Evidence of meeting #31 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 francophone.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Denis Vincent  President, Réseau santé albertain
Jean Johnson  President, French Canadian Association of Alberta
Marc Arnal  Dean, St-Jean Campus, University of Alberta
Joël Lavoie  Director General, French Canadian Association of Alberta
Donald Michaud  General Director, Réseau santé albertain
Luc Therrien  Director General, Réseau santé albertain
Denis Collette  Project Coordinator, Centre de santé Saint-Thomas
Luketa M'Pindou  Coordinator, Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society
Étienne Alary  Director, Le Franco d'Edmonton
Josée Devaney  Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2
Martin Blanchet  Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2
Paul Dumont  Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2

9:50 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Yes.

In New Brunswick, there is an anglophone-francophone committee. Antonine Maillet was at one time the co-chair. She said something that I have often repeated. She said that we are not asking anglophones to become francophones and francophones to become anglophones. The only thing we want is to have services in both languages. We want to be served in our mother tongue on demand. That is all we are asking.

We are not forcing anglophones to speak French. That is not really what we want; we want to be served in our own language.

Also, how we can we provide services in our communities to local residents in both of Canada's officially recognized languages?

9:55 a.m.

President, French Canadian Association of Alberta

Jean Johnson

This is a loaded question and a loaded comment, because there is no easy answer. In my opinion, the federal government is responsible for ensuring that it always talks with provincial and territorial governments about the francophonie.

9:55 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

By this, you are clearly saying—I think we have heard this several times this morning—that you want to be part of this team. You are working with the federal, provincial and municipal governments and all stakeholders in order to be able to communicate. In passing, I want to say that I too voted to recognize the nation of Québécois; I do not belong to that nation, but I am in agreement. However, at the same time, we need to be able to take the concern about support into consideration. We must not lose the tools that will allow us to move forward.

On that note, I want to thank our witnesses. It was a pleasure to be with you today. On behalf of the committee, I want to thank you once again and I wish you a good week. The meeting is suspended for five minutes.

10:14 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Order please. I'd like to start by thanking you for appearing before the Standing Committee on Official Languages. As I've said to the other witnesses, it is a great pleasure for us to travel to all regions of Canada. The Standing Committee on Official Languages has been in existence for 25 years yet it had never travelled. We wanted to go out and meet people on the ground, because not everyone can make it to Ottawa. We also wanted a change and we wanted to show that we take our work on the Standing Committee on Official Languages seriously. So far people seem to have appreciated this.

My name is Yvon Godin and I'm the Member for Acadie—Bathurst, a riding in northeastern New Brunswick. Ms. Sylvie Boucher is the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Francophonie and Official Languages, and Mr. Pierre Lemieux and Mr. Steven Blaney are Conservative government party members. Messrs. Raymond Simard and Brian Murphy are members of the Official Opposition. Ms. Paule Brunelle was travelling with us, but she had to return to Ottawa.

Before we begin, I would like to ask members of the committee whether they would agree to the following. The Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority Number 2 and the school board trustees are running late. The witnesses that were supposed to make presentations are not here. I would suggest that once they arrive we interrupt, the question and answer session, give them a chance to make their presentation, and then proceed.

Now, I would like to start by turning over the floor to Mr. Collette, from the Saint-Thomas Community Health Centre. You'll have five minutes to make your presentations. You may find that that is not very long, but you'll see that we will have some questions for you which we will want to discuss. Members will then have a five-minute round for questions and answers.

Mr. Collette, you may begin.

10:15 a.m.

Denis Collette Project Coordinator, Centre de santé Saint-Thomas

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.

10:20 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Thank you, Mr. Collette. We will now move to Mr. M'Pindou.

10:20 a.m.

Luketa M'Pindou Coordinator, Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society

Mr. Chairman, members of the Standing Committee, I was pleased to accept the invitation to appear before your standing committee and to present my brief as part of your study of the vitality of the official language minority communities. I thank you for your cordial gesture to me and to our agency, the Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society.

Mr. Chairman, the organization I represent, the Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society, is a non-profit francophone organization that provides assistance to immigrant youth and families in Alberta in the areas of education and crime prevention. Its ultimate goal is to enhance Canada's cultural diversity. The Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society fosters respect for Canada's linguistic duality and promotes its cultural diversity.

We are aware that we live in a context in which respect for linguistic duality often poses problems for us and threatens the vitality of our official language minority communities. Through the support for Official Language Communities Program, the survival of most of the community organizations is directly attributable to this program. I want to assure you that this program, the SOLCP, plays an essential role in the development and vitality of our communities.

