Official Languages Committee on April 2nd, 2009

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Good morning everyone. There is a freshness in the air, a little hint of spring in the committee this morning.

I would like to call to order this 13th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. Today we will be talking about post-secondary institutions and their efforts to promote bilingualism in Canada. We have a great panel of witnesses this morning. I am going to begin by introducing you all.

Ms. Johanne Lapointe, from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, is here with Mr. Pierre Chartrand, who is the Vice-President of that organization. Welcome to our committee.

We are also pleased to have with us the President of NSERC, Ms. Suzanne Fortier, whom I met several months ago in Quebec City at a summit on the Arctic. I might just mention that another Fortier—Louis—has been appointed as Honorary Chair of a Symposium on Renewable Energy that will take place in the Chaudière-Appalaches region. Ms. Fortier is accompanied today by Ms. Barbara Conway, who is the Corporate Secretary. We also want to welcome Mr. Chad Gaffield, of SSHRC.

Welcome to the committee, Mr. Gaffield. Mr. Gaffield is president of the council.

Finally, we have with us Mr. Richard Clément, Director and Associate Dean of the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute at the University of Ottawa. Welcome, Mr. Clément. We are very happy to have your here this morning. You are the first representative of a university to appear in the context of our study. Mr. Clément is accompanied by the Associate Vice-President of Academic, Ms. Sylvie Lauzon.

Is everything all right, Mr. Rodriguez? Do you have naturally curly hair too? Are you in shape this morning?

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

I am raving to go.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Perhaps we could begin with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research.

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand, Vice-President, Research, Canadian Institutes of Health Research]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research are pleased to have this opportunity to talk to you today about the steps that have been taken with respect to the promotion of Canada's official languages. Ms. Johanne Lapointe, who is responsible for the Official Language Minority Communities Research Initiative is with me today. I will refer to that initiative in my presentation.

As you know, CIHR is the main federal organization to provide health research grants in Canada. Guided by international principles of excellence in scientific research and its obligations to promote research in both official languages, CIHR provides grants to almost 12,000 researchers and fellows all across Canada.

In order to respond appropriately to the need for research on official-language minority communities, CIHR considered the results of consultations held with organizations concerned with the welfare of these communities. I want to stress the importance that CIHR places on cooperation and partnerships with organizations concerned with the health of their communities, as a means of attaining these objectives.

Out of a desire to fulfill their obligations under the Official Languages Act, CIHR established a strategic initiative in 2004 aimed at supporting health research on official-language minority communities. This initiative is aimed at reducing health disparities between official-language minority and majority communities, so that all Canadians have adequate access to quality health care, wherever they live and whatever the official language in which they wish to receive services.

Here I would like to point out the excellent work carried out by members of the Consultative Committee responsible for this initiative, whose task it was to advise CIHR on the health care research needs of Francophone and Anglophone official-language minority communities. This initiative is intended to increase the number of researchers engaged in an active program of research dealing with the health of official-language minority communities; to support research on health determinants and the specific needs of these communities; and, finally, to ensure that this newly created knowledge is passed on to researchers, clinicians, decision-makers and stakeholders, in order to improve the health status of members of these communities.

Because the primary goal of this initiative is to increase the number of researchers engaged in this research, expanding opportunities to receive grant money in this area is critical. Since December of 2005, CIHR has opened up 10 funding opportunities specifically targeting research priorities associated with this initiative. The programs involved operating grants and fellowships. Grant recipients include Cathy Vaillancourt, of the Institut Armand-Frappier, who recently was awarded a grant to study the effect of socio-economic determinants and language status on the health of pregnant women and their future child, the idea being to improve the quality of life of both the mother and her child; Steve Kisely, from Dalhousie University, and his team are studying the quality of mental health services provided in French in Nova Scotia; finally, Anne Leis of the University of Saskatchewan is conducting a study on the social, environmental and cultural factors that affect health disparities among minority-status Francophones.

Despite efforts in this area, results have so far been modest, and in order to address that, a number of measures have been taken. First of all, we are taking steps to make people aware of the specific programs available through CIHR as part of this initiative, by making presentations, in particular to the two national health research forums. Furthermore, we are providing training sessions to new researchers to help them complete their grant applications, and sessions have already been given in Sudbury, Moncton and Ottawa. Finally, we are offering young researchers a summer institute dedicated to official-language minority community health, and already held such a summer institute here in Ottawa last June. This educational exercise was a tremendous success and, as provided for under our Official Language Action Plan, it will be repeated in the years to come.

