Evidence of meeting #116 for Canadian Heritage in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A video is available from Parliament.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
The purpose of the program was to assist official language minority communities in clarifying and affirming their language rights. That was the objective in 1978. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Do you have an idea of the size of the budgets allocated to the court challenges program in 1978 compared to those in 2024?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Chair, I don't have that information. We can try to find the figure that was available in 1978.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
The budget amount is easier to find now, in 2024.
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
In addition to the court challenges program, are any other measures or resources available to assist official language minority communities, or OLMCs, in affirming their rights?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
I don't know if there are any other programs.
I'd like to go back to your first question. I clearly said that I didn't know how much money was available in 1978, but the budget for the court challenges program was increased in the 2023 budget from $5 million to $10 million a year.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
What you're saying is that the amount doubled from 2023 to 2024. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes, the government doubled the program's funding in the 2023 budget.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
In your opening remarks, you discussed the breakdown of 115 official language cases and 160 human rights cases. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes, I believe that's it.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Now, in 2024, there's a total of 74 cases: 33 official language cases and 41 human rights cases. Is that correct?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Yes, but that was for the year 2022–2023.
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
We don't have the University of Ottawa's annual report for the fiscal year just ended.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
I'm going to ask you a very simple question; I'd like to know your opinion.
Do you think we're avoiding the issue by limiting the tools that official language minority communities can use to affirm their rights?
5:10 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Chair, I'm here to talk about the court challenges program. I'm not here to express my opinion, as the member is asking me to do.
5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Then I'll ask you another question, Mr. Dendooven.
April 18th, 2024 / 5:10 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Why force the government to continue this program? It was created in 1978, and this is 2024. If I told you in 1978 that there would be such a thing as artificial intelligence and that we would have to adapt to it, would you have been able to anticipate that?
5:15 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Strategic Policy, Planning and Corporate Affairs, Department of Canadian Heritage
Mr. Chair, my role is to provide advice to the government. When the government of the day makes a decision, my role as an official is to implement it. In this instance, a decision has been made, as a result of which the program's funding has doubled.
5:15 p.m.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
As a senior official, you implement what the government decides. Putting it more simply, if we met on the sidewalk and I asked you if there was some malicious intent in this, what would your answer be?
