Official Languages Committee on Nov. 8th, 2006

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

There was talk about Bishop's University. It seems you're saying that you're getting clients from outside of the country. Do you get clients from inside the country, for example, New Brunswick or Ontario? Could you give us a little bit on that?

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

As I said, 45% of our student body are Canadians from outside of Quebec. It's a significant proportion. We get them from everywhere.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

The challenge we have, for example, if we look at a francophone outside of Quebec.... I would say that almost every doctor who comes along, even if they're francophone, is going to finish by being able to speak and perform in English. I think where you have the problem is when you get to the nurses and the people who help them.

[Rachel Garber]

Language training for francophone service providers in the health care system is one aspect of the action plan we're beginning to see results on. I must say that those service providers have been very eager to avail themselves of English as a second language classes, which they can take through the health and social service funding.

We're also working, at the other end, to have bilingual persons whose first language is English come to the Eastern Townships to do internships and eventually become integrated into the health care system here.

You're right. In the health care professions, language is extremely crucial. I think that in working from both angles, we're beginning to attack that problem.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

I see that Jean-Claude is not here.

I'm going to go to Madame Boucher.

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

Good morning, everyone. I'm very pleased to be here today. The committee has travelled here and there to try to understand the challenges facing francophone and anglophone minorities, an issue that is very important to us. This is the first time that we are meeting the anglophone minority in Quebec.

You talked at great length about the challenges and you are very engaged in your respective sectors. What are your biggest achievements? How did you go about obtaining some success? Could we ensure this success in future initiatives?

[James Carter]

I would like to answer that question.

It is partnership. Indeed, our successes on the ground are the result of a partnership between public institutions and communities, whether this be about identifying community needs, planning services, complementarity agreements between institutions and community resources.

It is all about partnership. Indeed, $22 million of our investment, or rather your investment in us, are put into the health and social services system. That enables human resources— especially the francophones — in the various agencies to improve their front line services, such as services to allow people to stay at home, Info-Santé, or to help reorganize the Health and Social Services Centres, for example, to reformulate their programming in order to reach the anglophone clients in their jurisdiction.

Indeed, the partnership that resulted from this $4 million investment encouraged greater capacity in the public system. The networks and partnerships are now formally linked together as a common service point and we are hoping that the communities and the public system agencies will eventually be part of this.

We have another priority. This priority is a partnership with the ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux. Consequently, any investment made here, in Quebec, in the health care sector, must be part and parcel of the programs, plans, reorganizations, reforms and legislation of Quebec. The formula for our success lies in the great cooperation with our colleagues, here in Quebec.

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

Thank you.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

You have one minute remaining.

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

I still have one minute left? I can share it with somebody else, with Mr. Petit.

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

Good morning. I will put my one-minute question to Mr. Rittenhouse.

You represent Bishop University. If I am not mistaken, a college is also associated with your university.

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

No, this used to be the case back in the 1930s, but the two split. Bishop's College School is now a private high school.

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

That was it?

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

That was it.

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

All right. There was a football team.

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

Bishop's University has the football team.

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

I would like to ask you a question. It is along the same line as the question put to you by Mr. Godin. In fact, he asked you a question which I would like you to answer in greater detail.

You mentioned a plan that was adopted in 2003. How does the university receive its share? I did not understand. Could you explain further, please?

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

After being invited to attend this committee meeting, I asked people sitting around the table at the university what they knew about the 2003 Official Languages Action Plan. Absolutely nothing! No one even knew about it. That was not exactly the best...

Is he talking about Champlain College? Is that what he's talking about?

[An honourable member]

Non, I do not think so.

[Dr. Jonathan Rittenhouse]

That is not necessary. We have many people who spend a great deal of time trying to secure grants, bursaries and financial assistance at various levels. In my opinion, it is always good to know that it is possible to obtain money to subsidize certain initiatives, although we have not analyzed the likelihood of receiving money nor have we taken any action in that regard. However, no one really knew about the Official Languages Action Plan.

We are not like the Townshippers' Association, which testified here today and which is totally involved in looking for financial support. As I said, it is somewhat difficult for a teaching establishment to get access to federal money for its projects. Because of that, as I said at the outset of my presentation, I can tell you next to nothing about the 2003 Official Languages Action Plan. Nevertheless, with the assistance of numerous partners in the region, the university may do something to improve the situation of the community and we are prepared to do our work.

[The Vice-Chair, NDP, Yvon Godin]

We will continue with Mr. D'Amours.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

For my turn, you will understand that I will not talk about football. But I would like to continue on my first-round question about the bilingualism of the employees. The biggest challenge for francophones is to speak in English and not be too shy. I understand that for an anglophone, the biggest challenge is to speak French and not be too shy. It's not a question of understanding the other language. It's a little bit easier, I would say.

What is the challenge you face? Is it a question of you not having the infrastructure to make sure that the anglophones can have the resources to have a conversation course in French and vice versa, because of the question of the entrepreneur or the business? What is available right now and what is not available to make sure that your community can look to the future?

[Michael Van Lierop]

Concerning the services that are available for FSL, French second language training, there are some. Admittedly, many of these are at private colleges and so on, courses, night courses and so on. There has been some effort by the provincial government, through Emploi-Québec, to provide services as well. But by and large, it's pretty mixed, very hodgepodge. So there is a definite need, not just among low-income anglophones, but that runs the whole gamut. Basically, the infrastructure is not there, at least not in my opinion, and it's desperately needed. I think maybe 20 years ago the community wasn't aware of it, but today we're very aware that the need is there and that we should make sure that our young English speakers are very bilingual, so that at the very least they have no linguistic reason to leave. If they're leaving anyway, that's their choice, but at least they have no concrete reason to.

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

But at the same time, do you have a problem with literacy inside your community?

[Michael Van Lierop]

Literacy is definitely a problem. There's a community group that specializes in that, Literacy in Action, in Lennoxville as well. But certainly that is a problem. It's probably not unique to our community, but it's definitely a problem, and it does not help.