Official Languages Committee on Dec. 4th, 2012

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

If the questions are framed in that context, they're good questions. To ask questions in isolation and which don't relate in any way to 2017, I don't want to allow that. In that context the questions are fine.

Mr. Fraser, go ahead.

[Graham Fraser]

Very briefly, I visited the Maurice Lamontagne Institute. People were very concerned. This was before the decision was announced. When the decision was announced, we received a number of complaints. We are investigating those complaints. When there was the closure....

Let me take a step back. In all of the discussions leading up to the deficit reduction action plan, I repeated over and over to ministers, to deputies, to this committee, that I was concerned there might be unintended consequences of some of the cuts, and the reference that I made was what happened in 1995 with the closure of the collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. Almost 25 years later, you can still see the negative effects that had in terms of recruitment, in terms of officer training, in terms of the ability of the Canadian armed forces to live up to its obligations under the Official Languages Act. It is a preoccupation that I had, even before the announcement of some of the particular actions. We are investigating those actions, and I will not comment in detail on any of those specifics.

In terms of enabling teachers to engage in exchanges, I think that would be terrific. I've always thought it difficult to understand why it is easier for a teacher in Ontario to have an exchange with a teacher in Australia than it is to have an exchange with a teacher in Quebec.

There is an ongoing program that is very successful, in which a teacher in Australia and a teacher in Ontario, and I suspect other provinces as well, will exchange houses, exchange teaching positions for an academic year. All it really costs is the airfare. I find it incomprehensible why it's not possible to have a similar kind of person-to-person use of the linguistic resources that we have among teachers across this country to support the teaching of a second official language.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Mr. Chisu.

[Corneliu Chisu, Conservative, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I also want to thank the witnesses.

Thank you very much for appearing before our committee.

I have seen the progress we have made as a country in promoting linguistic duality. I also understand that at the federal level we are officially bilingual, and we have a province that is officially bilingual, New Brunswick. Actually, I was in the province of New Brunswick when it was officially designated as bilingual. I was in military training there.

In your opinion, how should we approach this issue in order to explain to people that our linguistic duality is an enormous advantage and is not an artificial imposition? How can this message be delivered on the occasion of our 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017? To speak another language is an advantage. I am telling you this because I am bilingual, but in Hungarian and Romanian, and I have a knowledge of French. It is very important to speak another language, and we have this golden opportunity to reach out to more people.

Moreover, how can we integrate our new and old immigrants in embracing enthusiastically our linguistic duality when they perceive this requirement of bilingualism as a barrier to accessing public service jobs in federal institutions? What would be your recommendation in this area? How can we reflect the perceived barrier in the 2017 celebration, which is not really a barrier? Having access to jobs can be an incentive for someone to learn both languages.

[Graham Fraser]

I think there are a number of elements.

One thing I would say is that I think that, to a large extent, a much larger extent than was the case when the Official Languages Act was passed in 1969, Canadians do see bilingualism as an asset. You do not hear, as happened in moments of tension in the past, the booing of the national anthem when it is sung in both languages, as happened at Maple Leaf Gardens in 1976. You don't see the kind of overt hostility to the presence of both languages.

The polls show—and it's one of the things we alluded to in our annual report this year—there's an ever-growing support for Canada's linguistic duality. One of the things that has struck me in the meetings I've had or the forums we've organized with immigrants is that many of them were attracted to Canada because they liked the idea that Canada has two official languages.

You see immigrant families who are determined to ensure that their children learn both official languages. There is a sense that this is a way in which they can affirm their Canadianness, by learning or ensuring that their children can learn both official languages.

In terms of the jobs issue, I think it's just a matter of making it clear that bilingualism is not a requirement for hiring in the federal public service, that 60% of the jobs in the federal public service do not require both official languages. There are a relatively limited number of reasons why people need to be bilingual if they work for the federal government: to serve people at a counter or serve the public in an office where they have an obligation where numbers warrant to serve the public; to be able to manage people who have a right to work in their language of choice in an area that's designated bilingual, such as New Brunswick, parts of Quebec, the national capital region, and parts of eastern and northern Ontario; and to be able to brief a minister. Ministers obviously have the right to say they want to be briefed in French, and the system has an obligation to ensure there are senior people who can do that. Finally, there is the importance of senior public servants understanding the country as a whole. All kinds, 60%, of federal jobs do not meet those criteria.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chisu and Mr. Fraser, for your testimony today and for responding to the questions that members posed to you. We appreciate your feedback on the 2017 celebrations.

We'll suspend briefly to allow our next panel to appear and for members to take a break.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We are continuing our meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Joining us for the second hour are Ms. Saint-Pierre and Mr. Dubeau, of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, and Mr. Racine, of the Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada.

Welcome.

We will begin with the representatives of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française.

