Official Languages Committee on Nov. 8th, 2006

[Robert Donnely]

My experience as president of VEQ, as I said before, is mainly through one ministry, PCH, or Canadian Heritage. As our president, Martin Murphy, in Montreal keeps saying at all of our meetings, the reality is that through Canadian Heritage you're looking at an envelope of about $33 million for the support of minority language communities. The other reality is that $30 million of that $33 million goes to the francophone organizations outside Quebec and only $3 million goes to the anglophone organizations in Quebec. And the numbers are comparable: 950,000 people versus just under 1 million people. We agree the reality is that the needs of those small franco organizations everywhere in Canada are obviously many times more significant, because we have a lot more in terms of institutions in Quebec. But we don't all live on the Island of Montreal, and it's in those small communities where....

So funding has improved. Our core grants have improved a little bit; we get more money to do projects with youth, newcomers, and social events to build vitality. And yet ten times seems a lot. Maybe it's not going to have to be split in half, but maybe in one ministry, for example, there's a little balancing that is needed.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Or funding should be increased to give you a better share.

[Robert Donnely]

Exactly. But the trouble when you say that is you don't want to make it look as though you have to take it from what's being done outside Quebec.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

Ms.Boucher will speak next.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Good morning, gentlemen. I'm pleased you're here today to tell us about the challenges facing the anglophone community in Quebec. We have come here to find out what people are thinking.

Your association works in Quebec City, Mr. Donnely. Since I am from the Quebec City region myself, I am well aware that Quebec is not a very bilingual city.

What is the most important issue facing your organization in the Quebec City region?

[Robert Donnely]

Communication. There are 15,000 anglophones living in a region with a population of 700,000. We have a weekly anglophone newspaper called The Quebec Chronicle-Telegraph, which is very helpful to the community. The problem is reaching people. When individuals, particularly anglophones, arrive in the Quebec City region, we need to know that they are there and we need to let them know that we have something to offer them that could be helpful.

We now have our website on the Internet. Knowing that someone is there is a great help to people. We organize special evening activities. We organized one last week at which 12 newcomers came to talk about their experience in Quebec City. The task is difficult because there are not many anglophones and because they are scattered over quite a large region. The anglophone community where I grew up was concentrated downtown, in St. Patrick Parish and on Lockwell Street. Now the anglophones live throughout the region. We know they are there. When we meet them at meetings where there are 10 or 15 people, such as the ones we had in the last few months, they tell us they know that the VEQ exists. They think our efforts to preserve institutions are important. They are not taking advantage of them at the moment, but they know this work is important. It takes an effort, but it also takes money, because we need time and people to get this work done.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

My next question is to both of you.

Minorities face many challenges. We know that, we have talked about it and we have heard it throughout our travels. We are taking notes.

What is your greatest achievement to date?

How did you go about achieving it? Could this give us some ideas for future projects that anglophone communities could undertake?

[Robert Donnely]

You're referring to our organization in Quebec City?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I'm talking about both.

[Robert Donnely]

The VEQ has been around for 25 years. To some extent, it is now taken for granted. I was a member of the board from 1983 to 1986, and I have now been back for three or four years. I am the president at the moment.

We have to meet with people and to find out exactly what they expect of us. We receive grants. We work hard, it takes a lot of effort to reach people to find out who they are, particularly this year. But we are pleased, because the responses we are getting show that we should keep on doing what we have been doing. It is important to work with young people and with newcomers, and to hold social events. Community vitality is very important.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Thank you.

[Robert Donnely]

I do not know whether Peter can talk about the activities of the Quebec Community Groups Network.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

Mr. Riordon.

[Peter Riordon]

Of course. We celebrate a lot of small successes. One of them that comes to mind was setting up a group of motivated volunteers who are prepared to take charge of the future: a group with both feet firmly on the ground. However, we need more, and we still need help. There is a strong desire to succeed, and that gives hope for the future.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

Thank you.

Mr. André.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

Good morning again.

I would like to come back to some of the concepts that were raised earlier. As you know, we francophones are in the majority in Quebec, but in the minority throughout Canada, and increasingly in the minority throughout the world. Consequently, the whole struggle to preserve our culture becomes important in order to preserve our language. We therefore introduced legislation to protect our language and culture, while continuing to show respect for the anglophone minority. That is a very important dynamic at the moment.

I come back to the fact that people are leaving. As we said earlier, francophones were under tremendous pressure to learn the country's second official languages, because of our international relations and our trade. In the business world, in my region of Louiseville, for example, in the furniture and textile industries, business is conducted in English. So there is a great deal of pressure for people to learn English. Is there enough pressure on anglophones to learn French?