Mr. Chairman, in March 2003, the federal government established the Action Plan for Official Languages, an action plan that includes section 17 of the accountability and coordination framework, which precisely describes the steps that each federal institution must take in its strategic planning and in the performance of its mandate as regards official languages. The current government has also expressed its commitment to this action plan. I think that this gesture is a positive measure with respect to our official language minority communities.

Another positive gesture was that the Government of Canada wanted to give more points for knowledge of one of the official languages in its selection of the best candidates in its new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. Another cause for congratulations is the amendments made to the Official Languages Act, to its Part VII, with Bill S-3, in which every federal institution will have a duty to take positive measures for the official language minority communities.

The Government of Canada's commitment to come to the aid of our official language minority communities takes many forms. We francophones see this commitment in areas such as education, health, justice, early childhood, immigration, arts, the economy, and I could go on. However, our communities received a surprise in September when the federal government announced budget cuts that threw a spotlight on the survival of our official language minority communities. I don't want to go into detail about these budget cuts, since the majority of our members across the country have already submitted many complaints about this.

Mr. Chairman, I am certain of and aware of the role that your committee plays in developing official language policies in our country. I would like to inform you that our organization, the Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society, through its programs and services, is a vibrant and valuable presence in the Albertan francophonie that manifests itself through the participation of our youth and women members on various consultative committees, as guests, delegates and active members. Indeed, our programs and services offer our members opportunities to be heard and to contribute to the vitality of the francophonie by giving them a chance to participate in various activities in partnership with community and government agencies at the local, regional, national and international level.

I can mention a few programs that our youth participate in, such as the Canada Youth Exchange Program, the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages Program, the Alberta Youth Parliament, the Alberta Francophone Games, the Youth Mobility Program with the Agence intergouvernementale de la Francophonie, and UNESCO's Youth Consultations. We feel that participation such as this contributes to the vitality of the francophonie and also helps integrate effectively into Canadian society.

In addition to these activities, we maintain very good relations with Quebec agencies such as the Fondation de la tolérance and the Chantier d'Afrique, with which we collaborate through the Community Financial Support Program administered by the Secrétariat aux affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes or SAIC.

Mr. Chairman, given that your committee plays a very important role in developing official languages policy, I would like to give you some recommendations.

That the Standing Committee on Official Languages ensure that the federal government's commitment to the official language minority communities respects the equality entrenched in the Canadian Charter.

That the Standing Committee on Official Languages ensure that the federal government take positive measures under Bill S-3 to benefit the official language minority communities while respecting the consultation process set out in the accountability framework in the Action Plan for Official Languages.

I hope that my presentation has given you a better understanding of our participation in the survival of the official language minority communities. I want to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your study of the vitality of the official language minority communities. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to address your committee. I am ready to take your questions.

Thank you.

10:25 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Thank you very much.

We will now move to Mr. Étienne Alary, Director of Le Franco, an Edmonton weekly.

December 5th, 2006 / 10:25 a.m.

Étienne Alary Director, Le Franco d'Edmonton

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

After having covered Parliament Hill and your committee for two years, I now find myself here on the other side of the fence. Today I am the one making the presentation rather than providing media coverage of it. It is very interesting. Thank you for the invitation.

Established in 1928, the La Survivance newspaper became the Le Franco newsweekly in 1967. The owners of the newspaper, the Oblates Fathers, transferred it several years later to the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta. Although the paper is still owned by the association, it is not its own official mouthpiece. Le Franco is an independent newspaper from an administrative and editing standpoint.

The Le Franco newsweekly is a member of the Association de la presse francophone, and has a provincial and regional mandate. It publishes articles on Franco-Albertan news with a provincial and national focus, from the point of view of francophones, while meeting the needs of various francophone regions in the province. Like most provincial organizations, the newspaper is headquartered in Edmonton. It is distributed by mail to subscribers. The newspaper's team consists of three people and several regional correspondents.

Le Franco intends to take this opportunity before the Standing Committee on Official Languages to present its vision of the Action Plan for Official Languages, while also addressing other major issues with respect to francophone minority media.

The objective of your cross-Canada tour is to take note of communities' views on the Action Plan for Official Languages, a five year, $750 million plan.

The former official languages commissioner, Ms. Dyane Adam, on several occasions in her annual reports stated that despite a slow start, the action plan had undeniably allowed for certain positive steps in the francophone media industry.

