Official Languages Committee on April 26th, 2012

[Dr. Lorraine O'Donnell]

Thank you for the question.

Currently, the network I coordinate at Concordia University works in partnership with three institutions: Concordia University, Canadian Heritage and the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities. The network exists in partnership, but it is subsidized through a contract. Since the contract will unfortunately run out next year, it is difficult for us to plan any long-term projects.

For instance, let's look at research groups that make research requests for projects that will run for five years, which is normal in the case of a large academic research project. I was recently asked to provide information and resources to help with the progress of this project that will run for five years. Unfortunately, it is difficult for me to commit to it. I told them that I was interested, that the network was interested, but that we could not promise that we will be there for five years.

In short, as concrete support, we would like to have a guarantee that the funding will last three to five years, instead of two or three years at a time, or that the trust fund of the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities—CIRLM—in Moncton will be increased, so that it can support us more substantially in the years to come.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

I'll now address the representatives of the Regional Association of West Quebecers.

What are your recommendations?

[Noel Gates, President, Regional Association of West Quebecers]

What was the question?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Do you have any recommendations to make about the future of the roadmap?

[Noel Gates]

With respect to funding?

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Exactly, along the same lines as—

[Noel Gates]

Funding is always at the heart of the matter for every organization, isn't it? This is especially true for organizations where resources, both financial and human, are fairly limited. As Ms. Stronach said in her presentation, without core funding, it would be almost impossible to do any work. We would not have a physical space where we could organize our activities. We would have to do small-scale work that wouldn't amount to much.

The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages made some recommendations in the report that came out last year on funding organizations like ours. It recommended greater flexibility in how these organizations are funded.

We fully understand that there must be some requirements for public funding, but the process to apply for funding and to present a summary of what has been accomplished is always difficult, because the request must be submitted a few months in advance for the activity that we want to undertake. When the time comes to put things in motion, the circumstances are fairly often not exactly as we had expected, and adjustments are necessary.

With respect to our relationship with Canadian Heritage, which is the source of our core funding, I must say that the department has shown some flexibility when it decides on the value of the funding requests and the subsequent results. The fact remains that, for organizations like ours, our core funding barely changes from year to year. Over the past 10 years, and I have some experience here, our core funding has increased 2%. I think you'll agree with me that this isn't exactly keeping up with the rate of inflation.

What are we asking for? Of course, we're asking for a little more money. That's what we're always asking for, isn't it? With a little more money, we could do a lot more.

I see that the chair is motioning to me. I'm sorry.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

No problem. Thank you, Mr. Gates.

Mr. Bélanger, you have the floor.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, everyone, and welcome.

I can't help but notice, Madam Stronach, Mr. Gates, the names you have, and I wonder if you're related to those families.

[Heather Stronach]

It's a nice thought.

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

I want to pick up on the financials you mentioned. Le Plan d'action, which came before la Feuille de route, from 2003 to 2008, totalled, as our analyst would know, about $800 million. There was a difference on an annual basis. It was an amount that was augmenting...so in the last year the total was over $200 million, compared to the first year, which was $140 million, or something like that. I take it, therefore, that for la Feuille de route, the amounts are pretty well fixed from year to year. We've seen an analysis on what it is.

Would you believe that if there was to be another la Feuille de route, it should perhaps be on an augmentation curve from year to year, so that indeed some of the inflationary impact would be attenuated quickly?

[Noel Gates]

Yes, I would agree entirely, Mr. Bélanger. I don't think we would ask for the moon.

Just to put it in very simple terms, we work with a very dedicated staff of two people. With a very dedicated staff of three people, we would find that the whole of our operation would go much more easily. So I thank you for the observation.

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

Perhaps someone else is listening. We'll see.

For Concordia—and again, I have just the one shot, so I need very quick answers—what is the relationship that you've evolved with the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council? Is there a coordination with what you're doing and what they're doing?

[Dr. Lorraine O'Donnell]

Unfortunately, there is at this point no coordination.

For the information of the committee, several years ago there was a special program to support research on official language minority communities, which no longer exists.

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

It's a shame.

[Dr. Lorraine O'Donnell]

It is a shame. It would be very welcome, to answer Monsieur Gourde's question too, to see a renewal of that program, which, according to what I've heard, produced some interesting results.

