Evidence of meeting #33 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 portal.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Donna Achimov  Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Marc Olivier  Manager, Translation Bureau, Linguistic Services Division, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Jeff Moore  Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Lisa Marie Perkins  President, National Office, Canadian Parents for French
Justin Morrow  Founder and Executive Director, Canadian Youth for French
Robert Rothon  Executive Director, National Office, Canadian Parents for French
Susan Anzolin  Director General, Innovation and Economic Development, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

9:40 a.m.

Founder and Executive Director, Canadian Youth for French

Justin Morrow

Mr. Chair and members of the committee, we need one thing right now and that is a web-based platform. That would bring people to our site.

to bring students in and match them up with the post-secondary French-language learning opportunities that exist. That's the one thing we need right now.

Over the past three years we have focused, and we've had tons of amazing great ideas. Thanks to the wonderful support of Canadian Heritage, we've brought that into one activity that we're going to concentrate on for the next three to five years.

The only thing we need is that information, a web-based platform, that we can start to measure and connect young people with the experiences. Once we have that established, then we can start looking into different options, but that's going to be in about three to five years.

We don't really need much right now but that one web-based platform, and then we will be in business and we will make things happen.

9:40 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Michael Chong

Thank you, Mr. Gourde.

It is now Mr. Bélanger's turn.

9:40 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for being here this morning. I would have liked to see the two groups take turns. We could have gone into depth with each of you, from the agency and the department's perspective and then from the perspective of Canadian Parents for French and Canadian Youth for French. I think we should have done the two exercises separately. I am a bit disappointed that we don't have the time to go more in depth with each of you.

I am going to ask questions without expecting any answers today. However, I hope that you will send the information to the clerk of the committee, who will then forward it to the members of the committee.

I am talking to the people from Public Works and Government Services Canada. Madam, I am not familiar with the program you are talking about, which allows 145 students to do an internship in the private sector and in which $1.3 million are invested. I would like to become familiar with that program. What are the criteria, how is it promoted, who has access to the program, which companies participate and how are they chosen, and so on? I would like to have a rather detailed definition of the program, since I must admit that I am not familiar with it.

As for TERMIUM, I am happy to see that things are progressing well. But I am sort of wondering about the other languages. I see that there are 200,000 Spanish terms and 18,000 Portuguese terms. I have no objection to that, but I would like to know if the plan is to include other languages. If so, which languages and how quickly, and where would the money come from for those languages? I am curious about that.

This question is for the representatives from FedDev Ontario. How many employees do you have?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

There are about 200.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

When you say that 22% of your employees have bilingual positions, does that mean that 22% of your employees are bilingual?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

They are bilingual based on the definition—

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

What level?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

They have the BBB level.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

Not the CBC?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

Some employees have the CBC level and others have the BBB level.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

For you, is being bilingual equivalent to a BBB level?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

That's right.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

And as a an official languages champion, do you think that's enough?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

That's a good question.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

So what's the answer?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

I think that—

there are different ways to evaluate bilingualism, of course, so we follow the public service process in terms of....

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

You said you made targeted investments during your first year. Could you provide us with a list of those investments? I am curious to see what they were.

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

For all the programs?

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

In your presentation, you said that, in your first year, you did not focus on languages, but that you made targeted investments. I would like to know what those investments were. Is that okay?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

You also said that an amount of $1.4 million had not been spent. What will happen with those funds?

Will they lapse?

Will they be reinvested later?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

My understanding is that when the

roadmap

comes to an end, those funds will lapse.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

Can you do something to make sure money will not lapse?

Mr. Gourde will correct me if I am wrong, but I think the government allows funds left unused from one year to be used the following year. Is that true for you?

9:45 a.m.

Vice-President, Policy, Partnerships and Performance Management, Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario

Jeff Moore

In our case, what happened is that when the agency was first created, we were actually created halfway through the fiscal year of 2009-10. EDI was actually operating at the beginning of the fiscal year, so we lost half a year's time, given the fact that it was FedNor that was delivering the program, as opposed to FedDev, so there was some transition that occurred in that first fiscal year in terms of the programs.

9:45 a.m.

Liberal

Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON

Please try to make sure that the funds don't lapse, and let us know if you can succeed.