Official Languages Committee on Feb. 9th, 2011

[Émos Dumas]

There will be a meeting next year with France, Belgium—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Hold on a second, this is 2011. When you say next year, does that mean in 2012? Is nothing happening in 2011?

[Émos Dumas]

There will be one in November. And there was one in November 2010.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That is what I wanted to know. It is ongoing. I thought that it had been suspended.

[Émos Dumas]

There are also initiatives in other countries, for example in Lebanon. There are programs, job fairs, so that local employers can seek out the expertise they need under the Provincial Nominee Program. For our part, we insist on francophones. We want to have a pool of francophones.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Are there agreements stipulating that immigrants must stay for a certain period in a particular region? Do immigrants who settle in Yellowknife or in the Territories have to spend a specific number of years here before they leave, if that is what they decide to do? Can they just spend six months here and then leave?

[Émos Dumas]

There is the issue of permanent residency. When an employer sponsors an immigrant there is usually a one year mandatory commitment to the employer. The employee can only work for that employer that year. After he has got permanent residency, he can go and live anywhere in Canada.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That’s all.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Godin.

With the consent of committee members, Mr. Murphy would like to ask our guests a question.

Go right ahead, Mr. Murphy.

[Brian Murphy, Liberal, Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB]

As far as access to the justice system is concerned, are there enough lawyers who speak French, who can argue before the court in French here? Are there enough judges? Are there bilingual prosecutors? Is there adequate access to the justice system, not only for the general population, but specifically for francophones? Has the elimination of the Court Challenges Program of Canada prevented you from taking fighting government?

[Léo-Paul Provencher]

The government is taking steps to make services available. Based on the experiences we’ve had here in the court system, both in the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, judges have been capable of hearing cases. Judges have come from elsewhere. There are agreements in this regard with Alberta, and the western provinces. I think that Justice Canada has taken steps to ensure that legal professionals, judges and lawyers provide services.

However, on a day-to-day basis, if people wish to go to court over some form of infringement or another, there are few local francophone judges and lawyers. Nevertheless, an attempt is being made to meet the demand.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much. Thank you à Mr. Murphy.

That concludes that the second part of the meeting. I would really like to thank you for coming to meet with us this morning. We would like to spend more time with you, but it was a good start.

We will suspend for a couple of minutes and resume at around 11:30am.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I would like to call this meeting back to order. This is the third segment of this meeting, but by no means the least important, as we now have the privilege of welcoming government representatives from the Northwest Territories including the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, and Minister responsible for Official Languages, and his team.

Mr. Lafferty, I would like to offer you a warm welcome to the Standing Committee on Official Languages. It is the first time that the committee has been here since the creation of the Northwest Territories and the coming into force of the Official Languages Act. It is in some ways an historic moment that we are sharing here today.

Without further ado, I would call on you to make your opening remarks. Committee members will then have an opportunity to engage in a dialogue with you.

We were informed that you would begin in your native language. Please feel free. It's an official language. We know that you have many here.

[Jackson Lafferty, Minister, Education, Culture and Employment and Minister responsible for Official Languages, Government of the Northwest Territories]

Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

[Witness speaks in the Tlicho language]

First of all, Mr. Chair, I'd like to welcome you and thank you for coming to the Northwest Territories. I believe this is your first official visit. I'm sure it won't be the last. I'm hoping that you guys will come back again.

I'll just introduce the party I have with me here.

I'm Jackson Lafferty, the minister responsible for official languages, education, culture, and employment, the Minister of Justice, and also a member of the Legislative Assembly for Monfwi riding, a Tlicho riding in the four communities I represent in the Northwest Territories.

I have with me Deputy Minister Dan Daniels, Department of Education, Culture and Employment; Mr. Benoît Boutin, senior adviser with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment; Lorne Gushue, official languages consultant with the Department of Health and Social Services; Sonya Saunders, director, Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment; and Laura Gareau, director, Department of Municipal and Community Affairs. That's all within the GNWT.

Members, yesterday during your visit, it was very unfortunate that I couldn't address you in the House. We got in between the timing of our sessions, but I did mention to the premier that you guys were in town and the purpose of why you're here. They were very enthusiastic and excited--even our Speaker. The Speaker was ready to address you guys, but as I said, it was all in the timing.

But it's all good now. I believe you had the opportunity to tour the Legislative Assembly. It's part of our uniqueness here in the Northwest Territories, and I guess that throughout Canada it can be admired. We're proud of it.

You had an opportunity to witness and to see us in action as a consensus government. We are one of the two consensus style of governments in Canada, rather than the more familiar system of party politics that we share all over the country. The consensus style of government is more in keeping with the way aboriginal peoples have traditionally made decisions within the form of a circle. Within this system, all members of the Legislative Assembly are elected as independents in their own constituencies, so it is important that we all work together in a cooperative and respectful manner in the House and proceedings to make sure that we make progress on issues and matters that are of importance, even if we have different views.