As CIHR's initiative is relatively new, building partnerships and promoting the program has been paramount. Le Consortium national de formation en santé is an important partner for CIHR, and we were pleased to work with them on their two national forums on health research for French-speaking minority communities.

In addition, CIHR has been engaged in other activities to build the initiative. For example, just this past week we collaborated with McGill University and other partners on a research symposium to promote networking and awareness of the health care issues of English-speaking minority communities.

I am also pleased to inform Committee members that CIHR supports the training of researchers in small French-language universities, with a view to improving their ability to receive grants through general CIHR competitions. This is a key activity that will strengthen research capacities in official-language minority communities.

CIHR is also keen to raise awareness among members of peer review committees of the challenges facing official-language minority communities. This process will help to ensure funding applications are assessed fairly in both official languages.

In 2006, CIHR participated in a study being conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages on practices in federal research funding agencies that could promote linguistic duality and the Anglophone and Francophone minority communities. This study resulted in a report by the Commissioner in 2008, entitled: “The Role of Canadian Federal Research Funding Agencies in the Promotion of Official Languages”. The report cites the CIHR's initiative to help the official-language minority communities. In addition, it contains nine recommendations aimed at federal funding agencies.

In response to that report, CIHR presented the Commissioner with an action plan setting out what we would do to act on those recommendations. Some of the measures proposed in the action plan have already been implemented, such as allocating funding for research on health issues in these communities, access to software allowing researchers to submit their grant applications on-line in the language of their choice, as well as some promotional activities aimed at raising awareness of the OLMC initiative in the health research community.

In closing, Mr. Chairman, I want to emphasize that CIHR is fully committed to abiding by the principles of excellence in health research. They help to guide all our activities and decisions. That is why advancing research dealing with official-language minority communities is an ongoing commitment for CIHR.

However, in order to understand current challenges, we must do more than just create opportunities to fund research projects. As a result, CIHR continues to be proactive and to promote the initiative I have mentioned, to provide support for training, to strengthen research capacity, to provide appropriate training to members of our peer review committees and, finally, to put into practice the knowledge that results from that research.

Finally, I believe our committee of consultants, composed of experts from official-language minority communities, will help us to ensure that we meet the needs of those communities. I am confident that, by heeding the advice of that committee and working closely with our main partners, we will build a solid body of research which ultimately will provide the evidence we need to improve health outcomes and health care for members of official-language minority communities.

Again, thank you for inviting CIHR to appear before the committee and I will be very pleased to take your questions at the appropriate time.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Chartrand, thank you for your presentation and for the study you have provided on the subjects you addressed.

We will move now to Ms. Fortier from NSERC.

[Dr. Suzanne Fortier, President, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I would like to thank all the members of the committee for inviting us to take part in today's meeting.

I am accompanied today by Ms. Barbara Conway, NSERC's Corporate Secretary.

First of all, NSERC's vision is that we help make Canada a country of discoverers and innovators for the benefit of all Canadians. NSERC invests in people, discovery and innovation through programs that support post-secondary research in the natural sciences and engineering in post-secondary institutions on the basis of national, peer-reviewed competitions.

In the document you have been given, you can find detailed information about NSERC's budget, which totals about $1 billion per year, divided into these four main areas.

Our clients and partners are roughly 27,000 university students and post-doctoral fellows, 12,000 university professors, 1,400 Canadian companies who are partnered with us, and 108 universities and colleges of all sizes across the country.

Our responsibility as regards official languages is to provide client services to researchers, educational institutions and partners in their official language of choice.

Both official languages are obviously used for all literature and other documentation, as well as on NSERC's website. Information sessions at institutions and conferences are given in the official language requested.

NSERC has regional offices in Moncton, Montreal, Mississauga, Winnipeg and Vancouver, all of which operate in both official languages.

All of our investments are done through peer review processes. These processes ensure that we have the capability of reviewing applications in both official languages. The programs have clear selection criteria. The primary consideration is excellence. All of the written reviews by experts from around the world are solicited in both official languages to ensure that our applicants can have the reviews in their selected language.

We also have, in our process, expert peer review committees that meet in person to recommend funding. At least two francophones are present on each peer review committee, and sufficient numbers of bilingual members are also part of these committees. Our applicants receive feedback from our committees in the language of their choice. We also provide simultaneous translation for committees, if requested, as well as special procedures if necessary.

