Evidence of meeting #142 for Canadian Heritage in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was groups.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:05 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
It touches all indigenous people.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
Why do you need the word “diverse” in there? I'm saying it's a word that you don't need.
4:05 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
I'm including everybody in this, Mr. Shields, just for you to be comfortable.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
If you said “all Canadians”, that would be all Canadians. You wouldn't need to say “diverse Canadians”. If you say “all indigenous” or if you say “indigenous”....
I think the word “diverse” is—
4:05 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
It's all indigenous people, and I've been very clear since the beginning.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
4:05 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
I can take it out and read the speech again if you want.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
That's what I'm saying. It's a confusing word in there. To me it is.
If you say “Canadians”, you mean all Canadians. If you say “indigenous”, you mean all indigenous. That's all I'm saying.
4:05 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
When you talk about funding, you have the word “adequate”. It's an interesting word. You're using an adjective to describe funding. Adequate to me would be if you're getting graded on something and you get a C. That's adequate. C is a funny level of funding if it's that important. I'm not sure if that's the best word you want to use. I'm not sure if that's the best adjective, if it's that important, because adequate is just average. That's how it hits me.
When you talk about “funding” and not “project”, I think that's really interesting. When I think of the gas tax, for example, that municipalities get from the federal government, you don't have to apply for it as a project. It comes to you, and you make the decision about how you spend the money. When I was at the municipal level, I can say that we liked the gas tax because we didn't have to apply for a project and we could make the decision. Then you get into how to decide who gets how much. Is it by population or are you going to establish a base?
Let's say one band has 1,000 people and another band has 5,000 or 10,000. How are you going to decide the funding if it's not project-based? I don't like project-based because it doesn't allow you to make the decisions, and you're very clear that you want the groups to make the decisions. Do you have any thoughts as to how you would distribute this money or what basis you would use to distribute it? That's the critical piece when you talk about funding.
4:10 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
Thank you for the question.
Adequate for me is what's necessary to succeed. That is my definition of adequate. Adequate and predictable long term is a direct response to a call to action.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
4:10 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
You're right. In all our discussions with indigenous peoples, they said, and rightly so, that they don't want to go on a per-project funding basis. They have to submit, and they need the resources to prepare the project. Then they need the resources to prepare a report, and then they have to reapply.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
I agree with you on that.
How do you think you might do it?
4:10 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
It's going to be funding that will be available for this bill that will be based on everything that the bill sets out to do. Again, the bill could be exactly as it is now, or it could be amended by you.
4:10 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
Such is the case. It depends.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
How would they get the cheque and how would you determine the amount?
February 19th, 2019 / 4:10 p.m.
Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
Those are based on the priorities by the different groups, by the different communities: on their needs, on the number of people who still speak the language, on what they need in terms of schools, education, classes, books, whatever. All of that will be prepared together, but the sooner we adopt the bill, the sooner we have an answer.
4:10 p.m.
Conservative
Martin Shields Conservative Bow River, AB
I got that, and it may be a detail that you don't have, but I think it's critical that you have it because that's what the indigenous are going to want to know if we pass this. How are you going to fund this? What you basically said is project funding. That's what you just said. I hope you get a better understanding because that's a critical piece.
4:10 p.m.
Liberal
4:10 p.m.
Wayne Long Saint John—Rothesay, Lib.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, colleagues.
Good afternoon, Minister Rodriguez. Thank you, Pablo, for coming in, for leading the department, for being a wonderful minister, for having a great vision and for moving bills forward, especially this bill, Bill C-91, which will preserve, promote and revitalize indigenous languages.
I have a short story to tell you about my days in aquaculture when I travelled extensively around the world. I visited Scotland, the Isle of Harris, I believe. We were there talking about salmon farming and such, but we were out one night and there was a language spoken that I had never heard before. I was quite curious about the language. It was Gaelic, Scottish Gaelic. I was very surprised. I didn't understand it all, or very little of it, but I was fascinated by it. I was fascinated by the pride with which it was spoken, by just how people in that community were so very proud of the history of the Gaelic language, and by how they were preserving that language.
I'll fast-forward to two years ago. I was at my mother's house for Christmas dinner, and my nephew was there. My nephew is a student at StFX, and he started speaking Gaelic. I was shocked by that, that StFX offers a course in Gaelic; it is in Nova Scotia. The fact that the university, StFX, is offering courses in the Gaelic language, teaching that language.... Again, it is about preserving that language and educating the youth in those communities about how important that language was, Scottish Gaelic.
With respect to Bill C-91 and the preservation of indigenous languages, I absolutely respect and understand what our government is doing there. As you said earlier, is the bill perfect? No. Is there an opportunity to look at amendments or other scenarios? Sure. There is one thing you did say that was of interest to me. I want to go back just to the funding side because, obviously, there have been different questions, I think, from all three parties with respect to the funding. Will there be long-term funding over years to preserve the languages, Minister? Is there a commitment for long-term funding?