Mr. Chair, we are talking about languages. Language is an important piece of what I guess we can call history, but it's our identity: it is who we are and how we understand and interact with each and every one of us around this table here as well.

The Northwest Territories is unique in Canada because we have 11 official languages that are recognized by our Legislative Assembly and by the Government of the Northwest Territories.

In 1984 the Government of the Northwest Territories enacted the Official Languages Act. The establishment of the act was initially driven by French language rights, but formed the basis for an entrenchment and subsequent expansion of aboriginal language rights within the legislative framework of the Northwest Territories.

The enactment of this act, which gave legal recognition to English, French, and aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories, has resulted in considerable efforts being devoted to consolidating and implementing the official languages policy in the Northwest Territories.

The act provides a legislative framework for the establishment of the equality of status between French and English and for the advancement of equality of status of official aboriginal languages within government. As well, Mr. Chair, the act also has provisions for the appointment of the official languages commissioner and the tabling of the annual report. As you've mentioned, the official languages commissioner was before you.

The act also makes a special provision for the mandatory review of the administration and implementation of the act, the effectiveness of its provisions, and the achievement of the objectives stated in its preamble. It may also include any recommendations for changes to the act. Since 1984, a number of attempts to revitalize aboriginal languages and provide meaningful French language services in the face of a steady language shift toward English have been made.

Since the enactment of the act, Canada and the NWT negotiated several funding agreements under the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement for French and Aboriginal Languages in the Northwest Territories. For the last 10 years, the agreements have been signed with minimal or no success in obtaining additional funding.

To summarize all the activities related to official languages since 1984 would take days, weeks, and even months or years; however, for the benefit of your committee, I would like to touch on some of the main issues arising from French and aboriginal languages.

Last year, the GNWT and the Fédération franco-ténoise created a consultation and cooperation committee. The mandate of the committee is to facilitate consultation on the GNWT's drafting, implementation, administration, and promotion of a strategic plan for the provision of French language communications and services under the Official Languages Act.

The committee is carrying out its work in two main phases: the initial drafting phase, and the implementation, administration, and promotion phase. So far, there have been two meetings, and the next meeting is scheduled for April.

The strategic plan will contain provisions on the active offer, in French, of methods to assess the oral and written capacity of employees occupying bilingual positions and the evaluation of the competency of French interpreters in health services. You've heard about some of this from previous speakers.

The previous year was also a significant year for the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie, which we're very proud to have hosted. The Conference on the Canadian Francophonie is a key stakeholder in intergovernmental actions aimed at strengthening the Canadian social fabric through the advancement of the Canadian francophonie. The conference's commitment can be seen in the active participation of the federal, provincial, and territorial governments in this important forum.

Last June, for the first time, the NWT hosted the ministers annual meeting, which gave an opportunity to the ministers responsible for the Canadian francophonie to increase their understanding of the cohabitation of the francophonie and aboriginal languages in Canada and their knowledge of the reality of the Nordic francophonie experience in the Northwest Territories.

Since hosting this event, I am now the chair of the conference until the next meeting in June 2011 in Moncton-Dieppe, New Brunswick.

On November 23, 2010, I met with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable James Moore, to discuss the plight of aboriginal languages, which are in dire need of assistance. Over the years, our partnership with the Government of Canada, through the Canada-NWT Cooperation Agreement for French and Aboriginal Languages, has allowed for many activities to be undertaken. Clearly, there is more work to be done, and I stressed the importance of our working together to revitalize aboriginal languages in the Northwest Territories.

The revitalization of aboriginal languages will be successful only if aboriginal people make it a priority and if governments are able to respond with support. To that end, I, along with Kevin Menicoche, chair of our Standing Committee on Government Operations, held a three-day aboriginal language symposium from March 30 to April 1, 2010. Over 200 northerners from each of the official language communities attended the symposium and discussed critical challenges and priorities for revitalizing aboriginal languages.

The information generated from the symposium formed part of a strategy entitled “Northwest Territories Aboriginal Languages Plan: A Shared Responsibility”. The plan was tabled in the legislative assembly in our October 2010 session and it is the plan that I also shared with Minister Moore.

The development of the plan was a collaborative approach and effort involving many people across the Northwest Territories. It's not just our department that is going to implement it; it will take the whole community of the Northwest Territories. It not only reflects the priorities of the people of the Northwest Territories, but also recognizes that languages strengthen our society and underpin our cultural perspective.

The plan outlines the strategies to strengthen people's understanding of aboriginal languages, encourages them to use their languages, and establishes practical approaches to delivering government services in those languages. Sometimes it can be a challenge with nine aboriginal languages, but we are making ends meet.

