Evidence of meeting #12 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
We could move along quite quickly. I have a lot of questions, but little time.
9:55 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
Allow me to add a brief point.
Ultimately, the children who grow up in our French-language schools in British Columbia are bilingual as well. They have a lot of things in common with the children who come out of the immersion programs. It's very interesting to see what's going on at Simon Fraser University's Bureau des affaires francophones et francophiles. In fact, the young people taking courses in French at the BAFF are very often children who have come out of the immersion programs—as Mr. Weston knows very well—and, for the moment, much more often than those from the francophone school boards.
So there's a group within the population. People are speaking French. There's a willingness to share activities and services and to offer services not only to francophones, but to francophiles as well who belong to this entire community. It's really extraordinary.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
Do those 300,000 persons belong to a number of communities?
9:55 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
They probably live much more in the cities. However, immersion programs are offered across the province of British Columbia. Parents line up the day before to register their children. In some communities, it's overwhelming. In Prince George, for example, the community mobilizes the moment immersion programs are threatened. Our association has previously been asked to assist parents in immersion schools.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
9:55 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
Of course. There are 14 francophone community centres across the province organizing cultural and artistic activities.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
9:55 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
They're very active.
9:55 a.m.
Conservative
Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
You said it was difficult to determine your organization's impact on the community. Is that correct? Is there a way to determine that impact? I think it would be important to know that since we're spending money and efforts are being made.
9:55 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
That's precisely what the Overall Development Plan 2009-2014 will enable us to do. We're going to start evaluation efforts next year. We've already planned some meetings. Since we've established some evaluation tools by adopting our Overall Development Plan, within two years, that is before it expires, we'll be able to determine, in the field, what has worked well and what has worked not so well.
Would you like to add something, Ms. Sotteau?
9:55 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
I believe that's what we'll be able to achieve, as the president said. We're starting that right now. We have the document that we'll be submitting to you. As you'll see, everything is clear. We have evaluation measures and we know what departments and levels of government have contributed to the activities of our member organizations. This is an effort we're going to make together as a community.
10 a.m.
Conservative
Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
You're making a lot of progress in this area.
10 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
Thank you, sir.
10 a.m.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you very much for being here; it's very much appreciated. I believe the questions and issues you're raising are very interesting and really crucial to our minority communities.
We've already addressed the next topic in a general manner. My question is for each of you. I would like you to answer it in turn.
Do you believe the official language minority communities have well-developed consultation mechanisms and channels through which the communities' needs can be heard on a regular basis? Among other things, I'm thinking of the first Roadmap, for which we're now at mid-term stage. Are you able to express yourselves on a more regular basis, on an annual or monthly basis? In what specific circumstances might you request consultations?
10 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
I'll begin.
We frequently conduct consultations. We have two major bi-annual meetings, one in June and the other in November. In the context of those meetings, we usually organize a community cooperation forum in which members take part, along with the francophone community as a whole, that is to say the Conseil scolaire francophone, the Éducacentre and other organizations. These community forums provide the environment in which the Overall Development Plan is shaped. We hold these regular meetings every six months, and the community forums are held approximately every two years, before the overall development plan is adopted.
10 a.m.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
So your community consultations are going well, but I wonder whether federal authorities will ask you about the consultations you subsequently conduct. I'm asking you the question in that perspective.
10 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
May I answer?
10 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
I believe it should not be forgotten either that the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality was prepared following Bernard Lord's consultation. I remember very well that the FFCB took part in that consultation. So this wasn't something invented by the federal government. It was prepared in consultation with the community. That's the first point. We have to continue operating that way
There have been consultations back home in British Columbia on two occasions. In fact, even Minister Moore came and sat down at the table with the members of our community to ask them what they thought of the results they are able to achieve through the funding provided under the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality. I believe the federal government wants to consult the community on this matter at the mid-term point.
10 a.m.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
That's good to hear. It's very encouraging.
Is the situation the same for you?
10 a.m.
Vice-President, Medical Services, Regional Health Authority Central Manitoba Inc., Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba, Société Santé en français
In Manitoba, we are linked to the community in a number of ways. The community has an important role to play with regard to the strategic plan for French language services. We're working with the authorities and with the Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba, our member network of the Société Santé en français and, of course, the government. This information will subsequently fuel the strategic plan of the Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba, our provincial network. In fact, someone from the Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba sits on the Société Santé en français. That will also inspire a national five-year strategic plan.
10 a.m.
Executive Director, Consortium national de formation en santé
Health Canada provides the agencies' funding. Health Canada conducted a consultation of 25 individuals in the spring of 2011 because they wanted to meet the members of the community. People from across Canada attended that meeting, and that enabled Health Canada's Official Language Community Development Bureau to prepare a brief report on what emerged that day. They wanted to verify with community members how the funding granted under the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality was meeting expectations and achieving expected results.
10 a.m.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Has it generally been easy to identify initiatives that stem directly from the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality and not other programs?