I would now like to talk briefly about the global context of science and technology, particularly the natural sciences and engineering. We collaborate extensively with researchers both nationally and internationally, and there is tremendous researcher and student mobility. Often many of our researchers, including Francophone researchers, write their proposals and scientific articles in English, English being the language of work of most of the scientific communities internationally.

To illustrate that specific reality in our area, I would just like to give you some statistics. For the competition associated with our largest program, the Discovery Grants Program, we received 3,000 applications this year, 5 per cent of which were written in French. We have 381 selection committee members, 55 per cent of whom are able to assess proposals in French. In terms of individuals who act as external referees, we have almost 6,000 reviewers, 35 per cent of whom can read French.

In conclusion,

NSERC takes its responsibility to implement the Official Languages Act very seriously. Our primary responsibility is to provide access to our programs in both official languages, and to ensure that applications are fairly evaluated, independently of the language of submission.

Research on promoting bilingualism falls outside of our council's mandate, but we indirectly support institutions in their promotion of bilingualism by providing client service in both official languages.

Once again, thank you for giving me this opportunity to speak to you today.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Ms. Fortier.

We will now turn to the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Mr. Gaffield, you have the floor.

[Dr. Chad Gaffield, President, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada]

Mr. Chairman, thank you for inviting me to speak to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages about the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council's activities relating to official languages.

The Council, or SSHRC, is the federal agency that promotes and supports university-based research and training in the humanities and social sciences. We enable the highest levels of research excellence in Canada and facilitate knowledge-sharing and collaboration across research disciplines, universities and all sectors of society.

In delivering on our mandate, SSHRC's key value is in ensuring that the people and the research we fund is of world-class excellence. We ensure this excellence by our process for awarding grants and scholarships: that is, through national competitions using a rigourous system of independent peer review.

SSHRC supports official-language minority communities and bilingualism in two important ways: first, by ensuring that SSHRC's peer review and adjudication processes are structured such that applications received in either official language will be fairly assessed; and second, by supporting research that furthers our knowledge and understanding of the social, legal, educational, cultural and economic issues related to bilingualism and minority language communities.

Indeed, these issues fall squarely within SSHRC's mandate to fund, and, as I will elaborate, Canada's social sciences and humanities research community has developed world-class expertise in these areas.

I should also say that I am very privileged to be next to two examples of the research talent we have here in Canada. We may have an opportunity to benefit from the presence here this morning of experienced researchers working for the University of Ottawa. It is very encouraging to see them here with us.

Service delivery in the official language of the applicant's choice is particularly important to SSHRC as a research-granting agency. Applicants to SSHRC must have confidence that the intellectual content of their research proposal is fully understood and fairly assessed, regardless of the official language used in the application. Sensitive to these concerns, SSHRC is careful to ensure that the adjudication committees are composed of anglophone and francophone members from across Canada who have the ability to read and understand orally the other language. Adjudication committees are composed mainly of academic experts who volunteer their time as a service to the community.

When it comes to the research and research-related activities that SSHRC funds, Canada's social sciences and humanities research community has developed a particular capacity that deserves mention.

In 2004-2005, in partnership with Canadian Heritage, SSHRC launched a new, three-year program to support research questions related to official languages and bilingualism. The idea was to mobilize the social sciences and humanities research community in Canada to address this very distinctly Canadian issue. The community stepped up to this challenge, and over the three years, 52 projects were funded, for a total investment of $3 million.

We distributed to you today a compendium of SSHRC-funded research awarded in 2007-2008—this is something we produce annually as part of our report on our implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act, a report which is available on our website. Funding allocated for research projects in 2007-2008 amounted to roughly $3.4 million. In addition, there are 19 Canada Research Chairs focused on issues related to official languages and bilingualism. In other words, this is a robust topic of research in Canada, and the research itself is of top quality.

The compendium you have is full of research topics of direct interest to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Over the past decade or so, SSHRC has actively promoted research that links scholars and communities, particularly through a program we call community-university research alliances, or CURAs. This program funds partnerships between university-based researchers and community-based organizations on a research topic of mutual interest. The community-based organization is a full partner in the research, participating in every stage of the project. Because community partners are present and engaged at the very beginning, it is more likely that the outcomes of the project will be relevant and useful to the communities. CURAs receive up to $1 million over five years.

