premier François Legault criticized Miller, calling him a “disgrace to all Quebecers.”
Legault refrained from commenting on Miller’s appointment, attributing it solely to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision. The ongoing language debate in Quebec has been fueled by varying indicators used to assess the vitality of French in the province.
Statistics Canada reported that in 2016, 87.1% of Quebecers spoke French regularly at home, which decreased to 85.5% by 2021. However, the wording revision of the home-language question in the 2021 census complicates direct comparisons with the 2016 data.
Although the raw number of French speakers at home increased slightly from 2016 to 2021, their overall proportion among Quebecers decreased. Additionally, the percentage of Quebecers speaking French equally with another language at home also saw a slight uptick during the same period.
In Ottawa, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre questioned Carney’s decision to appoint Miller, criticizing the choice given Miller’s stance on French. Carney defended his support for Miller, emphasizing his opposition to the leader of the Opposition and highlighting investments in Quebec’s cultural sector from the 2025 budget.
Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet argued that Miller’s appointment exemplifies the lack of understanding of Quebec’s reality within Carney’s government.
