Official Languages Committee on Dec. 1st, 2011

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

Mr. McRoberts, you mentioned bursaries.

[Kenneth McRoberts]

We're preparing a bursary project for immersion students so that they can study at our institutions. For them, that often means they have to travel to another city because we only have 13 members. So the bursaries will cover travel expenses and the expenses involved in living in another city.

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

Have any bursaries been awarded to date?

[Kenneth McRoberts]

No, but this is a project we are currently submitting to Canadian Heritage.

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

How many international students are at your universities?

[Kenneth McRoberts]

They represent approximately 7% of students at our institutions. That's not very high. We would like that number to be higher.

We have the capacity to accept more international students. In general, the classes at our institutions are not enormous. There is an opportunity to accept more students. For francophone communities outside Quebec facing very significant demographic challenges, it is crucial for us to bring in francophone international students to study at our institutions, but also to integrate into the francophone communities.

We are developing a strategy that will comprise a number of elements. Among other things, it includes a marketing plan and bursaries for international students. It also takes into account the existing structures at our institutions for receiving and supporting international students. The strategy will also focus on the issue of establishing ties with the francophone communities where our members are. That would enable international students to have internships and employment opportunities at francophone institutions, all with the idea that, once they have completed their education, they will stay in Canada and integrate into those communities.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Mr. Aubin has the floor.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I wanted to go back quickly to a committee request. Following the submission of a partial and incomprehensible electronic document from Canadian Heritage two weeks ago, we asked for a complete and comprehensible document. Following the meeting, could you tell us where that situation stands so that we can see whether there has been any progress?

Thank you and welcome to each of our guests. You represent everything necessary to prepare a francophone citizen to participate fully and completely in this society.

My first questions are for Mr. McRoberts and Ms. Lalonde.

If we are still to believe in linguistic duality in this country, it seems to me the leader should be the Parliament of Canada. We are having all kinds of problems these days, first with the many appointments of unilingual anglophones, which I won't go back over, but you are aware of them as well as I am.

I also have some serious questions about all the language programs there are for public servants in Ottawa who want to learn a second language in order to rise through the ranks in the course of their career. It seems to me, first of all, that the amounts invested are colossal. Second, it's too late. Furthermore, learning French in Ottawa, for example, in an environment where one can work in English, doesn't really give us an opportunity to practise it.

Unless I'm mistaken, you obtained a modest contribution under the Roadmap. Could we include in the next Roadmap a mandate to train the future workers of this Parliament so they are bilingual when they apply, and not subsequently? Could that kind of mandate be assigned to our universities?

[Kenneth McRoberts]

Indeed. We would like to take in more graduates from immersion school programs who could further develop their French. Once in Ottawa, they would be able to take on bilingual duties. I think it is distinctly more effective to make them bilingual before they enter the public service than to ask them to develop their second-language skills once they've joined the public service ranks.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Would you also think it's easy to establish partnerships with the anglophone universities so that francophones from our communities can also develop their second language through English immersion university programs?

[Kenneth McRoberts]

I don't think it's necessary to establish those kinds of partnerships with anglophone universities. In general, our institutions offer English second-language programs for francophones. I believe we could develop that capability at our francophone institutions instead.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

In the long term, could the budgets necessary to put that kind of structure in place come from both the Roadmap and other related sources? In other words, the funding set aside for language training on the Hill could, to a certain degree, be allocated to your association through a transitional program that would make it possible to accept only those people who are aiming for positions for which bilingualism is not an asset, but rather a requirement.

[Kenneth McRoberts]

I think that's an interesting perspective.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

However, I believe there's no reason to do that, since the association can work and develop partnerships, if necessary, in all the provinces and environments where there are language training needs.

Within six months, we will have put in place, and made accessible, a pan-Canadian gateway containing all the information on language training offered at all our Canadian universities, including colleges. In that gateway, you could see everything that is offered in the various fields, including online training, which can be taken from home.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you. I'll take note of the prospects for the future.

As we are also in the midst of a process of evaluating the current Roadmap, I will ask you whether you were consulted during the process to determine your successes and expectations regarding the next Roadmap.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Yes, we recently had a number of opportunities to express ourselves. On Tuesday, we had a meeting with the Canadian Heritage people at the round table on education. I also met with people from Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. In my other position, I also had a meeting with the Health Canada people. The people from the departments with whom I have had to work have held consultations and are meeting with us to evaluate the Roadmap.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

So these are proper meetings, but they don't involve an actual evaluation tool, like a questionnaire.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

That depends. Each one has its own ways. They do use questionnaires as a tool or means. I have received some questionnaires to complete. There are other means, individual meetings, evaluation by each of the departments of the funding received under the Roadmap. We expect to do interviews in the coming weeks. Consequently, various means are being used.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Aren't we complicating the process with administrative measures? If 15 departments consult you in 15 different ways, you spend most of your time dealing with paper rather than moving your files forward.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

All I can tell you—

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Aubin.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Did you want me to answer?

I can only tell you that every department is responsible for the portion of funding it receives under the Roadmap and for evaluating that amount, and that Canadian Heritage is responsible for the evaluation of the Roadmap as a whole.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Mr. Trottier, you have the floor.

[Bernard Trottier, Conservative, Etobicoke—Lakeshore, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thanks to our guests for coming to meet with us today. I'm very pleased with your speeches.

I'm going to continue with Mr. Aubin's questions. I would like to get a better idea of how to train public servants. Under the Roadmap, $2.5 million was allocated to the School of Public Service. Mr. McRoberts and Ms. Lalonde, I would like to know whether your members received any of that $2.5 million. What is the interaction between the School of Public Service and the members of your association?

[Kenneth McRoberts]

Every institution proceeds in its own way, individually. In the case of my institution, we have a whole series of contracts with the public service to prepare public servants, particularly in the Toronto region. I believe it's the same model that is used virtually across the country.