Official Languages Committee on May 4th, 2010

[Suzanne Bossé]

I'm going to talk about funding in general, and Sylvie will be able to tell you about the hospitality structures.

With regard to funding, the FCFA coordinates, together with the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, the steering committee and the strategic plan implementation committee, and it's definitely at that level that we're talking about funding. As for investments under the Roadmap, there appears to be a $10 million increase, but we know very well that amount was allocated to the Province of New Brunswick exclusively. Those government investments, from the Department of Citizenship and Immigration, should definitely be increased.

Sylvie can tell you abut the hospitality structures.

[Sylvie Moreau]

Last year, in 2008-2009, the steering committee's priority was to strengthen the networks, including strengthening hospitality structures. We've seen great progress in recent years, particularly last year. And we can see a lot of variety across the country, but assistance and support and support for integration are definitely central to that. Not everyone goes to the airport.

Initiatives are also being created, which is very good, but not everyone has been able to do that. We were talking about the regions earlier. In Alberta, for example, there are two structures for the moment: one in Edmonton and the other in Calgary. We sense a need in the communities of Fort McMurray and Grand Prairie. No new structure has been created in those places, but the people from Edmonton ensure the liaison. A post is in place at both locations. A little of everything is being done on a smaller scale, but we're nevertheless managing to provide liaison.

There is a way to be flexible and innovative in our method of delivering services. CIC very definitely plays a central role. Funding has gone to settlement in British Columbia and Manitoba. For the other places, it's mainly CIC. The governments of those two provinces play a major role, but the other provinces are also involved in services. Alberta plays a role, in part. So it is possible to involve various players at various levels.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much. Your time is up, Ms. Zarac.

We'll continue with Ms. Guay.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I'm going to try to go quickly in order to leave you as much speaking time as possible, since there are a lot of you. Thank you for being here today.

I'm having a bit of trouble with the comparison between Quebec and the rest of Canada, because the reality is completely different. Mr. Donnelly, as you very well know, we have structures for anglophones in Quebec that do not exist for francophones outside Quebec. Anglophones in Quebec can really do everything they want in their language, be served, work, go to the hospital or pray. It's different in the francophone communities outside Quebec. I've seen places where there was only a small community centre where people could meet, and it was pathetically sad. They really envied us in Quebec. They have no schools or structures as a result of prevailing assimilation. I'd like to know your opinion on the subject. How can we put a brake on assimilation?

Work is being done at the regional level, and you talked about that. That's the case in my region, through Le Coffret, which welcomes immigrants and refugees. They are being integrated in a 99% francophone region. They are completely taken care of. These people adapt and learn the language much faster because they are immediately put in touch with a francophone population. In particular, their children go to French schools. Integration happens very quickly.

So I'd like to hear what you have to say on the assimilation question in particular.

[Suzanne Bossé]

In fact, it starts very early, in early childhood, in our education system, our schools, our school infrastructure, which are deficient in our provinces and territories.

The Tripartite Education Committee, which brings together the francophone school boards, the directors general of the school boards and the departments of education of every province and the communities, held a meeting last week. For two days, we surveyed the progress of the education summit, and that's what emerged. Everything starts from there. We need dynamic, living and vibrant communities that can take in children from birth. We need junior kindergartens in our schools that can also serve as community centres. It's the domino effect, of course. That's how our newcomers manage to become part of this community and to contribute to it fully.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Did you sense that there were cuts at the provincial level? In fact, every province has its immigration budget. I'd like to hear what you have to say on that subject; it's important.

[Robert Donnelly]

In Quebec, we agree: there are institutions, schools, hospitals, etc. Of course, there are; we're lucky in that regard. However, if no one uses the services or requests them, they will continue to decline. That's the problem. A hospital that offers services in English and in French is very important for a community, particularly an aging unilingual community. If numbers continue to decline, that endangers the institutions. It isn't the same challenge.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

I don't think McGill University, Concordia University or the Jewish General Hospital will shut down tomorrow morning as a result of a shortage of anglophones.

