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.
9:35 a.m.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
My next question is for the Société Santé en français.
The Roadmap has clearly made it possible to improve services in francophone minority communities. What does your society think is the most important service?
9:35 a.m.
Steering Committee Member , Director, Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Associate Dean, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Société Santé en français
As you know, when we started work on this file, a lot had to be done. So we had to monitor the trends at the time. The federal primary health care strategy helped us a great deal. It gave us a framework for the development of health services in French.
If you take a look at the directory we submitted to you, you'll see that we've covered a range of issues because the needs of the communities differ depending on where you go.
Some communities were better organized and able to do more in developing the offer of actual services to individuals. However, other communities didn't even have one health professional.
The communities therefore undertook a number of disease prevention and health promotion projects. A fairly impressive range of projects was developed. I believe the society's strong point was taking our broad general direction and adapting it to the specific needs of each of the communities.
To add a point in response to the question you put to Ms. Lalonde, it's extremely important to train health professionals because we know there is a significant shortage of francophone health professionals.
However, we also know that those professionals very often are not administrators or managers. They aren't trained to organize, to start up practices or to establish clinical environments. However, the society was able to do that through its work with its partners. Using our small financial levers, we were able to put infrastructure in place or to complete files.
I believe that what Denis presented with regard to Manitoba is a good example of that. We had the same thing in New Brunswick. A community health centre was established in Fredericton based on the approach of the Société Santé en français.
A small community in the region of Clare, Nova Scotia had no access to health services in French. Now there's a medical clinic that has four young francophone doctors who provide health services and can take in our students for clinical internships.
We've tried as much as possible to look at the major axes, the major trends and needs and to combine our training strategy with the CNFS and the Société Santé en français to ensure that we have appropriate environments in which to take in those students.
In closing, as I mentioned during my presentation, a lot of these projects have provided models that have been adopted by various provinces and are now integrated into the health system. We've had good results.
9:40 a.m.
Conservative
November 15th, 2011 / 9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you for being here this morning, ladies and gentlemen.
Mr. Chairman, I don't have the list of future witnesses in front of me, but I suggest that if they aren't already on our list, we add the names of representatives of the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to ensure we follow up on what we've heard this morning. I believe it would be appropriate to ask them to appear.
Mr. Roy, you discussed your overall development plan. I can't wait to read it. Could you send it to the clerk so that we can examine it, please?
If I understood correctly, you said 34 provincial departments and agencies supported the ODP?
9:40 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
There are 34 francophone agencies. There are nine federal departments and agencies. There are some provincial ones as well.
9:40 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
That's a good question.
Ms. Sotteau, can you answer?
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
When we talk about the province, that means the provincial government as a whole.
We work with the Bureau des affaires francophones et francophiles. Of course, when we started evaluating the ODP, we contacted all the federal agencies and the Bureau des affaires francophones et francophiles.
When the document I sent to the clerk is distributed to you, you'll see that the columns include—
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Ms. Sotteau, I have to interrupt you because I only have seven minutes. I have to be brief.
I wanted to know whether the province was financial involved.
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
Yes.
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
I can't tell you the exact amount. It's difficult to determine at this point. There are certain key departments.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
That's fine.
Mr. Roy, you also said that you recommended an accountability mechanism.
Did you consult the province about adding that kind of mechanism to the agreements?
9:40 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
We talked to them about it in response to the employment services problems.
One thing surprised us. We hadn't been consulted at all, by either the federal or the provincial government. That prevented us from maintaining service delivery as we had previously done.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
The question is whether the province was ready to add an accountability clause?
9:40 a.m.
President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique
We haven't yet asked it to do so.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Ask it to do so. We should see whether it would agree to allow the community to take part in the consultations. If so, I would like to know that because it would be important for that to be included in future agreements. All right?
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Mr. Chairman, please allow me a brief aside. I don't often congratulate my adversaries, but I'm going to do it today. Even though it wasn't my objective, I'm going to congratulate the former premier of Ontario, Mike Harris.
When Mike Harris wanted to shut down Montfort Hospital through Ontario's Health Services Restructuring Commission, that triggered a crisis, and that's essentially what gave rise to the two agencies present here this morning. I admit that some efforts were made elsewhere, but the CNFS was definitely born out of that crisis. The government's massive support for Société Santé en français at the time, which I admit has continued, originated in that crisis.
Mr. Harris—and I'm not talking about Dan here—wherever you are today, I thank you for the impact that your attempt at the time has had, even though that was not your intention.
My question is for the CNFS.
I noticed in the document that there's nothing at Laurentian University, where an undergraduate level medical program is now being offered. Why?
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Consortium national de formation en santé
The medical program jointly offered by Lakehead University and Laurentian University is given in English only. No courses are offered in French. However, a number of francophones are taking courses and are registered at the faculty of medicine. We are helping them with clinical placements through the CNFS.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Consortium national de formation en santé
The Government of Ontario determined at the time that the medical program would be offered in English.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
9:40 a.m.
Executive Director, Consortium national de formation en santé
I believe people are considering the possibility of starting to offer certain courses in French. Some groups are meeting in French. They're making some efforts.
9:40 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I encourage you in that direction. I know there are quite specific preconditions in your case, and probably even in that of the SSF. You have to know well in advance whether a program is going to continue. That means programs of at least three years, and that can go up to five years.
