Evidence of meeting #21 for Official Languages in the 39th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was province.
11:05 a.m.
Editor and Director General, Le Gaboteur
The problem is that the information is currently distributed among five or six different annual reports.
11:05 a.m.
Bloc
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Good morning.
It's very pleasant to be here with you again.
Ms. Poirier, you talked about the Court Challenges Program. You know that the future of the program is very much in doubt at the moment. You said that the program made it possible to establish French-language schools in St. John's and to settle the school management issue.
Given that the program is being questioned, or cut, are there any demands you would like to make? If the program were cut, you might find yourself unable to move forward with efforts to help la francophonie develop and flourish.
I have a second question. Mr. Godin, is this the last round?
11:05 a.m.
Bloc
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
What are the most numerous complaints you receive from francophones about the health and social services system? Given the aging population, I would imagine the pressures are increasing.
Could you answer my first question? If there is time, I would like you to answer the second question as well. If not, we can come back to it.
11:05 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
I would like to start with the Court Challenges Program. I know that the Labrador South school district intends to file a submission related to a school project. Our lawyer spoke to me about a second project; the situation is worrying. I am sorry, but I do not recall the name of the second project.
I understood that matters already before the courts would be addressed. That is what we hope, but we have no guarantees. Furthermore, what would happen if a given case had to progress beyond the initial stage of the process? The program is not only for school management cases, it includes any...
11:10 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
Exactly. The program is even used in cases involving health care. There is no doubt that it ought to be reinstated. I think that the nationwide reaction to the cuts speak volumes about how necessary the program is.
That being said, I would like to return to the matter of health care system...
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
Can we expect to see petitions about the Court Challenges Program?
11:10 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
An online petition has been organized in the Atlantic region, on the Café Acadie web page at Acadie.net. For various reasons, our Federation has not yet made any representations.
Firstly, our AGM is coming up soon and we decided to wait until then to properly address how we should react. Secondly, our president has been unwell, although he is slowly convalescing and will be able to attend our AGM.
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
11:10 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
Exactly.
11:10 a.m.
Bloc
Guy André Bloc Berthier—Maskinongé, QC
The reason I bring it up is because I have a sty and I wanted to know whether I could...
11:10 a.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
11:10 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
The health care system is so vast that it is difficult to focus on a particular aspect. I can, nevertheless, say that there are problems in recruiting and retaining both English- speaking and French-speaking health care professionals. That is why negotiations are being held with the provincial government on this matter.
It is difficult to get hospital services in French. They are not always available. Services are provided thanks to an agreement the hospital reached with Saint-Pierre et Miquelon. We provide interpretation services. it is a shame that this is not provided elsewhere in Canada, but we are doing our best to make it more accessible to the public.
The situation on the west coast is worrying. I was told about a young woman who had to see seven different doctors during her pregnancy. That is not right. We are trying to improve the situation.
I recently attended a seminar organized by the New Brunswick Medical Training Centre. Mr. Godin, you are probably more familiar with the acronym of that organization than I am. I was most impressed by the services the centre offered.
One of the objectives of the Newfoundland Santé en français is to organize internships for our young trainee doctors. The west coast is one of the places where we would like to send our interns.
If you have any further questions, I will do my best to answer them.
11:10 a.m.
NDP
The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin
Since you are offering, I will ask another question; it is after all my turn.
One-third of New Brunswickers are francophones, and, I believe that things are going fairly well in terms of the services that are provided under the auspices of the French-language health services group. However, as I have often said here in committee, we are losing ground in terms of the provision of health care services in general. French-language hospitals have been closed in northeastern New Brunswick. I am sure that you heard in the news that hospitals in Lamèque, Caraquet, Dalhousie and St-Quentin have been closed.
The citizens of Caraquet organized protests, but to no avail. I believe they managed to save six beds in St-Quentin. I remember that when I said six beds, or six lits in French, people misunderstood my Acadian accent and thought I had said silly. I had to explain that I was talking about the number six and “lits” as in beds in which we sleep. They managed to save six. Another hospital was closed in the Saint-Léonard region at the same time as an English-language hospital was built in the southwest of the province.
But, tell me, what is the challenge that your organization will face in the future? Or perhaps I should ask what will your challenges be in the future, be it in terms of health care or education?
In my region, we have also been granted control of school management. We now have independent school districts. There is the French-language school district and the English-language school district. They had to be separated in order for us to be granted control of schools management.
What are the challenges that will be facing Newfoundland in the future?
11:15 a.m.
Coordinator, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
It would be remiss of me to appear before the Standing Committee on Official Languages without bringing up Bill S-3.
Earlier, we were discussing the importance of the Court Challenges Program. I am only going to make a brief aside, because I am glad that monsieur Godin raised the issue of the challenges that await us.
I would just like to issue a reminder as to the federal government's commitment to official languages. As you know, we do not have the critical mass that was previously used to justify the obligation to provide services in French. And that is the nub of the problem. I am speaking to you as the network coordinator. One of our most important partners is ACOA, the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. I mention it by way of example, but there are many others as well. I simply wish to underscore that we always have to be vigilant in making sure that the need to provide services in French is understood.
