Official Languages Committee on June 8th, 2006

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

Good morning, everyone. The Standing Committee on Official Languages will now begin its meeting which, pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), will focus on ministerial priorities.

It gives me great pleasure to welcome our Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages, the Honourable Josée Verner.

Ms. Verner, you have 15 minutes to make your opening remarks, after which we will begin our round of questions.

Welcome, Ms. Verner.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Minister for la Francophonie and Official Languages]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Like other colleagues here today, we went to the other room. I apologize for being a few minutes late.

Ladies and gentlemen, members of the committee, it is my pleasure to appear before you today to discuss my vision for official languages as Minister of International Cooperation and Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages.

I am accompanied by Ms. Diane Fulford, Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizen and Heritage, of the Department of Canadian Heritage, Mr. Jérôme Moisan, Senior Director, Official Languages Secretariat and Mr. Hubert Lussier, Director General, Official Languages Support Programs Branch.

I would like to tell you today about the government's very strong commitment to the Official Languages Act and the parameters around which the implementation of that commitment is based. I also want to speak about the orientations of the policies and programs that I expect to put forward, in order to advance the equality of status of the two official languages and to permit all of Canada to fully take advantage of the richness offered by its linguistic duality.

There is a consensus with respect to official languages: Canada's linguistic duality represents an essential component of Canadian identity and an extraordinary richness for all society.

The government has taken a clear position in favour of the Official Languages Act. We intend to ensure that English and French have equal status for use in all parliamentary and governmental institutions. We support the development of official language communities in minority situations and will help them to contribute fully to Canada's prosperity. We will make sure that full recognition of French and English is promoted throughout the country.

We have demonstrated our support for linguistic duality on numerous occasions. Moreover, allow me to remind you that in November my colleagues and I helped adopt Bill S-3, which reinforces part VII of the act. This section stipulates the Government of Canada's commitment to encourage the development of official language communities in minority situations and promote full recognition and use of both official languages. A firm commitment on the part of our entire caucus ensured the passage of this bill.

I would also like to remind you of the Prime Minister's full, personal commitment to official languages and particularly to the French language, which he uses often. The government's support of linguistic duality, as a foundation of Canadian society, remains unequivocal and I would like to add that this support includes the recognition of the essential and crucial role of Quebec with respect to the vitality of the French fact in Canada. We are committed to practice “open federalism that recognizes a unique place in a united Canada for a strong and dynamic Quebec.”

We have five government priorities which will guide us to our ultimate objective: building a stronger, more prosperous and united Canada. I think that it is inconceivable to imagine a strong, prosperous and united Canada without the contributions of official language minority communities across the country whether they are big or small.

We want to establish the foundations of open and respectful collaboration with all levels of government and organizations from all sectors. It is in this spirit that I am taking on the mandate that the Prime Minister has conferred upon me. I will be supported in my work by my colleague, Mme Sylvie Boucher, Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and La Francophonie and Official Languages.

I would now like to define my responsibilities as Minister of Official Languages. I have two distinct complementary roles. The first is to ensure a horizontal coordination of all federal activities with respect to official languages. These activities concern minority official language community development, the promotion of linguistic duality, the language in which federal institutions serve the public, and the linguistic rights of federal employees.

I will work directly with my colleagues in cabinet, particularly with those who have responsibilities in key departments in this area. I'll mention particularly the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency which develops and coordinates bilingualism in federal institutions, or Justice Canada, which is responsible for the administration of justice in the two official languages.

My second role is derived from the statutory responsibilities of the Minister of Canadian Heritage related to the federal government's commitment to enhance the development of official language minority communities and to promote the full recognition and use of the two official languages. This includes the coordination of federal activities in these areas, direct support to communities, education and official language services agreements and the promotion of the two languages throughout the country.

This double official languages machine is added to my duties as Minister of La Francophonie and I would like to say here that this is the first time that all of these responsibilities have been brought together under one minister. You can see a clear indication on the part of Prime MInister Harper to ensure that our efforts to reinforce Canada's linguistic duality are as coordinated as possible within the government and elsewhere.

Now, I would like to define the orientations of the policies and programs that I want to put forward to accomplish my work with respect to official languages. As you know, the official languages programs regroup all of the activities which permit the federal government to respect the obligations and commitments of the Government of Canada regarding the Official Languages Act.