I would like to describe two projects that were recently awarded CURA grants.

In 2007-2008, a large team of researchers, led by Léonard Rivard at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface, launched a project entitled: “Identités francophones de l’Ouest canadien: définition,valorisation et transmission”. The research team includes researchers from the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface, Concordia University, the Université de Moncton and the University of Alberta as well as partners, such as the Fédération des conseils scolaires francophones de l’Alberta, the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta and the Fédération des parents francophones de l’Alberta.

Here is another example. In 2008-2009, in the most recent CURA competition, a team of researchers led by Linda Cardinal at the University of Ottawa was awarded a grant for a project entitled: “Les savoirs de la gouvernance communautaire: de nouvelles modalités d’action pour la francophonie canadienne et les minorités linguistiques.” Partners on this project include the Association of French-Speaking Jurists of Ontario, the Fédération de la jeunesse franco-ontarienne and the Observatoire sur la gouvernance de l'Ontario français.

In 2007, SSHRC engaged in the Commissioner of Official Languages' initiative to identify best practices of federal granting agencies to effectively promote linguistic duality and the vitality of official-language minority communities. The Commissioner released a report on this initiative in January of 2008, and we will be using the report's recommendations to develop our new Multi-Year Action Plan for the Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. We have been working closely with representatives from Canadian Heritage throughout this process, and have hired Ronald Bisson and Associates, an experienced consulting firm, to assist us with this important initiative. SSHRC will also be consulting the official-language minority communities on the Action Plan. SSHRC recognizes that renewing our Action Plan represents a real opportunity to develop new and creative positive measures that can be taken in the support of official languages and the vitality of official-language minority communities in Canada.

The focus of my remarks today has been on how the Canadian social sciences and humanities research community contributes to the important questions this committee investigates. SSHRC is proud to be a key enabler of the development of new, world-class knowledge, understanding, and expertise on issues of bilingualism and official language minority communities. Questions addressed by the social sciences and humanities community help Canada as a whole and its linguistic communities to define and address issues vital to their identities, their social, cultural, and economic development, and their futures.

I look forward to your questions on this and other aspects of SSHRC support for bilingualism and official-language minority communities.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Gaffield.

Another person sitting at this table received a scholarship through your program—our analyst, Mr. Paré.

[Jean-Rodrigue Paré, Committee Researcher]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

From one grant recipient, we now move to the next. Ms. Lauzon is Assistant Vice-President, Academic, at the University of Ottawa. Please proceed.

[Sylvie Lauzon, Associate Vice-President, Academic , University of Ottawa]

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen, thank you very much for inviting us to appear before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

My name is Sylvie Lauzon, and I am Assistant Vice-President of Academic, with responsibility for Undergraduate Programs and Francophone Affairs. I am accompanied today by my colleague, Richard Clément, Director of the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Arts. We will both be making the presentation this morning.

Your committee's study of federal government support for the efforts of post-secondary institutions in promoting bilingualism in Canada is of great interest to the University of Ottawa. We sincerely hope that the results of this study will have a positive impact on the quality of our curricula, as well as new initiatives that we are planning in order to continue to promote bilingualism and the development of Francophone minority communities.

To begin with, I would like to briefly introduce our institution and some of its achievements as regards official languages. After that, we will tell you a little about some of our new initiatives.

Since its creation in 1848, the University of Ottawa has distinguished itself by its bilingual status, its commitment and its leadership in promoting bilingualism and fostering the development of the French culture in Ontario, Canada and across the globe, as well as by its openness to cultural diversity. The University enshrined that commitment in its incorporating act, which includes very specific objectives, such as fostering the development of bilingualism and preserving and developing French culture in Ontario. It also adopted a by-law on bilingualism which provides that the University's bilingual character must be reflected in all its components—governance, programs and services—and recognizes that all have the right to express themselves in the official language of their choice.

In its governance structure, there are requirements associated with so-called active bilingualism for all executive positions. In our opinion, the University of Ottawa is a role model, as a bilingual institution where Canada's two official languages are on an equal footing. Therefore, the law of numbers does not apply to us.

Thanks to an increasingly range of programs of study in French at all three levels—undergraduate, Masters and Ph.D.—the University is attracting a growing number of Francophones. Their numbers exceeded 11,000 last September, which makes the University of Ottawa a leader in Canada for studies in French outside Quebec. This year as well, more than 3,000 students graduating from high school immersion programs across Canada registered at our institution.

