Official Languages Committee on May 7th, 2009

[Stephen Owen]

Well, certainly at as early an age as possible. French as a second language.... ESL training in the lower schools here is a very popular program. Our education ministry in British Columbia can hardly keep up with the need for French bilingual training in our elementary and high schools. Certainly in my experience with my own sons, who were in French immersion in their secondary and elementary years, it has been tremendously obvious to me that this is a great advantage, certainly over their father attempting to learn French later on rather than starting in elementary school.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you.

At your university, do you have the necessary teaching material to enable interested students to learn French in the best possible conditions?

[Stephen Owen]

I think there's always room for improvement, and it is, as I said previously, demand driven, but there is an increasing demand and we are attempting to meet that. One of the very important areas where the demand is growing is to have subjects other than French language subjects taught in French so that people can actually receive a bilingual degree at the end of their studies. That is an area where there's demand and where we are adding courses.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

This will probably be my last question, Mr. Owen, because time is passing.

Are there any programs between your university and francophone universities enabling your students to go and study for a year or at least a major part of the year in an environment where French is the first language?

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Are you fine with that question, Mr. Owen?

[Stephen Owen]

Yes, that was quite clear. We have exchange agreements with 14 francophone universities for students to be able to take terms or a whole year's study in those universities in French.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Owen.

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau.

Mr. Godin.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good morning, Mr. Owen. It's a pleasure to talk to you.

When the Standing Committee on Official Languages conducted a national tour, we went to British Columbia. We were quite impressed to see the number of people who were learning French or who wanted to learn it, particularly people from foreign countries. These newcomers to Canada said they wanted to learn French and English because they recognized that Canada has two official languages. It's really impressive to see that.

We noted that the biggest problem in British Columbia was the shortage of teachers. I also know that there are agreements with France. When we visited Vancouver and Nanaimo, the French communities talked a lot about the fact that there were agreements with France, with universities and even with schools. Can you tell us a little more about that?

In addition, in your view, what is the federal government's responsibility with regard to the fact that a lot of public servants will soon be retiring? With new technologies, we'll have positions that are at various locations. Let's consider Service Canada, for example. It's employees can be in Vancouver or Quebec City, in New Brunswick or elsewhere, in Alberta.

What should the Government of Canada do to promote the two official languages to our young people so that they learn them?

[Stephen Owen]

Thank you, Monsieur Godin.

I think the federal government can play a very significant role. The Department of Canadian Heritage does provide some funding for social programs through the University of British Columbia's French centre for informal gatherings of people to watch French movies or to have conversations with others, not necessarily those taking degree programs, but just so that the French community or more the English-speaking community or the immigrant community can have an opportunity in an informal setting to learn about French language and culture.

But as you mentioned, I think it's often very difficult for students from families of modest means to take advantage of the exchange programs. As I mentioned, we have exchange agreements with 14 francophone universities in Canada—in Quebec and New Brunswick—and France. I think travel grants—perhaps through Canadian Heritage—would be very helpful to enable more students to take advantage of those exchanges. I can tell you there is certainly demand among the student body here to have that opportunity.

As well, I mentioned that we have programs in the education department for teachers to upgrade their French to be able to teach French in the schools, whether just as a direct language or through a French immersion program. I think more federal assistance to prepare more teachers to be able to give those classes would be helpful.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Okay. Thank you, Mr. Godin.

Monsieur Lemieux, for your closing question.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you very much, Chair.

This goes back to a previous meeting, but I would just like to acknowledge that my Liberal colleagues didn't ask if you, in your senior position, spoke French. I'm just surprised they're changing tactics today.

I respect and acknowledge your choice and your right to speak English at this committee, that is, to be in your position and to speak English, and for other witnesses to speak French. I just marvel at the change in tactics today.

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

Mr. Chairman, pardon me. Mr. Chairman—

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

What I want to ask Mr. Owen is the following. We're trying to look at universities and what they can do to promote bilingualism--

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Lemieux, Pierre, pardon me. This is a point of order.

Is it really a point of order?

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

Of course it's a point of order.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Rodriguez, I must inform you that we have to clear this room at 11 o'clock in order to receive the other witnesses. I simply want to inform everyone concerned of that fact.

Mr. Rodriguez.

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

The member must keep to the subject of the day. We must enforce that. He isn't here to take cheap shots and talk nonsense. His remarks must remain relevant.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

That's not a point of order. Thank you.

Mr. Lemieux.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

I see that he's very sensitive.

What I want to ask Mr. Owen is about the linkages between post-secondary institutions and their efforts to promote bilingualism, particularly for students who would seek employment in the public service. I'd like to know if any of the second language courses the university offers are core or obligatory courses in any of the programs offered, or are they optional courses?

[Stephen Owen]

They're certainly available as optional courses, but if someone were going to do a degree at the bachelor, master, and Ph.D. levels in the French language, the degree program would take into account their fluency in the language, but would also include courses on French culture, French history, and such. So there are specific degree programs.

[Pierre Lemieux, Conservative, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, and one of the things we're certainly interested in as a committee is the fact that the public service has many different professional streams into which people can enter, and bilingualism is definitely an asset there.

I think the fundamental question of this study is what are the universities doing, or what can they do, not just to offer second language training, but also to promote and encourage it, so that students willingly choose to develop their second language?

[Stephen Owen]

I agree with you that universities have in fact an obligation, as Canadian universities, to promote studies in both official languages simply as a responsibility of being a public university.

We are constrained somewhat by two factors. One, the large majority of our operational funding comes from the provincial government, and it does not share, for obvious reasons, the strong interest that the federal government should and does have in bilingual capacity. On the other side, there is the demand for courses, both from the department of French language within the faculty of arts as well as from students themselves, who are very astute at looking at future careers and options and looking at the federal government as a possible future.

I mentioned earlier that we are quite surprised at the thousands of students who actually speak French fluently enough to take courses in any subject in French, and we're trying to build bilingual degrees. So I think that's a good reflection of the fact that students are perhaps way ahead of us in this in terms of the future demand and the great qualification they would add to their CVs if they could speak in both official languages.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Owen. Thank you, Mr. Lemieux.

Mr. Chong is asking for one minute.

[Michael Chong, Conservative, Wellington—Halton Hills, ON]

Hello, Stephen. It's Michael Chong here.

[Stephen Owen]

It's very nice to see you, Michael.