As Minister of Official Languages, I must ensure political leadership and horizontal coordination of the program for the whole of the Government of Canada. The Official Languages Secretariat supports me in this work. In terms of political leadership, this means that I: discuss issues related to linguistic duality with my cabinet colleagues; express the government's point of view on current official languages files; represent the government to the provinces and territories.

For example, this is what I will do when I co-chair the Conférence ministérielle sur la Francophonie canadienne next October.

My horizontal coordination role includes: ensuring concerted government action with respect to official languages, particularly in collaboration with those institutions that have statutory responsibilities under the Official Languages Act; supporting other ministers in their sectoral initiatives; spearheading constructive dialogue with communities and their members as well as with the provinces and territories; as needed, intervening with the Commissioner of Official Languages, parliamentary committees and other parties; reporting to Parliament on official languages program results.

As I mentioned, our government chose to concentrate its efforts on five priorities, including accountability. In this regard, the action plan for federal accountability, unveiled on April 11, 2006, contains accountability measures that will affect all federal government departments and agencies.

The particular challenge in official languages, especially with respect to support for official language minority communities, remains its horizontal and intergovernmental nature, as well as the number of parties able to influence the targeted results. The challenge is even bigger since the Official Languages Act was amended in November 2005.

Now, federal institutions have an enforceable obligation to take positive measures to implement the federal commitment with respect to official language minority communities and the full recognition of English and French in Canadian society.

The horizontal management framework is one of the policy tools that will help with this challenge. It will help to measure departmental and governmental official languages results attained, such as demanded by the Government of Canada's accountability policy. The framework constitutes, essentially, the first instrument of this type to measure government-wide performance on a horizontal file respecting sectoral responsibilities. Concretely, this signifies that we'll be present in all steps of a project. We will intervene not only at the developmental stage but also after it is implemented. This should allow for increased coherence within all federal initiatives and the evaluation processes to which they are linked.

I would now like to present the policy tools and programs that the Department of Canadian Heritage uses to implement its responsibilities found in part VII of the Official Languages Act in more detail. In doing this, I wish to mention the results that we are targeting through effective use of these tools. I will also mention some actions already undertaken.

On the one hand, the Department of Canadian Heritage plays a lead role in coordinating the implementation of the federal government's commitment as stated in part VII of the Official Languages Act. This commitment consists of supporting the development of official language minorities and promoting the full recognition of the two official languages.

In this way, more than 30 federal institutions, designated because of the impact their activities have on the minority communities, present their action plan and achievements to the department each year.

I will soon report to Parliament, as required by the act, on the activities of these institutions, as well as the results of all the Department of Canadian Heritage's official languages support programs.

This coordination and support work, which spans all of the federal government, is particularly important at this time, since the recent amendments to the act target reinforcing the federal commitment in this area. That's how, by collaborating with Justice Canada and the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency, the department actively supports the current efforts of federal institutions.

For example, at presentations or other forums, the department ensures that the institutions fully understand their responsibilities under part VII of the act. Department officials are also working to developing a strategic and user-friendly guide on the implementation of section 41, which should facilitate better consideration in all federal operations of the government's obligations to promote English and French.

On the other hand, the Department of Canadian Heritage's financial support is offered within the framework of two major programs. One concerns the development of official language communities, and the other the enhancement of English and French across the country.

In the first case, the program's objective is to ensure the vitality of official language minority communities. More precisely, we support communities in improving their capacity to live in their language, participate in Canadian society and ensure their long-term development. We also aim to ensure that they have increased access to federal, provincial, territorial and municipal programs and services in their language, and to ensure that they have better access to quality education in their language within their communities.

The program also tries to see that there is better synergy between the multiple partners working to develop and expand these communities. In this way, their work will be more targeted and concerted.

The same type of coordination is also sought after by the second major program based on promotion of duality and second language learning.

The initiatives undertaken through this program target an increased proportion of Canadians who have a functional knowledge of the two official languages as well as a better understanding and appreciation of the benefits of linguistic duality.

