Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
Members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, my president, Mr. Maurice Gaudet, and myself are very grateful for this opportunity to give you a brief overview of the Saint-Thomas Community Health Centre.
“I want to die in French!” It is as a reaction to this cry for help from aging francophones in Edmonton that the francophone community decided in 1997 to start a planning process with an aim to building a seniors residence for functionally dependent francophone seniors. Two years later, in light of survey results showing the urgent need for such a project, we obtained the necessary funding from the Alberta government in order to purchase a 2.3-acre lot located in the francophone quarter in Edmonton.
Following the presentation of numerous briefs and funding proposals to potential funders, as well as the launch of a fund-raising campaign, we were able to begin building our centre at the beginning of this year. The establishment of the Saint-Thomas Health Centre will contribute to the development of the francophone community in Alberta when it comes to health care, from a job creation as well as from a francophone care and services standpoint.
Once the centre opens, which should be in the fall of 2007, over 200 residents and an even larger number of external users will be able to access a wide range of services in French, from health care to training and cultural development, under one roof. For the first time in the province's history, health care specialists will be able to practice their profession in a francophone environment with French as the language of work. The centre will also be able to provide job placements for interns wishing to work in a francophone environment.
We believe that, just as was the case for francophone education and more specifically the establishment of francophone schools and school boards in Alberta, the implementation of francophone health care services in Edmonton will lead to other similar initiatives in other regions of the province and elsewhere in the country.
This project will lead to the creation of multiple partnerships in a variety of health care, housing, training and culture-related sectors. So far, this community initiative has already compelled the directors of Capital Health, the board of health that provides services to the greater Edmonton area, to seriously look into the primary health care needs of francophone clients and how to improve access to services in French.
Capital Health and the Alberta government's acknowledgment of francophone special needs in terms of health care will have long-term effects. The health care centre's success will open the door to obtaining health care services with other partners. Moreover, partners in the field of training and culture will also be able to broaden their experience and activities with a neglected and all-too-often forgotten segment of the population.
The Canadian government has invested heavily in francophone education and culture in this country. Funding should be maintained and even enhanced. But in order to ensure the evolution of our communities and the development of our members, it is important for French to be used outside of our schools and cultural centres. Indeed, French must become a living language, a language of service and a language of work.
To that end, we must be able to count on financial support from the federal government for special projects like the Saint-Thomas Community Health Centre. This support could involve the insertion of a language clause within federal provincial transfer agreements calling for greater intergovernmental cooperation in terms of minority language services.
It is under this type of collaborative agreement that we requested additional financial assistance of $2.7 million from both governments last January, in order to help balance our construction budget of $24 million. We got a positive response from the provincial government and are still waiting confirmation of the federal government's expected contribution. Based on wording under part VII of the Official Languages Act dealing with the promotion of French in minority communities, we are confident that we will be able to count on your help in our efforts to ensure the Government of Canada's support for our budget.
We thank you for the interest you have taken in our community.