In addition to its research activities in French, the University has also established the Research Chairs in Canadian Francophonie Program and, since 2004, eight Chairs have been created. I also want to take this opportunity to remind you of the leadership role the University has played as regards health care training in French in minority communities and the creation of the National Health Care Training Consortium.

In 2008, the University established the Standing Committee on Francophone Affairs and Official Languages, which is co-chaired by the Vice-President, Academic and the Vice-President, Resources. As you can see, this is very important to us. The mandate of that committee is to take responsibility for planning and implementing initiatives that enable the University to fully carry out its mission and fulfill its commitment to the promotion and development of the French culture in Ottawa, while fostering the vitality of the University community in both official languages. As part of that effort, the committee has also established the University-Community Consultative Committee, with a view to strengthening ties to leaders of the Francophone community.

I will now turn it over to my colleague.

[Richard Clément, Director and Associate Dean, Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, University of Ottawa]

In its strategic planning document entitled “Vision 2010”, the University of Ottawa placed leadership in official languages among its top priorities. This planning exercise was guided by two values: a university engaged in the promotion of the Francophonie and a bilingual university that enhances cultural diversity. One of the results of the strategic plan was the launching of two major initiatives: the French immersion system and the Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute, or OLBI.

The French as a second language immersion system has been in place since September 2006 in more than 50 programs. Unique to Canada, this system allows students from immersion and basic French language programs to pursue their undergraduate studies in the discipline of their choice, while perfecting their second language skills. The diploma they receive recognizes their linguistic proficiency. We expect more than 1,200 students to be registered in the immersion system by 2010.

The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute was created in July of 2007. Its goal is to make the University of Ottawa a national and international centre of excellence for the teaching of official languages, the measurement and assessment of language skills, and language research and planning. Furthermore, with a view to playing a leadership role with other Canadian university institutions as regards research, the OLBI has established the Canadian Centre for Studies and Research in Bilingualism and Language Planning, or the CCSRBLP. This centre is intended to act as a national forum for research on language teaching and the development of language public policies and language planning strategies.

The OLBI has also established a Development and Promotion Office, one of whose responsibilities is to coordinate the marketing of Canadian expertise in Canada and abroad in the area of official languages and bilingualism. It was in this context that, in January of 2008, OLBI entered into a cooperation and exchange agreement with the Council of Europe's European Centre for Modern Languages, or ECML, and is now recognized as being the Canadian hub for the ECML. We believe that OLBI is a major tool for the federal government in implementing the Official Languages Act and promoting the Canadian approach to language in the international arena.

The University of Ottawa is not seen as an institution that is content to rest on its laurels—quite the opposite. Consequently, we would like to share with you a number of innovative initiatives that we intend to take in order to make an even greater contribution to the development of minority Francophone communities and official language learning.

Let us begin with our mobility grants. The University of Ottawa offers more than 250 programs of study in French in 10 faculties and has a generous grant program associated with the Francophonie and French immersion for its students. However, in the wake of the Accent program, mobility grants allow Francophone students registered in other Canadian universities to do part of their studies at the University of Ottawa and join the 11,000 or more Francophone students already registered there. For immersion program students registered at Anglophone universities who would like to pursue their studies or part of their studies in French, these mobility grants give them access to our French immersion system and language training that is unique in Canada, for a set period of their studies.

The second project is the Health Care Translation Program. For several years now, the University of Ottawa has offered a legal translation program which has been very successful. A health care translation program will support initiatives brought forward by the University of Ottawa and the National Health Care Training Consortium, or NHCTS, in terms of health care training and services in French for minority Francophone communities.

The third project relates to the French immersion system. More than 50 undergraduate programs are currently offered as part of the immersion system. In its development plan, the University of Ottawa makes provision for an increased number of undergraduate programs and extension of the immersion system to the graduate levels. It also includes a training program for immersion school principals.

The summer university for young official language researchers constitutes the fourth project. The area of official languages in Canada is in need of a new generation of researchers. The University of Ottawa is considering creating a summer research training program that would be led by a team of eminent Canadian researchers. Such a program is completely in keeping with SSHRC's training and research priorities.

The fifth project relates to bilingual programs in public administration, policy development and international affairs. The federal public service and some provincial public services are greatly in need of graduates in key areas who have a mastery of both official languages. The University of Ottawa is currently developing an action plan intended to increase the number of programs where bilingualism would be a condition of graduation, so that graduates enter the job market with a working knowledge of the two official languages.

