{"id":326034,"date":"2025-12-05T01:36:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-05T01:36:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/326034\/"},"modified":"2025-12-05T01:36:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-05T01:36:09","slug":"how-a-pipeline-deal-in-alberta-somehow-led-to-a-language-controversy-in-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/326034\/","title":{"rendered":"How a pipeline deal in Alberta somehow led to a language controversy in Quebec"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 5 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.<\/p>\n

Consider it a snapshot of how what happens in Ottawa can quickly resonate in Quebec:<\/p>\n

A controversial pipeline agreement between Prime Minister Mark Carney and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith triggered a chain of events that included a cabinet resignation, a cabinet shuffle and \u2014 eventually \u2014 a fiery debate about the French language that involved Quebec’s premier, the leader of sovereigntist\u00a0Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois and some of the province\u2019s cultural associations.<\/p>\n

And all of this happened within about a week.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s how it all unfolded.<\/p>\n

WATCH | A breakdown of the events:\"\"<\/p>\n

How an Alberta pipeline deal reignited a Quebec language controversy<\/p>\n

In less than one week, the agreement that paved the way for a pipeline from Alberta to the B.C. coast reawakened a debate in Quebec about the French language.
\nGuilbeault quits cabinet over pipeline agreement<\/p>\n

Last month, Steven Guilbeault learned through a CBC report that the federal government intended to relax some of its environmental regulations as part of a deal with Alberta for a potential future pipeline to the B.C. coast \u2014 and he was horrified.<\/p>\n

Before entering politics, Guilbeault was known as a staunch environmentalist. He helped found the advocacy organization \u00c9quiterre and also joined Greenpeace Canada.<\/p>\n

Guilbeault made the jump into politics in 2019, joining the federal Liberals and he was named environment minister in 2021.\u00a0<\/p>\n

After Carney decided to roll back environmental regulations in favour of a potential pipeline, the Montreal-based MP told Radio-Canada\u2019s talk show Tout le monde en parle that the Alberta deal was the \u201clast straw\u201d \u2014 and he resigned as minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When he resigned, Guilbeault was minister of Canadian culture and identity and minister of official languages. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"Fran\u00e7oisQuebec Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault, seen here during a news conference at the National Assembly on Oct. 30, 2025, was quick to respond this week to Marc Miller’s comments about the French language. (Sylvain Roy Roussel\/CBC\/Radio-Canada)Marc Miller takes over, then quickly sparks controversy<\/p>\n

Carney gave both files to another Quebec MP: Marc Miller.<\/p>\n

Miller had been a minister under former prime minister Justin Trudeau, notably handling the immigration file between 2023 and 2025.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On several occasions during that period, he got into public arguments with the Quebec government over questions of immigration and identity.<\/p>\n

He also repeatedly refused to acknowledge the decline of French in Quebec<\/a>.<\/p>\n

It didn\u2019t take long for Miller to spark a new war of words with Premier Fran\u00e7ois Legault after re-entering cabinet.\u00a0<\/p>\n

During a scrum on Tuesday, he stressed that the French language is in a precarious position throughout North America, but isn\u2019t on the decline in Quebec.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a Quebecer, I\u2019m pretty fed up with this debate that is generally identity-based,\u201d Miller said in French during a scrum on Tuesday.\u00a0<\/p>\n

His new comments prompted a pretty serious reaction from Legault, who called Miller a \u201cdisgrace to all Quebecers.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know how he\u2019ll be able to show up at a cultural activity in Quebec after saying nonsense like that,\u201d Legault told reporters on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

Miller said he was hurt by the premier\u2019s comments and that he had already proven that he took the vitality of the French language seriously.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"AIn an interview with Radio-Canada, PQ Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon said the comments made by some members of Quebec’s culture scene are ‘incompatible’ with preserving the French language’s cultural viability in Quebec. (Sylvain Roussel\/CBC)PQ not happy as Quebec’s culture scene welcomes Miller<\/p>\n

The same day Legault lashed out at Miller, representatives of several Quebec cultural associations welcomed Miller as the country\u2019s new culture minister.\u00a0<\/p>\n

That prompted Parti Qu\u00e9b\u00e9cois Leader Paul St-Pierre Plamondon to come out on social media and say he was \u201cembarrassed\u201d and \u201cashamed\u201d that some in Quebec would praise Miller after his recent comments about the French language. <\/p>\n

He accused the Quebec cultural groups of disloyalty to the province.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cHow disconnected from political events in Quebec and Canada must one be? How deep in denial about what is happening with French culture in Quebec must one be?\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am sad to see that those who represent the soul of Quebec, at a time when our French-language future is at stake, seem to have little thought or sensitivity.\u201d<\/p>\n

Tania Kontoyanni, the president of the Union des artistes, a union that represents Quebec artists, said she was shaken and saddened by the PQ leader\u2019s comments.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t be focusing on immature arguments right now. What we need to do is to bear down and work together for the survival of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sol Zanetti, the co-spokesperson of Qu\u00e9bec Solidaire, the other sovereigntist\u00a0party at the National Assembly, described St-Pierre Plamondon\u2019s comments as \u201cunacceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. St-Pierre Plamondon must apologize,\u201d Zanetti said. \u201cIt makes no sense to say that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Word gets back to Ottawa<\/p>\n

The verbal jousting at the Quebec level did make its way back to the House of Commons this week.<\/p>\n

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre questioned Carney\u2019s decision to appoint Miller as federal culture minister. <\/p>\n

\u201cOf all the Liberal MPs, why did [Carney] choose to appoint an MP that is so fed up with French?\u201d Poilievre said.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe, Conservatives, we aren\u2019t fed up,\u201d he said, promising to \u201cdefend the French language and Quebec culture.\u201d<\/p>\n

In response to Poilievre, Carney said he supports Miller but did not address the Montreal MP\u2019s comments on French.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 5 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":326035,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[49,48,295,66],"class_list":{"0":"post-326034","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-environment","11":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=326034"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/326034\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/326035"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=326034"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=326034"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=326034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}