We are working now to sensitize, not only federal institutions, but numerous other partners, including the private and voluntary sectors, to the importance of supporting the reinforcement of linguistic duality throughout Canada.

I have already met many of my provincial colleagues and numerous representatives of organizations. I think it is essential to work in full collaboration with all the key players in these often complex files.

Therefore, I concluded education agreements with all of the provincial and territorial governments and everything is now in place to transfer the $1 billion to the provinces and territories forecast for 2005 to 2009. These funds support their efforts with respect to minority official language education and second official language instruction.

Also, since our government was elected, agreements have been signed with seven provinces and territories with respect to provision of services in the official language of the minority. An agreement with Quebec concerning services offered by the province to the English-speaking community will soon be concluded. This is excellent news for these communities, as well as for all of the provinces and territories.

This new approach of cooperation has already proven effective in other areas, particularly health care. In this area, innovative partnerships that produce clear results have been established with French and English minority-language communities. These partnerships are beginning to serve as a model for others.

Another example is the opening of the Centre de recherche en technologies langagières on the campus of the Université du Québec en Outaouais.

This is what we can accomplish when we cooperate with not only our federal partners, but other levels of government and the private sector, and when we focus on the economic, cultural, and social benefits of our linguistic duality.

Moreover, I recently had the pleasure of announcing funding for the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario to help the association launch its activities and make the voice of French-speaking Ontarians heard loud and clear.

Finally, I have just begun an important tour to meet with representatives of English and French minority-language communities across the country.

I had a very interesting meeting with the Conseil national des présidents et présidentes de la Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada.

And, during my recent visit to Manitoba, I was able to see just how dynamic and organized their francophone community is. I was impressed by the warm welcome that the Franco-Manitobans gave to the international Francophonie members. I've also just returned from New Brunswick, where, in addition to having jointly announced major investments in education with the provincial government, I had the opportunity to discuss the needs of the francophone community with representatives of la Société des Acadiens et des Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick.

At the same time, I was able to learn more about the Acadian situation in all of the Atlantic provinces through discussions with the Société nationale de l'Acadie.

Tomorrow, Sylvie Boucher, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, and I will meet representatives of the anglophone community in Quebec to conclude a collaborative agreement with them.

I want to become an ally of the communities, to listen to their needs and have discussions with them to ensure that our support remains the most efficient and pertinent possible.

We have challenges before us if we want to perpetuate and enrich the formidable heritage our forefathers have left us.

If you ask how you're going to do it, I would tell you that there is no miracle solution, but that we have lots to gain by working as a team and sharing our experiences. And I want to follow an approach founded on collaboration and coordination.

I'm talking about the education sector, where we need to double our efforts to ensure that our francophone youth not only begin their schooling in French, but that they complete it in French as well.

I'm talking about second-language learning, so essential to the future of Canadian linguistic duality, and about bringing francophones and anglophones closer together, both in Quebec and elsewhere in Canada.

I'm talking about our ability to focus on immigration to ensure demographic and economic benefits in the communities across our country.

I am also working closely with my colleague, Beverley Oda, Minister of Canadian Heritage, to find out how we can do more with respect to arts and culture to benefit the anglophone and francophone minority communities. The Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister, Sylvie Boucher, also supports us in our efforts.

The possibility of creating a francophone secretariat within the department is being examined to ensure that the distinctiveness of the Canadian francophonie is taken into consideration systematically in decision-making processes related to departmental cultural programs and policies.

All this, without forgetting of course, that the government itself must become a model of respect and reinforcement of linguistic duality within its own structures and internal practices. Federal institutions should set the tone. I will therefore ensure that all of my colleagues in the cabinet cooperate towards implementation of this objective.

In summary, I intend to defend bilingualism with passion and heart. I want to work to increase equality between the two official languages in all federal institutions, to reinforce minority official language community vitality across the country, and to make sure that the two major linguistic communities in Canada understand and mutually enrich each other better.

I invite you to share your ideas and vision with me so that Canada's linguistic duality remains one of our fundamental values.

Thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Guy Lauzon]

Thank you very much, Ms. Verner. It is up to us to thank you.

Before we begin the question and answer session, I must mention that we have set aside the last 15 minutes of this meeting for an in-camera session, to discuss future business.

