Official Languages Committee on Nov. 15th, 2011

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Yes.

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

When do the educational institutions need to know whether the program is going to continue?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

If we don't know it in April 2013, we'll assume the program is continuing. We can't stop registering students for our programs. If we registered students in a four-year program in 2009 or 2010, they'll be in the system in 2014. We can't stop registering students overnight. We know these are five-year agreements, but we have to take the risk of continuing to register our students in programs. It's easier in the case of a one- or two-year program.

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

Has the CNSF or SSF determined the need for professionals? You said there were already 3,000 and that 5,000 more were currently in the system. So here we're talking about 2,500 to 3,000 professionals who are being trained. How big is that need?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Unfortunately, it would take more than a minute to answer you.

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

You could send us that information.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Yes, I can do that. The reason is very clear. A large number of medical personnel, both anglophone and francophone, will be retiring in the next few years. That is particularly true on the francophone side. There are all kinds of reasons for this phenomenon, including the aging of the population. We've just conducted a study on the reasons why we need to continue training professionals. There are shortages in all areas.

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

My final question is for Mr. Fortier. And this may perhaps be for a piece of advice.

Earlier you mentioned the FrancoForme program, which is offered by telephone. It concerns nutrition. You saw me eat my breakfast. We're talking about physical condition here, and I won't say anything more about that. You also deal with stress management. I'm particularly interested in that part because at times we go through quite stressful situations in committee. So I was wondering whether you had any private advice to give me on the subject.

[Dr. Denis Fortier]

I could do that in private, of course.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Bélanger.

Mr. Galipeau, go ahead, please.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much.

First of all, I in turn would like to welcome our guests.

However, before asking my questions, I'd like to put one to Ms. Lalonde. She and I come from the same tribe. Mr. Bélanger asked you a question earlier, and you didn't have enough time. I'm going to give it to you.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Yes, I started explaining something to Mr. Bélanger concerning human resources in health, whether it be in English or in French. It is very clear, for example, that by 2025, there will be a very significant shortage of nurses.

The francophone community will have a greater shortage as we have only recently started training our people in French. Since 2003, we've established 50 new health programs to train professionals. That means there wasn't much health training in French before 2003.

In addition, since we have an aging population, we'll have an increasing need to serve our communities, which will have increasing needs, and our health professionals are aging as well. That is one of the reasons why we know we'll be experiencing an even greater shortage in the coming years than the one we're currently experiencing as a result of the aging of our health professionals.

It is very difficult to do any long-term human resources planning because, as my colleagues said, no attempt is being made to address the linguistic variable, that is to say whether the professionals in the provinces are anglophones or francophones or whether they can serve the francophone population if they are bilingual. We don't have those kinds of figures. We only know that, when we look at the situation and also evaluate regions, we see that we still have major needs and that our communities are not always served in French, far from it, when they in fact need to be.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much, Ms. Lalonde.

Mr. Roy, I've been interested in the defence of francophone minority rights for more than 50 years, even before it was called that. I am very impressed by what you're doing in British Columbia, particularly when I see...

Yes, you too, Mr. Weston, but don't distract me; I don't have a lot of time left.

I see that, in British Columbia more than anywhere else, francophones and francophiles like Mr. Weston are not anxious about their francophone condition as we are in Ontario. They consider it an asset. They attract much more support from francophile anglophones and are well-established downtown. People go and eat in their homes and that's cool. Help me and help other francophone societies elsewhere in Canada understand how you do it.

[Réal Roy]

B.C.'s francophone community is a bit different from other communities elsewhere in Canada. We have to deal with a major challenge as a result of the low percentage of francophones. In absolute terms, our community is very large. It's the third largest after those of Ontario and New Brunswick. However, in relative terms, we are forced to turn to the anglophone majority.

As you said so well, there's an enthusiasm or an interest that is reflected, for example, in a very great attachment to Canadian Parents for French. Moreover, the largest provincial branch of that national organization is the one in British Columbia. We have excellent relations with Canadian Parents for French. I attended their annual gala two weeks ago. Furthermore, the current opposition leader, Adrian Dix, speaks French. We hope to maintain this interest in French.

As regards what the federal government can do, it could help us stimulate further interest in French among the large population of anglophones who are learning French. In British Columbia, the number of people in French immersion programs has doubled in 10 years, from 20,000 to 40,000, and it's now 45,000, which represents roughly 7% of the entire student population in British Columbia. We still have a lot to do, but we've already made major progress.

In 1983, I was a student in British Columbia, and very few people spoke French to me. Eighteen years later, when I started teaching at the University of Victoria in 2001, I often crossed paths with students of 18, 19 or 20 who recognized my French accent or heard me speak French and spoke to me or spontaneously served me in French. They were young people working at a Tim Hortons, a gas station or in stores.

Personally, I'm quite optimistic.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

The member for Victoria is doing a very good job in French here in Ottawa.

[Réal Roy]

Excellent.

Ms. Denise Savoie is doing an excellent job, which we very much appreciate. The Hon. James Moore is also a major francophile from the community in British Columbia. A number of other members also speak French, including Mr. Weston, whom I don't know, but who supports Powell River, one of our organizations. I think that's quite positive.

I was born in Quebec, but I've been living in British Columbia for 10 years. I think linguistic duality is possible. Since I teach in English and live in French, I have one foot in each community. A number of my anglophone colleagues who don't speak French send their children to immersion schools because they're convinced that linguistic duality is important. And surveys conducted by the Commissioner of Official Languages have shown that 70% of people in British Columbia support linguistic duality.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Galipeau.

I now turn the floor over to Mr. Lauzon.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I'll continue with Mr. Roy.

I'm very impressed by what you're doing in British Columbia. You mentioned that 300,000 people speak French in British Columbia. Is that correct?

[Réal Roy]

Yes.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Francophiles and francophones?

[Réal Roy]

Exactly. According to Statistics Canada, there are 70,000 mother tongue francophones and 230,000 persons with knowledge of French. We are often reminded that the francophone community is the fourth or fifth largest community in British Columbia. However, it should be noted that French is the second most widely spoken language in British Columbia, if you include those francophiles.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

There are three times as many francophiles as people of francophone origin?

[Réal Roy]

Yes.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

Perhaps that's encouraging for the rest of the country.

Can you explain the reason for your success?

[Réal Roy]

I'll start answering the question and then hand off to Ms. Sotteau.

The important fact I mentioned earlier is that the number of students in immersion programs has doubled in 10 years. That's a significant phenomenon. Immigration is also a significant phenomenon. Over time, the community is becoming dynamic. On the other hand, if we increasingly encourage young people to learn French and to get involved in the francophone community, we as francophones have to welcome them and expand our idea of what a francophone is.

I liked the definition of Ms. Kenny, the president of the FCFA, that a francophone is someone who wants to live part of his or her life in French. The fact, for example, that that individual teaches in a science department in English, as I do, should not exclude him. I have a number of colleagues at the university who are bilingual and with whom I speak in French, even though some of our meetings are conducted in English.

Now I would like to hand over to Ms. Sotteau so she can supplement my answer.