Official Languages Committee on April 3rd, 2014

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

No, I'm not asking about the policies of government. I'm asking what kind of resource development is occurring in New Brunswick—just an economic fact. Is it as active there as it is in Saskatchewan? Is there anything happening there?

[Wade Aucoin]

There are a number of efforts being made in New Brunswick to develop that sector of the economy. ACOA has done a number of studies to look at the economic impact. It's difficult for me to compare how active it is or how different it is from—

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Perfect.

Here is one last question. Do you believe fracking shale gas holds potential in New Brunswick to create jobs and opportunity?

[Wade Aucoin]

Based on the studies we have seen, there are indications of potential economic impact.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Do you mean positive impact?

[Wade Aucoin]

Yes, I mean positive impact.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Thank you very much.

Just for the record, I would like to highlight that while Mr. Godin seems to believe it's the job of the federal government through its regional development agencies to create jobs, I would like to put on the record that it is also the job of governments, federal or provincial, to ensure that we have resource development. One way to minimize the flow of English and French who are moving to western Canada is to develop our own resources in our own backyard.

He might agree with that, but his provincial colleagues do not.

Thank you, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay, thank you very much, Mr. Williamson.

Our last person for today is Monsieur Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

In the fall of next year, we will see what Canadians will decide on election day. Our government must represent its people. If the government forgets the people, it will find itself in the back seat.

[John Williamson, Conservative, New Brunswick Southwest, NB]

Those people are going to Alberta.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I would like to come back to Mr. Aucoin. The question was an important one. ACOA is working in the regions and has been helping them for a long time. I want people to understand what has happened.

When investments were made in southern New Brunswick, jobs at the Air Canada call centre in Saint John were paid over $20 an hour. One week later, people from Air Canada were in northern New Brunswick to recruit francophones and bring them to work in Saint John, without bothering to set up a call centre in the north. Francophones are used to pressing number two on the telephone to have a francophone answer them, and number one for an anglophone. People were moved to Saint John.

Moreover, CIBC was brought to Fredericton. That's another place where telephones could have been installed, so that people could stay at home.

The Xerox company has jobs in Moncton that are paid at least $20 an hour. The Royal Bank also has some jobs available in Moncton. That's why francophones from Acadia have moved to Moncton. All those good jobs were created there.

When I asked Air Canada representatives why the company did not set up in northern New Brunswick where the francophones were living, I was told that the government provided more money for wages if the company set up in the south instead of the north of the province. This was even said in Ottawa during a parliamentary committee's meeting.

This is why people did not only move to the west. They left northern New Brunswick to move to the south of the province, since the governments in place have done nothing for northern New Brunswick.

If you want to clarify things, Mr. Williamson, I will also add my two cents. I know my story. I know what kind of challenges my constituents are facing.

Francophone families from northern New Brunswick have been torn apart. Let's come back to the 80% of those people who are being mistreated. We are constantly being mistreated. If you want things to be clear, I will add my contribution. I live in New Brunswick, and I receive the calls.

The government's job is to implement infrastructure for job creation, and not to create jobs for those who will be able to work for the government. You were elected to implement infrastructure and create an atmosphere conducive to job creation for communities.

This study was not commissioned by the opposition. We are conducting it because it was commissioned by the government. I am not saying this to praise the government, but to find solutions.

What recommendations likely to further help our minority communities across the country would you like to see in the report? That's this study's mandate. Could someone answer me? What else could you do, aside from taking away money reserved for communities? We need to work with those communities and organizations.

[Krista Campbell]

Maybe I would start with just an overarching statement from the departmental perspective and invite the regional development agencies to chime in as well.

I think that the exercise that we went through with respect to renewing the official languages road map really is the foundation of what it is that we can do in working with communities. The point was we have a five-year plan; we evaluated the five-year plan; we consult regularly, formally and informally, with communities; we try to track what best practices are, what works, what doesn't work; we promote trying different approaches. Failure may happen at certain points. Every business doesn't take off, whether it's in an official language minority community or elsewhere, but it's the idea of trying some innovative new products, services, getting on the ground, thinking about how we use things like new technologies; it's the broad policy suite that the government has, as well as the more tailored ones that can happen in communities.

It's that constant tweaking of what it is that we try to do, lining it up with whether it works or not, trying to replicate what works, tweak what doesn't, and then come back in five years and present it all over again to ministers in the form of, say, a new proposal or a budget proposal that parliamentarians can then vote on and say, yes this works or no it doesn't.

[Lucie Perreault]

I think that the EDI initiative is a positive measure that could help support what you said. The program is specifically targeting the development of francophone communities.

We had a fair amount of flexibility in terms of development, and we used a lot of research provided by a number of individuals. We are in a position to develop a program that will really meet the needs of francophone communities with regard to that aspect. This program includes certain components, such as linguistic duality, that help communities develop and achieve real results.

[Kimberly Fairman]

I would agree with what my colleagues have offered here.

Certainly, in the three territories, the success of the francophone communities is well documented. In some places, like Nunavut, for example, the rate of income is 80% higher than the other communities in Nunavut, for the francophone community.

So we really see them as a partner in terms of—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I'm sorry, I'm just looking for extra recommendations that you need to do your job. For example, the people who came in two weeks ago were talking about getting cut in their own operation. What can't you do? What could your organization do to help those communities in a minority language place, like in your area? They were talking about getting cut and they will not be operational if it continues like that when they get cut—like this 80%? One said it was not your responsibility, but at the same time you have certain responsibilities for the minority group in your area too.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

We're running out of time, so why don't we get feedback from Mr. Aucoin.

There are a lot of francophones in New Brunswick.

We would also like to hear from Mr. Tanguay, because there are significant anglophone minorities right next door in the Gaspé, both of which are, in many cases, struggling economically.

So we will hear from Mr. Aucoin, and then Mr. Tanguay.

[Wade Aucoin]

Thank you, Mr. Chair, for the opportunity to make one last statement.

I agree with what my colleagues have said so far. We have to continue along the path we have created with the EDI and other initiatives. The only thing I would add is that we should think about the potential of innovation and R and D in the area of technology and new products, as well as about the economic potential this could have for Atlantic Canada, but also for other regions of the country.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Tanguay, the floor is yours.

[Serge Tanguay]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would say that the renewal of the roadmap is good news. Its permanent funding until 2018, and beyond, will help us plan over a much longer term and structure our interventions even better.

In Quebec, we are reaching 99% of our OLMCs. I think that prosperity goes through economic development for our OLMCs and for our other communities. From there on in, the key to success is economic development, the same as for remote regions that would not necessarily be part of an OLMC.

I think that economic prosperity, through the EDI initiative, will help us achieve goals. Continued funding is very good news for us, at Canada Economic Development.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, everyone.

Thank you for your cooperation with such a large panel today.

Without further ado, this meeting is adjourned.