We'll start the first round of questions with Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Thank you, Madam Minister, for your appearance here today. The Official Languages Commissioner will be stepping down on July 31st.

Do you have someone in mind for the position?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you for your question.

I know that the commissioner will be leaving in July and I'd like to take advantage of this opportunity to thank her for the excellent work she's done.

It is a process which must be submitted to Parliament and the Senate. I have no announcement to make today. The process is underway.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Well, do you not find this situation worrisome, given that, in theory, the House will be rising around June 23rd? Ms. Adam will be stepping down on July 31st. The appointment must go through Parliament and the Senate before it is effective. If I've understood correctly, there's a chance we may not have another commissioner before she steps down.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Are you asking me whether I find that worrisome? No, because we will assume our responsibilities and this appointment, which is within the purview of Parliament, will be made in due course.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

All right, but that is not an answer, Minister, because in actual fact, we will be leaving in two weeks, whereas Ms. Adam will be stepping down in July.

So, let me repeat the same question, because the communities are also concerned. In fact, Mr. Jean-Guy Rioux made a public statement to that effect recently. In a way, we are sending out a message with respect to how important communities are.

Will we, yes or no, have a commissioner to replace Ms. Adam when she steps down?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I heard your question, sir. Our government is steadfast in its commitment to linguistic duality. The House of Commons and the Senate will proceed to the selection of the next commissioner, as they've always done.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Will the committee have an opportunity to question this person?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Ms. Fulford or Mr. Moisan, would you like to answer?

[Jérôme Moisan, Senior Director, Official Languages Secretariat, Department of Canadian Heritage]

The terms do not provide for a meeting with the committee, but we could look into the issue and get back to you on that.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Mr. Chairman, from what I understood this week, Ms. Adam was interviewed by the committee. So we would expect the situation to be the same for whoever replaces her.

Let me change subjects. My next question has to do with the Action Plan for Official Languages which was tabled by the government and which is currently in effect. When you went to New Brunswick, in May, you wanted to change aspects of the plan. Could you tell us which ones exactly?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

Sir, we support the action plan. As a government, we have no intention of ever providing less than what the communities have obtained in this area. As the implementation progresses, we will determine whether the plan should be enhanced or improved.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

All right. You suggested possibly changing some elements. Are you considering some at this point?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I am currently on a tour of the various communities, as I committed to doing. In light of the suggestions and recommendations I received from communities, if changes, improvements or enhancements are warranted, I would certainly be receptive to that.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

So you are open to the idea of increasing the budgetary envelope, in other words renewing the plan after 2008 and maybe increasing the envelope. Are you open to that?

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

I am open to hearing the recommendations, suggestions and concerns of linguistic communities.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

You may be open to hearing them, but you will not necessarily undertake to renew or enhance the plan.

[Josée Verner, Conservative, Louis-Saint-Laurent, QC]

In due course, if changes are warranted, specifically with respect to the budget, I will let you know.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Well, thank you. That's nice. I feel privileged.

What is the situation with respect to the bilingualism of deputy ministers?

[Diane Fulford, Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Heritage, Department of Canadian Heritage]

Several deputy ministers speak French. Ms. Judith LaRocque, the deputy minister for the Department of Canadian Heritage, speaks both languages impeccably. Some people speak less French or are less bilingual than others, but I believe deputy ministers are making extraordinary efforts to communicate in both languages, throughout the country.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

According to what I gathered from the last committee, some efforts remained to be made on this front. There are many francophones within the public service. However, the upper echelons are composed in large part of people who do not speak French.

My second question then becomes moot. I wanted to ask you whether you had an idea of the level of bilingualism of deputy ministers, and if so, what you plan to do to increase it.

Because that has not been assessed, there must not be any measure to that effect. That is what I gather.

[Hubert Lussier, Director General, Official Languages Support Programs, Department of Canadian Heritage]

I think a distinction needs to be made here. When you refer to senior public servants, you are referring to deputy ministers, at the highest level. They are appointed, as you know, by order in council. However, based on the statistics, which I do not have before me, I believe you'll be satisfied by the well documented proportion of bilingual francophones among senior officials.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

All right, can you provide us with that?

I only have 20 seconds left, Mr. Chairman! You're being hard on me today.