Some sectors emerged. In health care, there is for instance the Réseau santé albertain, which you heard from this morning, and in the field of justice, the Association des juristes d'expression française de l'Alberta. These two examples from Alberta created indirect positive spillover for our newspaper. The leadership taken on by these organizations helped diversify our content. We cannot lose sight of the advertising side of events related to these organizations.

That being said, when we look at the Action Plan for Official Languages, we note the absence of a key sector, communications. There is nothing provided under the action plan for francophone media industry actors, like Le Franco or community radio, like CKRP in Rivière-la-Paix. Yet they are critical. Indeed, what would the Franco-Albertan community be without a communication tool like a francophone newspaper? It is therefore essential to pay specific attention to the communications sector when renewing the Official Languages Action Plan.

There is no doubt that the action plan contributes to the development and enhanced vitality of minority francophone communities but it is also clearly not a panacea. Print media in a minority setting are not only absent from the action plan, they also face several challenges unique to francophone media. The first example I think of is the Publications Assistance Program.

As you know, Canada Post announced earlier this fall that it would no longer be participating in this program. Yet its share amounted to 25% of the overall envelope. Although the Department of Canadian Heritage has yet to confirm how this might affect its own contribution, this remains a source of concern for francophone papers outside Quebec, mainly francophone newspaper like Le Franco, which serve an entire province.

We should not forget that the Department of Canadian Heritage's support for this program comes to an end in 2008. The disappearance of the PAP would no doubt spell the end of several francophone minority weeklies, at least as we know them.

Through technological development, e-news has become an interesting option. Le Franco has in fact decided to innovate by offering its subscribers, since last October, an electronic subscription option. That is an alternative we offer, but it would be surprising for it to supplant good old-fashioned paper copies of the newspaper.

With respect to federal advertising, the advent of an advertising moratorium in 2004 in the wake of the sponsorship scandal had a direct impact on francophone minority newspapers. The moratorium dealt a hard blow to newspapers which, instead of continuing to grow, had to streamline in terms of human resources and content. We had to decrease the number of pages published per week. Yes, the moratorium has since come to an end, but federal advertising campaigns have not gone back to the level they were at before the moratorium.

On the one hand, the new management framework on federal advertising created after the moratorium was lifted effectively led to a greater administrative burden.

And on the other hand, the fact that there were two federal elections in two years, not to mention to chance of a third within the upcoming year—who knows—hampered the industry, because these various advertising campaigns stop during elections.

Respect for the Official Languages Act is another aspect of the work of Le Franco here in Alberta; we work in close cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Indeed, it does happen that departments subject to the Act publish English or bilingual ads strictly in English language dailies. Generally, the Office of the Commissioner follows up and addresses the issue, which is often related to new officials stating that they were not aware of their department being subject to the Act.

Air Canada is the exception to this rule however; it has happened regularly over the last few years that the company has advertised major promotions in English dailies while having but a small generic announcement with very little additional information for francophone readers, urging them to go to the website in order to find out about various promotions.

Air Canada claims it is complying with the Official Languages Act in this way, but we disagree because francophone readers in a predominantly anglophone environment cannot access the same content as a person reading an English daily. The Commissioner of Official Languages received several complaints about it, and we are still awaiting a response and follow-up.

Thank you.

10:35 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Thank you.

Representatives from the Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority No. 2 are now here with us. I would now like to turn over the floor Ms. Devaney.

You will have five minutes to make your presentation, followed by a five-minute question and answer session for each member of the committee.

As I stated to other witnesses—you were not here to hear it—we are very pleased to be here with you in Edmonton for these hearings.

You may begin. Thank you.

10:35 a.m.

Josée Devaney Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Firstly, I would like to thank you for your invitation and this opportunity to speak to you.

The Greater North Central, which now serves 2,323 students, was founded in 1994 following the Mahé decision, which handed over management of the school board to parents. Our mandate is two-fold. Our schools are located in the Edmonton area, and in Legal, Saint-Albert, Red Deer, Fort McMurray, Wainwright and Jasper.

Our mission is to turn things around and stop the assimilation of francophones. Our mandate is two-fold: we work to redress and to integrate. As such, we make efforts to reintegrate francophones who were neglected when there were no French-language schools nor French school boards. Our mandate is to also integrate. Today, the profile of francophones living in Alberta has changed significantly, and we owe it to ourselves to integrate everyone, including exogamous families. This is also a major challenge for us.