[Éric Dubeau, Executive Director, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française]

Good morning. Bon appétit.

My name is Éric Dubeau. I am the Executive Director of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française. I am joined by Simone Saint-Pierre, our Chief of Communications. Thank you for inviting us to this meeting.

The FCCF is a national organization whose mission is to promote artistic and cultural expression of francophone and Acadian communities. It brings together representatives of national groups in theatre, publishing, singing, music, media arts, visual arts, a group of performing arts broadcasting networks and a community radio alliance, as well as representatives from 11 Canadian provinces and territories dedicated to the cultural development of Canada's francophonie. The FCCF has 22 member organizations and speaks on behalf of some 3,000 artists, and 150 arts and cultural development organizations, working in over 250 francophone and Acadian communities across Canada.

Arts and culture should be at the heart of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation. Artists use their creativity and work to help enhance, examine, celebrate and develop culture, and to make it alive and contemporary. The work of artists and arts and cultural organizations greatly contributes to social cohesion and facilitates intercultural dialogue, since arts and culture express our emotions, thoughts and values. One of the goals of the 150th anniversary celebration is to strengthen the relationships between all the components of Canada's social fabric. Artists can ensure a successful celebration in terms of that.

We read with interest the report the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage published in September. Basically, we support the report's recommendations with regard to arts and culture. We especially support the government in its willingness to work with the provinces and territories to maximize the leverage of its investments. However, we also want to point out that the one-time investments recommended in the report will have less of an impact than ongoing support would.

Considering the scale of the anniversary we will celebrate together in 2017, we think the activities of the 150th anniversary of Confederation should not be only occasional and short-lived, such as a concept show tour or a themed exhibit. We also think investments should encourage the implementation of projects that are more structuring and have a greater sustainable impact. For instance, it would be beneficial if the government supported exchanges of artists from different parts of the country by establishing artist residences over several weeks, even several months. That initiative would culminate on the 150th anniversary. Another option would be to order a series of new creations that would be unveiled or performed throughout 2017 and during subsequent years. That more longitudinal approach would increase the positive effects of the government's investments, to the benefit of all Canadians.

We feel strongly about Minister Moore's statements—quoted in the committee's report—confirming that the agencies from his department's portfolio will be involved in the celebrations. As you may perhaps already know, the FCCF signed a document called the Agreement for the Development of Francophone Arts and Culture in Canada. In addition to the FCCF, this agreement has six federal signatories: Telefilm Canada, Canada Council for the Arts, the National Arts Centre, the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Film Board of Canada and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. We feel that not only would it be appropriate for each of those agencies to participate in the 150th anniversary celebrations, but all of them should have to invest at least 15% of their celebration budget into activities presented by artists or arts and cultural organizations of Canada's francophonie.

We are convinced that all the artistic and cultural organizations of our Canadian francophonie should be considered—as should federal cultural agencies—as key partners in celebrations. Those organizations are in the best position—both in terms of their ongoing programming and special one-time projects—to ensure that the concrete actions in the field are mobilizing Canadians across the country. To do so, organizations will have to receive sufficient support not only for the 150th anniversary, but from here on in as well. We invite the government to establish the necessary mechanisms and tools.

Another way to ensure a solid return on your investments as part of those festivities is to make sure they facilitate Canadians' access to artistic and cultural activities in first-rate cultural spaces. Investing in cultural infrastructure is a way to ensure that Canadians have a permanent cultural heritage. As pointed out in the committee's report, the National Arts Centre was created in 1967, as part of the celebration of Confederation's 100th anniversary. Today, 45 years later, thousands of Canadians are still benefiting from this world-class cultural institution every year.

The committee's report also talks about using large-scale festivals and events to organize festive gathering opportunities. Creating ties among festivals from various regions of the country through program exchanges could facilitate collaboration among local event organizers from OLMCs and national-scale events. That would be a better way to discover the diversity of talents from OLMCs at events across the country.

To ensure that the collaborative projects by various organizations can be carried out and that artists and arts and cultural organizations from OLMCs play an important part, support mechanisms will have to clearly establish the obligations of various organizers in terms of official languages. When the time comes, we would be happy to work with those in charge to develop programs to encourage and support the participation of our artists and arts organizations. I also want to point out that, should the government implement the committee's recommendation to establish an independent body or organization in charge of celebrations, we would gladly join that body.

In closing—and in response to Minister Moore's concerns that the funding of artistic events may affect future generations—I would like to quote a francophone Canadian visual artist and author, Pierre Raphaël Pelletier. He wrote something along these lines:

All artistic creation is meant to forever transform our folk space into a new territory of exchanges, into a space of intimate interactions that changes every life that takes part in it, that dedicates itself to it—a wonderful initiative of liberation, the root and foundation of any authentic culture [...]

