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 from Steven Guilbeault in the cabinet, stated that the French language is at risk across North America, diverging from the Quebec government’s view that it is declining specifically in Quebec.
During a media session, Miller, a Quebec native, expressed his frustration with the ongoing identity-based debate surrounding the language issue in Quebec. He described the situation as intricate, highlighting that labeling French as declining can undermine the significance of laws like Bill 101 and the Canada-Quebec Accord.
In a previous instance in 2023, while serving as the immigration minister, Miller refused to acknowledge the decline of French in Quebec, opting instead to refer to it as a language “under threat.” Responding to Miller’s recent comments, Quebec Premier François Legault criticized him, labeling the Montreal MP as a “disgrace to all Quebecers.”
Earlier on the same day, Legault refrained from commenting directly on Miller’s appointment, attributing it solely to Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision. The ongoing language debate in Quebec has been fueled by the use of various metrics to assess the vitality of French in the province.
According to Statistics Canada, in 2016, 87.1% of Quebecers reported speaking French regularly at home, which decreased to 85.5% by 2021. However, the wording of the language question in the 2021 census was revised, affecting direct comparisons with data from 2016. The raw numbers indicate a slight increase in the individuals speaking French at home, from 6.4 million in 2016 to 6.5 million in 2021, but their proportion among Quebecers decreased by 1.5 percentage points.
Additionally, the percentage of Quebecers reporting bilingualism at home also saw a slight rise, from 3.3% in 2016 to 3.5% in 2021. In response to criticism from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre regarding Miller’s appointment, Carney defended his decision, emphasizing his support for the new minister without addressing the specific comments on the French language issue.
Carney highlighted his backing for a $4-billion action plan for the French language and investments in Quebec’s cultural sector, referencing components of the 2025 budget. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet criticized Carney’s government, citing Miller’s appointment as evidence of its disconnect from Quebec’s reality.