It is said that young anglophone workers between the ages of 30 and 50 are leaving. They go elsewhere because English is the language of business. So there is an attraction to business. They think that in order to succeed, they have to go to Ontario or to one of the other provinces. I think that is part of the problem. Is there a way of applying more pressure to get the anglophone community more interested in French? It is true that some learn French; I do know that there are a considerable number of bilingual individuals. Are there any other ways of stopping this exodus? What can be done to keep anglophones in Quebec? You want to keep your young people, and that is right: it is quite reasonable to fight to keep our young people in our community. At the same time there is a growing need for people who speak both languages.

I would like to hear your views on this.

[Robert Donnely]

We always come back to the same thing: the vitality of the community. It is very important for francophones and mainly for anglophones, in our region. We tend to look to young people. Everyone knows that.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

But there is less pressure on anglophones to learn French. Would you agree?

[Robert Donnely]

Yes, to some extent. I completely agree with their willingness, with their plans to go look elsewhere and go study elsewhere. I hope that, when they leave, they do so with a desire to return. But at the moment, they leave to go—they are not thinking about coming back. Perhaps if we could get them to think about it, some of them might come back. But they would need to have a future, and jobs. A francophone who leaves and who is bilingual when he or she returns from obtaining a university education elsewhere would be ready to work in English or French. Anglophones in Quebec are already bilingual. The vast majority of anglophones are bilingual. They are able to work. But there has to be a community to receive them.

[Guy André, Bloc, Berthier—Maskinongé, QC]

The sense of belonging is less strong. The jobs are there, but they have less of a sense of belonging.

[Robert Donnely]

That's right. To my mind, that is an important consideration.

[Peter Riordon]

Unilingual anglophones are generally no longer around. There are a few left, but not many. The English-speaking community has recognized that speaking French is essential. We applaud that. It's extraordinary—there is an advantage for everyone who speaks two or more languages.

However, we are talking not only about language but also culture. The city of Sherbrooke was founded and built by anglophones. The Eastern Townships were also built by anglophones. But what is happening today? The names are being changed, historic names that meant something, like the names of some founders. Those names are being scrapped and replaced by the names of Quebec politicians.

Is this a good way to encourage a country's culture to flourish? We might well ask that question. You can scratch the names off street signs, but you cannot change history. The history is still there, and there comes a time where people start to ask the right questions, like: Why are these names being changed? I believe that culture is essential to every individual. It's not only a question of language, but also a question of the culture associated with the language. That is what we wish to maintain.

However, I should add that it is undoubtedly easier for a young anglophone to move to another part of Canada or to another part of the world, since English is understood almost everywhere. Moreover, young anglophones probably have family in Calgary or Vancouver, making things even easier. Air Canada takes advantage of that, because Quebec anglophones travel a great deal to visit family members in other parts of the country.

There are questions we need to ask. Is Canada better served? Is Quebec better served by the presence of a well-developed and dynamic English-speaking community? I would say yes. It is of benefit to everyone. Francophones in Quebec regularly ask us to speak to them in English. When we walk into a store, we are asked to speak English. People want to learn English. We also want English taught in schools. English is being taught earlier in schools in the province, and that is a good thing.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

Thank you.

Mr. Petit.

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My question is for Robert Donnely.

First of all, I am originally from the Quebec City region, as you are. As a child of a linguistic intermarriage, I saw the establishment of the Jeffery Hale Hospital for anglophones in the region. My wife gave birth to our children there. As you see, I know how it works.

However, one thing struck me a few moments ago in your answer to Mr. D'Amours' and Mr. André's questions about the exodus. As you know, in the Quebec City region, we have very small and well-structured English-speaking communities, like Shannon, which is close to my riding and CFB Valcartier.

You talked about a number of ways, including jobs, that would help keep our young people here. You listed a number of reasons and criteria.

But let's not forget that older people left Quebec as well. That has intrigued me. In my riding, there were older people, not young people, with names like Cooper and Grantham who left the Quebec City region. They were educated people, and well off. Some were even teachers like you.

In your view, why are those older people leaving my region, even though we have good services? I'm not criticizing the services. Is it because the action plan put in place several years ago—I am a new member of Parliament—is deficient in some ways? Does it have gaps? Do you see a gap that you could point out to us? As the parliamentary secretary was saying earlier, we might have forgotten something.

[Peter Riordon]

People are moving to Calgary.