We are convinced that all the artistic and cultural events to which Canadians will have access during the commemoration of the 150th anniversary of Confederation will forever be part of the nation's genetic code. The creations, performances and infrastructure created as part of those festivities will become a legacy of great wealth for future generations.

Thank you for your attention. I would be pleased to answer your questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Dubeau.

Mr. Racine, you have the floor.

[Jean-Luc Racine, Director General, Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

On behalf of the president of the Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada, Michel Vézina, who could not be here today, I want to thank you for inviting our organization to appear as part of your study on the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation.

The Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada represents some 27,000 senior members across the country, who naturally live in all Canadian provinces and territories, except Quebec.

We are especially proud that you have invited francophone seniors who have contributed a great deal to the building of our country and who, through their hard work, their beliefs and their identity, have shaped our communities and made Canada into such a great country.

Last November 6, you heard from the representatives of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne. They suggested turning the 150th anniversary into an opportunity to develop a vision of sharing, exchange and dialogue among Canada's constituent parts. The Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada agrees with the FCFA's thinking.

The government and Canadians recognize linguistic duality and culture diversity as important national values. Therefore, Canada should use these festivities to provide Canadians with unique opportunities to rekindle those values, share and exchange common experiences and remember the various stages of our collective journey.

It is important to remember the major milestones of our shared history, to explain how the three founding peoples of Canada—first nations, francophones and anglophones—contributed to the building of our national identity, and how the addition of cultural communities helped enhance that identity. It is very important to use those festivities to also show how much of a role that diversity has played in making Canadians tolerant, open to differences and open to the world. It should also be shown that these founding peoples put down roots across the country and that the francophonie developed not only in Quebec, but also within many communities across the country.

Canada is certainly a forward-looking country. However, Canada must also use this opportunity to remember and never forget the peoples and individuals who built this country. A country that loses sight of the unique attributes that helped build its identity is a country that will always be searching for something and have a hard time defining itself. Therefore, the 150th anniversary is a unique opportunity for francophone communities to finally be seen, not only as minorities, but rather as communities of full-fledged citizens who have contributed and continue to contribute to the country's strength.

Now, let's look at how this could translate into concrete measures.

History must manifest itself in a spirited manner for us to remember it. What better way to do that than by calling upon the collective memory of the Canadians who have built this country? In 2017, why not give an opportunity to seniors and all Canadians to meet, share, exchange and explain how they have contributed to the shaping of this beautiful country?

We recommend that, over the next four years, four activities be undertaken in the context of an official languages perspective.

The first activity we suggest is the broadcasting of a national collection whose theme would be “150 years of Canadian achievements”. A national contest could be organized where Canadians would be invited to present short stories describing the achievements of individuals who have contributed to the building of our communities across the country. The best essays could then be put together in a collection or a website that many Canadians would have access to. It would be of the utmost importance for that collection to reflect the realities of our three founding peoples—first nations, francophones and anglophones. It would also be important to ensure to represent cultural communities whose first official spoken language is French or English.

We suggest a second activity that may be worthwhile. Some seniors or Canadians have trouble writing. So they could express themselves in a video, on the same topic, of course. Similar to the national collection, associated groups could be invited to connect with Canadians who are less comfortable expressing themselves in writing. These Canadians would be encouraged to recount their achievements in audiovisual format. The best videos would be incorporated into a national video, posted online or made into a DVD. They could even be featured on several TV programs showcasing the wonderful achievements of our fellow Canadians.

Our third recommendation would also make for an excellent initiative. It would involve intergenerational interactions between members of Canada's three founding peoples. These interactions would foster dialogue and sharing. The Fédération des aînées et aînés francophones du Canada already works with the Association canadienne des professeurs d'immersion. We are working on intergenerational projects between French-speaking seniors and young people in immersion programs. We see the 150th anniversary of Confederation as an opportunity to build on this idea. We could set up initiatives bringing together francophone seniors and immersion students, or young French speakers and first nations seniors. The 150th anniversary of Confederation should connect people of different generations from our country's three founding peoples.

The fourth positive initiative we would recommend is a national summit to recognize the contribution of seniors to Canadian history and the building of this country. The summit would take place in 2017 and bring together a variety of seniors from across the country representing first nations, francophones and anglophones. The summit would provide an ideal opportunity to celebrate the major achievements of our country and the tremendous contribution of our citizens. It would also be an opportunity to look ahead and lay the foundation for closer ties between the founding peoples for decades to come.

Our fifth and final recommendation or initiative, if you prefer, would be an expansion of the New Horizons for Seniors program. That would entail broadening the program criteria as of 2015 to allow interested seniors groups to highlight their contribution to Canadian society. Under such an initiative, they would be able to express themselves fully and to submit projects along the lines of the four we just described. Some of the program criteria already reflect similar thinking, but the criteria would need to be clarified and rounded out. The program would have to allow for proposals that will help ensure the 150th anniversary of Confederation is a memorable occasion that lives on in people's minds for many years to come.