The next topic is language planning training and support. With a view to helping Canadian institutions to develop language and language planning policies, the University of Ottawa is currently studying the possibility of creating a Chair in Language Planning Studies at the OLBI, as well as launching a Master's degree in language policy.

I would just like to mention one final project, which is the Canadian Observatory on Official Languages. The role of official languages in Canada and the resulting level of activity in all segments of society warrants the creation of a Canadian Observatory on Official Languages. The University of Ottawa and the OLBI would be pleased to consider such a pan-Canadian initiative and coordinate its implementation, in concert with the main government players and civil society.

Thank you.

[Sylvie Lauzon]

A bilingual institution that lives and operates in both official languages, that offers quality education in French and English, that concerns itself with putting French and English on an equal footing and promotes the Francophonie and bilingualism inevitably faces higher operating costs than a unilingual post-secondary institution. That is the reason why, in February of 2005, the University of Ottawa undertook a comprehensive study of the cost of bilingualism. That analysis showed us that the bilingualism support grant which we receive from the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities—an amount that is provided partly under the Bilateral Education Agreement with the federal government—covers less than 60 per cent of what is needed to provide the current level of service in both languages.

Annual financial requirements total $30 million, whereas the government subsidy, which remains unchanged in 10 years, is $17.4 million. As a result, the University of Ottawa requires additional funding of $13.7 million per year—an amount it has requested, in fact—in order to maintain the quality of its existing programs, and would need a further $13 million to provide access to more programs that are not currently offered in French.

I would just like to conclude by saying that my colleague and I have the honour of representing a great bilingual post-secondary institution where Canada's two official languages are on an equal footing; an institution that has a much larger Francophone student population than any other institution outside Quebec; an institution that has implemented a system of French immersion which is unique in Canada and elsewhere in the world; an institution which, using its own resources, recently established an Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute which truly ensures that its expertise in language teaching, research, bilingualism and policy development will be recognized nationally and internationally.

We believe that our specific mission to promote bilingualism and foster the development of French culture in Ontario and Canada, as well as the diversity of our curricula, enable us to make an important contribution and play a leadership role in promoting Canada's linguistic duality. We also believe that we are very well equipped, as a Canadian university, to provide a new generation of competent, bilingual civil servants to the federal public service.

Thank you for your kind attention and we are now available to take your questions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you.

Your conclusion is certainly in keeping with the goals we are pursuing through this study.

We will now open it up for questions, starting with Mr. Rodriguez.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to thank each and every one of you for being here today.

I am going to begin with Mr. Chartrand. When you talk about health care studies, are you talking about studies on access to health care for Francophones across the country?

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand]

Yes, absolutely.

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

I see.

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand]

The projects relate specifically to that kind of situation, in other words the impact on access to health care services among people whose official language has minority status in their environment.

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

I have heard about some serious problems for Francophones outside Quebec. I was discussing this with a lady last week. She was telling me that in Northern Ontario, it is really awful, that there is no one available to answer them in their own language, either at the intake stage or elsewhere, to the point when people have to switch to the other language if they want to receive service. In fact, this particular lady asked if she could speak to a Francophone. She was told that she could wait until someone could answer her in French or agree to receive services in the other language. So, she chose to be served in English.

Is this a pervasive problem in Canada?

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand]

That is the very reason why we launched this initiative. We want to be able to measure the extent of the problem, on the one hand, and, going one step further, to assess the impact this has on the quality of health care provided to people who form a minority in their community.

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

Before even talking about quality, the first thing is to be able to get answers in one's own language—access, in other words.

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand]

Yes, absolutely.

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

Would you not say this is a major weakness? I really started wondering about this myself after that. I have the feeling it is quite common across the country. Unfortunately, Francophones give in and accept it, partly in order to receive the care they need. As far as I am concerned, access to health care and justice in one's own language is a fundamental right. We are talking about circumstances where individuals feel particularly vulnerable and nervous, and want to be able to communicate in their own language. There seems to be a serious problem in that regard right across the country.

[Dr. Pierre Chartrand]

Yes, indeed. As I was saying, we are conducting studies in a context where population groups are vulnerable, partly because they form a minority. The idea is to determine the extent of the problem, but also to see what solutions can be found.