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

My next question is for the Société nationale de l'Acadie.

Ms. Enguehard, I don't want to be mean, but I assume people sometimes call you "Ms. En Garde".

[Françoise Enguehard]

I'm called all kinds of things: "Ms. En Guerre", "Ms. Enguhard", "Ms. En Garde".

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

I say that because you really are on guard for the community.

Thank you for your presentation. I would like to know whether you found this idea of the trust fund in the report of the late Senator Simard.

[Françoise Enguehard]

We didn't need to. It's something we've been thinking about for a while now. It already exists in Acadia. Quite some time ago, the Government of New Brunswick created a trust fund for the L'Évangéline newspaper, which L'Acadie Nouvelle took over. As a result, the newspaper, as the only independent newspaper, can continue to represent Canada's Acadian population. I think this solution may be innovative in our case.

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

Mr. Chair, I would like to ask a favour of our analyst. A heart-wrenching report was presented by the late Senator Simard. A Progressive Conservative, this politician made several recommendations, including one on establishing a trust fund, a restorative fund intended for official language minority communities, not just Acadian communities. If there is a summary of that report, I think it would be interesting and beneficial to have it distributed to all committee members.

I am also in full agreement with the matter of protecting monuments. I had the opportunity to meet with Roméo LeBlanc, not when he was Governor General, but when he was Minister of Public Works, and we spoke about the project to protect the Monument-Lefebvre, in Memramcook. It became a gathering place for the community, didn't it?

[Françoise Enguehard]

That's right. Since 2005, the Société nationale de l'Acadie has had a program that commemorates the Acadian odyssey through monuments throughout Canada, and also abroad. In October 2011, we inaugurated a monument in Houma, Louisiana. These are also interesting and important tools for tourism development in regions where there often aren't many tourist attractions, such as in Cape St. George in the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador.

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

As you know, Canada will have its 150th birthday in 2017. You are going to hold a world congress in 2014 and, in theory, the next one should be in 2019. If I may, I would like to suggest something. I would find it interesting if the World Acadian Congress was held in Ottawa in 2017. It would be fascinating to have a big tintamarre, the kind we see in the Acadian Peninsula, on Parliament Hill. I don't know if it would be possible to organize a special assembly. I'm not looking for an answer; I simply wanted to throw the idea out there and let you think about it. I think it would be interesting for the rest of Canada to see the Acadian presence in the heart of the country—I consider the capital of Canada to be the heart of the country—and not just in the Atlantic provinces. Acadians are everywhere, and it's a pleasure to meet them.

My last question is for the representatives of the Regional Association of West Quebecers.

We're neighbours. I'm from Ottawa, and a I'm a francophone de souche. You're anglophones from the Outaouais. We live together. We cross the bridges hundreds of thousands of times.

Can you give us a synopsis—from your impression—of the overall state of the anglophone community in west Quebec? Is it improving? Is it okay? Is it respected?

[Noel Gates]

I think it's extremely difficult to give an overall picture, sir. For one thing, we talk about the anglophone community, but sometimes it's better to talk in the plural about the anglophone communities. As I think you know very well, there is a world of difference between, shall we say, the Pontiac and the Gatineau Valley and between those people who live out in the country and us urbanites who live in the city of Gatineau.

I would say we're probably dealing with an extremely mixed picture, which is made more mixed by the economic ups and downs of the region. Gatineau, I think you can regard as being relatively prosperous because it has, at least until now, enjoyed a stable source of employment, which is the government. In the Pontiac and on the other side of Gatineau, in the direction of Papineau County, you have industries based on forestry, which have been in decline. You have mills that have closed down and you have people looking desperately for other sources of employment. We've had some reference to the beneficial effect that has been achieved by the work of CEDEC, for example, this morning in Campbell's Bay, which of course is in the Pontiac.

Overall, I think there is some recognition within the city of Gatineau itself of the fact that there is an English language community. In some respects, it is very good. In some respects, it is less than adequate.

I would just mention, in conclusion, Mr. Chairman—excuse my verbosity—that this very week we are running a survey through the local papers and through our website about access to services in English in the city of Gatineau. I'm hoping we get a good response to that because it will be very interesting to see what the findings are.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much, Mr. Gates.

We'll take a brief health break of two minutes.