This year, Mr. Chair, will be an active year. We are developing a full implementation plan for the aboriginal languages strategy. Once it's completed, we will start implementation in partnership with the French community, with their strategic plan for French services.

With its great diversity of people and places, the NWT is an exciting place to live. The Northwest Territories has undergone changes in the past and will continue to experience change in the future as well. However, one thing remains constant, and that is the need for us to have a strong sense of our identity. That sense of identify is found in our culture and heritage, including our language.

Many factors impact language loss, including media, technology, the aging population, the loss of our elders, and the impact of our residential school era. The residential school impacts on language and culture were mentioned by the Prime Minister in June 2008 during his very moving and important national apology. These thoughts were echoed by the truth and reconciliation commissioners, Mr. Willie Littlechild and Ms. Marie Wilson, at the Northwest Territories aboriginal languages symposium held in April of last year in Yellowknife.

Mr. Chair, in my travels through our communities across the Northwest Territories, I have had the privilege, opportunity, and pleasure of discussing aboriginal languages with so many people. It is clearly an issue on peoples' minds and is of great importance to them. Our leaders and elders have said, “If we lose our language, we lose our identity and lessen who we are as a people”.

In conclusion, Mr. Chair, I would like to invite all of you for another visit to the Northwest Territories. Although this visit has been a short one, it has been a worthwhile visit. Another visit could be an excellent opportunity to visit our French schools and to discuss language issues with our aboriginal languages communities.

Mahsi, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thanks a lot, Minister.

We'll now begin our first round with Monsieur Bélanger.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Minister and ladies and gentlemen.

Mr. Minister, I had the good fortune of being minister of official languages for a couple of years. That was with two official languages, so my hat is off to you as the minister responsible when you have 11 of them. I thought it was a complex issue with two, so I can only try to imagine what it might be like with 11.

I hope you'll understand my apology, in a sense, which is that as a member of the official languages committee of the House of Commons I have to focus on two official languages: English and French. That is not to belittle or to impart less importance to the aboriginal languages, but in our case it would be perhaps two other committees that would have to focus on them: the heritage committee of the House of Commons and perhaps the aboriginal affairs committee of the House of Commons.

I will be focusing on English and French, and particularly French, as it is the minority community language. My first questions, therefore, will go to the policy that was included in our briefing material. That dates back to 1997 and is related to the Official Languages Act of the Northwest Territories. My understanding of this.... It's obvious that it's from 1997 and that it designates areas where different languages would be applied. There are four areas where French is one of the languages: Iqaluit, Fort Smith, Hay River, and Yellowknife. How does your government apply that policy? That would be my first question.

[Jackson Lafferty]

Mr. Chair, mahsi.

In regard to those areas that have been highlighted, obviously we want to expand into other communities as well. On the policy itself, we work closely with the communities. As has been indicated by previous speakers, this is a close, tight-knit community, and we all know each other and call ourselves cousins.

We have a clear communication dialogue and we ask what's important for the Northwest Territories, what the positive impacts would be, and also what the benefits would be in a community or in a school or in a program that has been delivered. We try to reach out to those communities. Having the implementation that's before us, in working with the committee, as I highlighted earlier, we want to strengthen the working relations we have. There may be hiccups along the way. As with any discussion or any program we encounter, there are challenges, but we must look beyond that and say, okay, there are always solutions to a challenge. More challenges create more opportunities for us to work together.

But we closely monitor this area, Mr. Chair, and we want to expand further. An area you spoke to--specifically the French programming, the francophone community, and the language itself--has been very successful to date. We want to expand on that. We've talked about the aboriginal languages. I know you are referring specifically to French, but I'd like to throw the aboriginal perspective in there. We're losing our language as well. We want to follow a path as well. How have they been so very successful? What can we use? Instead of reinventing the wheel, let's work together.

I've talked to several of our colleagues in the French language system about how we can work together to start developing and implementing a strategy, so there is that continuously working relationship coming....

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I'm told that the Public Service has 4,700 positions in the Northwest Territories. Is that accurate, roughly?

[Jackson Lafferty]

Mr. Chair, it could be a little bit more, but it's around that number.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Could I know how many of these positions are designated bilingual where one of the two languages is French?

Monsieur Boutin.

[Benoît Boutin, Senior Advisor (French Languages Services), Department of Education, Culture and Employment, Government of the Northwest Territories]

Good morning.

The Department of Human resources undertook the major task in September of getting a better sense of the exact number.

We have the bilingual bonus. It is based on the same principle as the federal government’s. Last year, 54 people were entitled to the bilingual bonus, for English and French.

The Department of Human Resources is working with a computer system in order to get a better sense of where these people are located.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Have the 54 positions being filled?

[Benoît Boutin]

Yes, they have.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Do you know where they currently are and in which department?

[Benoît Boutin]

Yes, we do.