Official Languages Committee on May 1st, 2008

[Marie-Pierre Simard]

Could we send it to you in a few weeks, if you give us your contact information? There are a few corrections to make. This is a draft version.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

That would be fine. We will give you the contact information for our clerk. The study will certainly be helpful to us, if we can have it for the drafting of our report and recommendations.

[Marie-Pierre Simard]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

The last word this morning will go to Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. It is all well and fine to talk about programs and money, but as Mr. Godin said it so well, we could talk about it for weeks. Everyone has the same problem. You work hard to prepare programs and present them, but you don't get the money until January or February and things have to be finished up by the end of March.

Is that not a handicap for the community?

[Bruno Godin]

It certainly interferes with planning, organization of the work, the distribution of tasks, etc. It is like a household that starts operating on January 1^st but doesn't get its first cheque until April 1^st.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I want to understand this. You get approval in January—

[Bruno Godin]

All funding applications have to be in by December 15^th. The fiscal year begins April 1^st. At that time, we get 25% of the previous year's amount so that we can operate for the first few months. It depends on the province, but the core funding for the current year usually arrives in July and often in August. This year, it was February when I received the project funding for the current year, which ends March 31^st. I believe that my colleagues are in the same situation. The funding for a project that was supposed to start in September came only in February of this year. But the project has to be finished by March 31^st.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That must prevent the communities from achieving the results expected of them. That is what I am getting at. You need to receive the funding at the outset.

Alberta is getting a lot of people from our region. I know that because when I take the plane, three quarters of the people from our region are going to Alberta. They are often francophones from the Acadian Peninsula.

Do you expect to receive more money from the government to be able to provide services for those people? We are calling for more immigrants to come, but many francophones are losing jobs that are available in Alberta.

[Denis Perreaux]

That is a very good question. Right now, there is a reception centre in Edmonton that receives funding only to provide services for immigrants. Most people who have finished their three years of funding in Quebec then come to Alberta.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

There is a reception centre that deals only with immigrants, but there is no such centre to help Canadians who do not speak the language of Alberta. Alberta is recognized as an anglophone province.

[Denis Perreaux]

This is only done through the budget. Reception services are qualified as "services". We do what we can for newcomers. Even if immigrants have spent three years in Quebec before coming to Alberta, there is no more funding. So, our reception centre survives—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

What is your recommendation on this?

[Denis Perreaux]

First, the province has to recognize these services. Despite the language barrier, the settlement needs still remain.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

It is the result of the workers moving from one province to another. We are getting workers from China, but there are people in Canada who speak both official languages. What is your recommendation?

[Denis Perreaux]

I don't want to confuse the phenomenon of migration and that of immigration, however I would say with regard to federal transfers to the provinces for settlement, it would be interesting to see interprovincial migration recognized. Cooperation with the province is the way to go in my opinion. We must also ensure that the budget of the Canada-communities agreement exists. In any case, the communities are the ones that have to create those services.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

The work would be done by both the federal government and the province, in order to recognize the transfer of individuals.

[Denis Perreaux]

Absolutely.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Godin.

I also want to thank the witnesses for having contributed to our deliberations. Our analyst has taken numerous notes, during your speeches, which will be useful when we write our report. I also want to thank the parliamentarians.

I would quickly like to speak to the steering committee members or their representative, after the meeting.

Mr. Rodriguez.

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

Mr. Jean-Rodrigue Paré is leaving us today, it is his last meeting. His wife is about to give birth in the next few hours. He will only be coming back in the fall.

I simply wanted to thank him for all his work.

[Some honourable members]

Hear! Hear! Bravo!

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Ms. Simard.

[Marie-Pierre Simard]

Will we be able to obtain your report?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Of course.

[Marie-Pierre Simard]

Will you send it to us?