So there you have a few ideas on how to turn the 150th anniversary celebrations of Confederation into the ideal occasion to honour our shared values, which include linguistic duality.

Thank you. I would be pleased to answer any questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Ms. Michaud, over to you.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Welcome everyone. Thank you for being here.

I have a few short questions. I want to discuss the investments we will have to make if we truly want to be ready for 2017 and have activities in place leading up to 2017. Mr. Dubeau, in particular, talked to us about that.

Could you give us details on what order you would like to see the investments come in, to reach that goal?

[Éric Dubeau]

We certainly didn't undertake a reasoned or comprehensive evaluation of the needs. Intuitively, I can tell you I find it fascinating that both of us spoke of a more prolonged approach over time. It would be a shame if the only investments made to mark the 150th anniversary of Confederation came in the 2016-17 fiscal year. It is important to adopt a vision that unfolds over time and culminates throughout 2017. Between now and then, a whole slew of steps need to be taken and consistently monitored. When I think about appropriate times to make those investments, the renewal of the roadmap for linguistic duality comes to mind, among others.

A series of programs are currently being reviewed by the Department of Canadian Heritage, which will evaluate them over the next year. If memory serves, the programs include the Canada Arts Presentation Fund and the Canada Cultural Spaces Fund. Both would help Canada's artistic community flourish and provide financial support for cultural infrastructure, as we mentioned in our brief.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you.

As far as this discussion goes, I would say we are all at a more intuitive stage in the process, given that no committee has been created. This is a very preliminary stage of the game, but you seem to have some very specific ideas.

Would you like to add anything, Mr. Racine?

[Jean-Luc Racine]

It may already be possible to revisit some existing programs, such as New Horizons for Seniors. If the goal is to hold large-scale celebrations, it may be necessary to enhance existing programs and add others. Expo 67 in Montreal is etched in our collective memory. An investment was necessary, but 50 years later, people still remember the event. I think we need to take a similar approach in this case; we need to make sure this celebration makes an impact and leaves a lasting impression in Canadians' minds.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Racine, you told us about intergenerational projects that were being considered or planned. Can you give us a few examples?

[Jean-Luc Racine]

We already have some projects, as I mentioned. I talked about videos. Some provinces already have that. There are some initiatives funded through New Horizons for Seniors. Seniors call on young people for technical assistance in making short videos. Projects like that exist in some communities, but there isn't any real mechanism to bring them all together or turn them into a single national product. We believe it is essential to capitalize on the 150th anniversary festivities to build a more far-reaching project.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you kindly.

Mr. Dubeau, was your organization invited to appear before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, further to its study of Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations in 2017?

[Éric Dubeau]

I will ask Simone to answer, because I think she knows more about that than I do.

[Simone Saint-Pierre, Chief of Communications, Fédération culturelle canadienne-française]

Yes, we were invited, but unfortunately we could not appear before the committee during the period in question.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Racine, you mentioned projects and programs that are more for the general public. Aside from those, can you offer any that would highlight seniors specifically, as part of the celebrations? The video initiative has merit, but it's quite extensive.

[Jean-Luc Racine]

No. We didn't want to show up with a wish list. Instead, we put our effort into suggesting four activities that would involve seniors. As we see it, that is important. There is the summit proposal as well, if I may elaborate on that one. I think it would make for an excellent opportunity. We've been advancing that idea for years. We thought the summit would fit in wonderfully with the 150th anniversary celebrations. The summit, in my view, provides an excellent opportunity to really showcase our three founding peoples and cultural communities. It would be an event that Canadians would remember for years and years.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Mr. Dubeau, could you go into more detail on the type of long-term cultural contribution you would like to see, further to the celebrations? You mentioned things that would have a lasting impact such as visual arts products.

[Éric Dubeau]

The impact of a substantial investment to mark the 2017 anniversary would extend well beyond the celebration itself. If you and the government as a whole opt for a broad vision, the spinoff from specific investments would be felt for generations to come. I cited the creation of the National Arts Centre as an example of that leveraging effect. That is a concrete project involving infrastructure and requiring a sizeable investment.

We could also see the federal government investing in upgrades to technical infrastructure in cultural venues across the country. A number of our venues across Canada's francophone community do not have high-quality technical equipment. So investments in that regard would be valuable.

I think it is important to find ways to help the artistic community flourish and to create cultural products reflecting the anniversary, and to ensure the effects are felt for years after the actual event, at home and abroad. To that end, a bigger investment in the Canada Arts Presentation Fund comes to mind, as does a new mechanism to help artists tour, perhaps in conjunction with the current government's international trade strategy. Those are excellent avenues that should be explored.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Very good. Thank you.

Ms. Bateman, you have the floor.