In spite of all the progress achieved, there's still a lot on our plate. There's still much to be done in terms of sensitizing the community. Many people still do not believe in the benefit of French-language education. Only 15% of eligible students are enrolled in our schools. Francization is also becoming a major issue for us. Many of our students are from exogamous families who speak very little French at home. Because of this, we try to provide quality francization programs and we go to great lengths to communicate with parents who do not speak French. Therefore, there is a need to integrate these parents.

In order to boost francization and fulfil our needs, we began providing full-time kindergarten programs, support to preschool services, and francophone child care services. We hope that these services will be institutionalized. Currently, preschool services are being offered by parent volunteers. Our fear is that some children will not be able to attend French-language preschool, and parents are worried that their child will not have the linguistic ability needed to register in the French-language program. Therefore, we need a lot of support on that level.

In addition, there still remains a lot of work to be done on cultural and identity issues. As I said earlier, many of our children are from different backgrounds. Therefore, in order for them to identify with francophone culture, there's a lot of work that must be done.

The arrival of francophone immigrants means that additional efforts must be made for recruitment and for conveying information on the programs we offer.

Another one of our major issues is keeping our students. Many of them live in small communities where our services are far from being equivalent to English-speaking services. We have since taken more interest in distance learning. This is a major challenge for us, but when it comes to deciding between a long-distance teacher and a classroom teacher, generally the second choice prevails. Therefore, when it comes time for parents to choose between long-distance French-language education and on-site English-language education, the choice is often difficult.

We also experience problems recruiting and teaching staff. In small communities, it is not always easy to find qualified French-speaking candidates.

In 2004, our school board took part in the national study on achieving full francophone educational administration in minority communities, a study on communities' needs commissioned by the National Federation of Francophone School Boards. The study highlighted the need to launch an awareness, identification and information campaign targeted at parents. Very often, we find that parents are simply unaware. There is a lot of confusion surrounding what is understood as a francophone school and an immersion school.

We wish to thank the federal government for the support it has provided us through the official languages program. The program is essential for us. It is through this funding that we are able to provide full-time kindergarten, with a lot of francization.

These funds also allow us to carry out promotional and recruitment campaigns. We also have cultural programs that were developed in partnership with the community. We have cultural liaison agents working in the schools, who also provide programs within the community. Therefore, this funding is essential for us.

Early childhood development is another crucial issue. This ties into what I was saying earlier about preschool services. Francization efforts must be made as soon as the child is born, so that when it comes time to begin school, parents do not have to worry about their child's linguistic abilities.

As a school authority, this funding does not come to us automatically, but we do need support from the federal government.

10:40 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Thank you.

We will begin our round of questions. We will begin with Mr. Brian Murphy.

10:40 a.m.

Liberal

Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I am from Moncton, New Brunswick, I am an anglophone, but since my riding is located in an Acadian region, there are obviously many people who speak French, many Acadians. I am familiar with the situation of francophone minority communities in New Brunswick, but here and in British Columbia, where we were yesterday, things are slightly different.

I would like to better understand the situation of francophone minorities here and wish to put a question directly to Mr. M'Pindou with respect to his comments.

You wrote and said that the budget cuts announced by the government in September threw the spotlight on the survival of our official language minority communities.

I am certain that no member of this committee nor any member of the government wishes to see government measures undermining the future and vitality of francophone minority communities here or anywhere else in Canada. Can you be more specific on how the budget cutbacks will affect the future and vitality of your community?

10:45 a.m.

Coordinator, Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society

Luketa M'Pindou

For example, recently cuts were made to the Court Challenges Program. That affects, even threatens our communities' vitality. Communities used that program considerably to claim our programs and services. That is one example of how our vitality is affected.

I can think of other programs which have been cut back, and we are not guaranteed of working in partnership with either of the province or the federal government. For example, there is the early childhood program. Another concrete example is our community health care centre which is still awaiting a follow-up on the federal government's promise. This is somewhat of a threat for us.

That is how I would answer your question.

10:45 a.m.

Liberal

Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

There are two examples.

At the end of your presentation, you made two recommendations. I fully understood your first recommendation, but your second recommendation seems a bit vague to me. Could you be more explicit about what it means? It will perhaps encourage the government to not cut back on the programs that you have just described. The wording is roundabout; I, for one, am rather direct, I apologize. What do the following words mean exactly: “...ensure that the federal government take positive measures under Bill S-3...”? What do these words mean in concrete terms?