Before I talk about priority issues such as the economic development of French-language communities, health, and immigration, I would like to go back to basics and stress the need for the provision of French-language services. I have had many discussions — always amicable, as you can imagine — with ACOA on parts IV and VII of the OLA.
I just wanted to remind you of these provisions of the act and say that we cannot afford to let down our guard. We always have to be vigilant. In some places people never have to stop to wonder whether they will be able to speak French. I mean places other than New Brunswick, which has the privilege of being officially designated as a bilingual province. Here, however, we face a daily struggle. Some battles have been won, but with great difficulty, and only because they were well planned. I just wanted to draw your attention to this situation.
11:15 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
You were asking about future challenges in health care. We face every possible challenge you can imagine.
Our job is to ensure that ultimately we have proper health care services for people in their own language, and there is no doubt that this is urgent.
If a person is French speaking and ill, it is no easy matter to go somewhere and ask for healthcare and to end up speaking a language that is not one's own and trying to explain or discuss matters to ensure that one gets proper health care. If there is a translation service, there is a danger of misunderstanding. It is also no easy matter to consult a doctor and to explain the problem through another person. That is not what we feel like doing when we are lying on a stretcher. So, as I say, we face challenges.
We want to give priority to the west coast for a number of reasons, one being that the population there is very old, as I was saying earlier. The situation is quite alarming. We think that if we can succeed on the west coast, we could definitely set up other French-speaking locations in the rest of the province, and the west coast would become our model.
11:20 a.m.
Liberal
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
Thank you very much.
I would like to come back to Mr. Lemieux's question in order to understand the structure better. If I understand correctly, there are two budget envelopes. Do you have a Canada-community envelope here?
11:20 a.m.
A voice
Yes.
11:20 a.m.
Liberal
Raymond Simard Liberal Saint Boniface, MB
The same principle applies throughout the country. In other words—I do not remember the amount anymore—the FCFA negotiated $18 million a year for administering groups such as the one headed by Ms. Poirier. Next, I believe there are officials from Heritage Canada on a committee with representatives from the community organizations and these people decide how the funds will be distributed in each province.
In the case of the action plan, however, the funds are distributed to the various departments.
You were talking about education, Mr. Lemieux. Unless I am mistaken, it was decided, in cooperation with the provinces, that funding from the action plan will be given to the provinces. In other words, you raise a good point, because the funding disappears somewhat in the provincial envelope for education. It is true that there are a great many different federal funds. I just wanted to make that clarification, because I find it quite important.
Things work quite well in my province because we have excellent cooperation with the province. Our province is open; our Minister of Finance is a francophone; our premier is open to the French-speaking community.
First of all, I would like to know whether that is your experience as well.
My second question is about economic development. I am very familiar with the RDÉEs. They are a huge success in my province. When I look at the figures, I see that the population is very mobile. Does that cause you problems? I believe that 50 per cent of the people contacted in 1996 and 2001 had moved. That must create incredible instability. Does this percentage refer to just the francophone community or to the population as a whole?
11:20 a.m.
Interim Director General, La Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador
We have an excellent relationship with the provincial government. In my opinion, we have never seen such openness toward the French-speaking community.
The advantage of being a small province is that you have access to the ministers. I refer particularly to the ministers who are of interest to us. For example, I do not go to see the Minister of Agriculture. However, I know that Mr. Ottenheimer, the Minister of Governmental Affairs and Minister responsible for Francophone Affairs is incredibly open. He helps us and supports us in every way he can.
The same is true of the Minister of Health. We had a meeting with him in June. Our president was there, of course, as well as the Executive Officer of the Société Santé en français. They were amazed at his openness. In our opinion, this relationship is never called in the question, and we are trying to take advantage of this open attitude as much as possible. This attitude is not unique to this government; traditionally, this is always been the case.
11:20 a.m.
Coordinator, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
The statistics on the mobility of population are correct. I will have more data on that because we are currently doing community profiles for each of our francophone regions. Earlier you mentioned 50%. I have heard that it is higher in some regions but I believe the whole population was included.
You are aware that Ontario or Fort McMurray are very attractive to Newfoundlanders — anglophones especially — and that Fort McMurray has almost become a second Newfoundland. There is certainly some staff turnover in our organizations, depending on the region. In some regions this is more stable. It always depends on the local industry. For example, in Labrador, the population appears to be more stable, more homogenous. The main attraction is the mining industry in the IOC mines. When that industry is operating, staff turnover is more or less stable. Whenever there is a downturn or a slight recession, as there was a few years ago, then people tend to move. We have tried, along with the RDÉE, to find other ways of diversifying that economy and creating other measures of employability.
There are other areas, such as this one in St. John's, where we are discovering — and people may not realize this — a second, and even a third generation of francophones. There are hundreds of them like there are elsewhere, whoever this generation is made up mostly of professionals. These are more mobile individuals, who come for a year or two and who are attracted to St. John's because of the island. They come for the maritime experience. We are trying to find ways of keeping our people in these communities.
The director referred earlier to retention problems. There are recruitment problems. Qualified people have to be found to work in our communities. The ball is in our court; we need to do whatever is necessary to increase retention within our francophone communities.