Canadian Heritage Committee on April 18th, 2024

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

The purpose of the program was to assist official language minority communities in clarifying and affirming their language rights. That was the objective in 1978. Is that correct?

[David Dendooven]

Yes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Do you have an idea of the size of the budgets allocated to the court challenges program in 1978 compared to those in 2024?

[David Dendooven]

Mr. Chair, I don't have that information. We can try to find the figure that was available in 1978.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

The budget amount is easier to find now, in 2024.

[David Dendooven]

Yes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

In addition to the court challenges program, are any other measures or resources available to assist official language minority communities, or OLMCs, in affirming their rights?

[David Dendooven]

I don't know if there are any other programs.

I'd like to go back to your first question. I clearly said that I didn't know how much money was available in 1978, but the budget for the court challenges program was increased in the 2023 budget from $5 million to $10 million a year.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

What you're saying is that the amount doubled from 2023 to 2024. Is that correct?

[David Dendooven]

Yes, the government doubled the program's funding in the 2023 budget.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

In your opening remarks, you discussed the breakdown of 115 official language cases and 160 human rights cases. Is that correct?

[David Dendooven]

Yes, I believe that's it.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Now, in 2024, there's a total of 74 cases: 33 official language cases and 41 human rights cases. Is that correct?

[David Dendooven]

Yes, but that was for the year 2022–2023.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

All right.

[David Dendooven]

We don't have the University of Ottawa's annual report for the fiscal year just ended.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

I'm going to ask you a very simple question; I'd like to know your opinion.

Do you think we're avoiding the issue by limiting the tools that official language minority communities can use to affirm their rights?

[David Dendooven]

Mr. Chair, I'm here to talk about the court challenges program. I'm not here to express my opinion, as the member is asking me to do.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Then I'll ask you another question, Mr. Dendooven.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

You have one minute.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Why force the government to continue this program? It was created in 1978, and this is 2024. If I told you in 1978 that there would be such a thing as artificial intelligence and that we would have to adapt to it, would you have been able to anticipate that?

[David Dendooven]

Mr. Chair, my role is to provide advice to the government. When the government of the day makes a decision, my role as an official is to implement it. In this instance, a decision has been made, as a result of which the program's funding has doubled.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

As a senior official, you implement what the government decides. Putting it more simply, if we met on the sidewalk and I asked you if there was some malicious intent in this, what would your answer be?

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Kevin Waugh]

Your five minutes are up.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.