We are but one committee, the members of the opposition, but perhaps we will be able to convince the members of the government that there are elements in your second recommendation that we must support. However, for this to happen, I must fully understand the meaning of that recommendation.

10:45 a.m.

Coordinator, Alliance Jeunesse-Famille de l'Alberta Society

Luketa M'Pindou

This is how I interpret Bill S-3. Part VII of the Official Languages Act sets out the government's obligations towards our communities, and this obligation must be met in partnership with our communities, through consultations as to whether or not changes must be made.

Therefore, we were surprised with the announcement made in September, because our communities were not consulted. That is why I said in relation to Bill S-3 that we would at least have felt we'd been considered had we been consulted, but we weren't. We were therefore taking a back by the cutbacks.

Therefore we are asking the government and your committee to make an effort so that the government fulfils the promise provided for under section 17 of the action plan, that stipulates that a community must be consulted.

10:45 a.m.

Liberal

Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB

Therefore, there is a connection between the cutbacks and the recommendations.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

10:45 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

It's now Ms. Boucher's turn.

10:45 a.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for welcoming us here.

This issue is of great importance to us, particularly for members of this government. We need to hear your proposals for solutions. We are here to listen to your messages and to take note of them.

As I was saying earlier to the others, I am an eternal optimist. I like to look far into the future. I understand some of the challenges that face all of our communities across this country.

My question is: in each of your fields, what has been your greatest achievement of all time? Among all of the proposed solutions you are recommending to government, which one would be your top priority?

I will begin with Mr. Collette.

10:45 a.m.

Project Coordinator, Centre de santé Saint-Thomas

Denis Collette

As I was saying in my presentation, in terms of education, we have evolved significantly in recent years, and it is certainly thanks to the federal government and the support of our provincial government.

In the area of communications—I worked at Radio-Canada for 25 years—we have also evolved greatly for some time. Nonetheless, in recent years, we have lost some steam in the field of communications because the industry is becoming increasingly centralized back East, particularly the national networks of Radio-Canada.

As for the future, we have already provided you with a few suggestions. We have spoken about them. We must continue to focus on education. However, other fields must be invested in, such as health, and the field that we represent here today around this table.

We say that it is important to invest in education. Nonetheless, it is even more important to invest in allowing our young people to work in a francophone setting. We must be able to motivate them to remain in the area and live to the fullest the experience of their language and culture. In our area, health care services are provided in our language. This service is a great need for the people of our community. In addition, they are able to grow in their language, and work in their language. Services are provided in the language, but they are also working in that very same language. These people are developing.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Thank you.

Ms. Devaney.

10:50 a.m.

Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2

Josée Devaney

Firstly, our greatest achievement was the establishment of the francophone school board not too long ago. That was a major challenge, partly because we have to convince people to come to our area and work there. I wish to point out that francophones won control over their own school boards through the Court Challenges Program of Canada. That is how things started. We agree entirely with the concerns and comments made by our colleagues here, with respect to the abolition of the program.

Within the school board itself, our greatest achievement has been the establishment of full-time kindergarten. The provincial government funds half-day kindergarten. Through the funds earmarked for official languages, we are able to finance full-time kindergarten. This allows us to integrate our children, and make considerable francization efforts. So when the children begin grade one, they are linguistically ready to take on the task ahead of them.

10:50 a.m.

Conservative

Sylvie Boucher Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC

Perhaps I can ask Mr. Blanchet that question, but unfortunately I can't quite see him.

10:50 a.m.

Martin Blanchet Trustee, Greater North Central Francophone Regional Authority no. 2

I would like to continue on the subject raised by Ms. Devaney.

When we, in Alberta, obtained the right to manage the school boards in 1994, we had between 940 and 950 students. Today, we have approximately 2,300 students; that is an increase of more than 100%.

During the last five years, we have received additional funding which has allowed us to establish a management system. However, it must be noted that management alone is not enough to retain our students. We need to provide our francophone students the equivalent of what is offered in the local anglophone school.

If equivalency does not exist, making the choice between French language and English language education becomes moot. Students will prefer enrol in the other system, where there are more and better programs.

That leads us to our current challenge. We need the same level of funding that we received in the beginning—which has since been considerably reduced—so that we can provide all of our students the equivalent of what all other students in the province are receiving.

10:55 a.m.

NDP

The Vice-Chair NDP Yvon Godin

Thank you.

We must now turn to the 2003 Action Plan. What had a positive impact on your communities? What do you believe must be done in the future?