Evidence of meeting #29 for Official Languages in the 39th Parliament, 2nd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was funding.
A recording is available from Parliament.
President, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
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.
Conservative
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.
President, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
Thank you.
Conservative
NDP
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?
Executive Director, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
It certainly interferes with planning, organization of the work, the distribution of tasks, etc. It is like a household that starts operating on January 1st but doesn't get its first cheque until April 1st.
NDP
Executive Director, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
All funding applications have to be in by December 15th. The fiscal year begins April 1st. 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 31st. 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 31st.
NDP
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.
Director General, Association communautaire des francophones de l'Alberta
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.
Director General, Association communautaire des francophones de l'Alberta
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—
Director General, Association communautaire des francophones de l'Alberta
First, the province has to recognize these services. Despite the language barrier, the settlement needs still remain.
NDP
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?
Director General, Association communautaire des francophones de l'Alberta
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.
NDP
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.
Director General, Association communautaire des francophones de l'Alberta
Absolutely.
Conservative
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.
Liberal
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.
President, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
Will we be able to obtain your report?
President, Société des Acadiens et Acadiennes du Nouveau-Brunswick
Will you send it to us?