[Robert Donnelly]

Institutions of all sizes are important for a community. You could choose a large institution like that, but other, smaller ones are so important, whether it be a small school or a service at a residence for seniors or a hospital that provides services in English in small anglophone communities.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

All right.

Go ahead, Mr. Diallo.

[Ibrahima Diallo]

I think assimilation could be a concern across the country. It's important to provide the francophone populations with opportunities to carry on activities in French, and to do so from early childhood. I think it starts there.

Francophone families have to be proud of their language—even in the case of so-called endogamous, francophone-francophone couples. We have to find programs that enable them to express that pride and to speak French to their children. It's often said that, outside Quebec, you have to learn French, but English goes in through your pores.

So it's very important that this nucleus be proud at the outset and that it be able to open up to others in order to enable newcomers, bilingual or unilingual couples to contribute to the community's vitality. That requires a whole range of activities, services and so on.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much.

We'll now continue with our parliamentary secretary, Ms. Glover.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to all our witnesses. I'm attending this meeting with so much pride as the member for Saint-Boniface, since we have some witnesses who come from there.

I know that a number of steps have been taken in Saint-Boniface to advance our immigration efforts. However, I would like to correct one point that was made. Someone talked about New Brunswick and the $10 million under the Roadmap. There is also a sum of $20 million for immigrant recruitment and integration from which the money comes for the Refugee Resettlement Assistance Program. So there's a little more money in the Roadmap than what was said earlier.

As regards employability, I'm really pleased to hear what you say, Mr. Diallo. We in Manitoba have taken steps on this matter to encourage francophones to stay in the rural areas. I'd like to hear what you have to say on that question. For example, there are wind farms in Saint-Léon, and there will be another one soon in Saint-Joseph. How can that help maintain the francophone community in those rural regions?

[Ibrahima Diallo]

In my presentation, I talked about the 40 francophone villages located in the far south and even a little to the west in Manitoba. In fact, the dynamic should come from those communities. They are very deeply rooted in the francophonie and have to find ways for people to put down roots in their region. With the rural exodus, people are leaving farms, leaving all kinds of things. These are initiatives by communities that have gone looking for expertise to determine what they can build in their areas.

The case of Saint-Léon is exemplary in this regard. There are extremely dynamic people who can go looking for investors in order to anchor populations in the regions.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Thank you for repeating that because it's really the community that sought to develop employability. The people secured assistance from governments and so on.

You also talked about the cultural and linguistic harmony between francophones and francophiles. That's what we have in Saint-Boniface and what's lacking in other regions. CDEM, REDI and the others work with francophones and francophiles to ensure there are consumers in our francophone economy.

For example, we have young artists from Manitoba who include francophiles and francophones in a theatre, let's say.

[Ibrahima Diallo]

The Festival Théâtre jeunesse.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

The Festival Théâtre jeunesse is another example. How could we encourage the other communities to include francophiles and to make them more useful in our fight against assimilation?

[Ibrahima Diallo]

I think the thing is to find opportunities to work together; that's fundamental. For example, the Centrallia project will take place in October 2010 and will attract people from all countries in the world to Winnipeg. The project is being carried out jointly by ANIM, which is the Agence nationale et internationale du Manitoba, and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce. I have attended their meetings, which are bilingual: they're conducted in English and in French. Lastly, the idea is to manage somehow to normalize French in those regions. I think that's how we can manage to really position ourselves.

And we should not forget the issue of the value added by the francophone community, which we often talk about, because it's important. We can open the markets of all of Manitoba to francophone markets and francophone markets in Manitoba, and that transcends languages. Everybody can benefit from that.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

You've travelled in Tunisia, Senegal, the Ivory Coast, and I believe five or six francophone countries. How was that paid for and what kind of impact do you think we'll have from those trips?

[Ibrahima Diallo]

As we've often said, we went to plant a seed. Obviously, it takes time to grow. The first thing we did before that was with regard to postsecondary education. In the 2000s, I went to Senegal, and I think that, currently, if we look at what is going on at the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface alone, we see that approximately 20% of the students were born outside Canada—I think that's the highest percentage in Canada. Thirty percent of students come from immersion schools, which is a lot. Lastly, the Collège universitaire is a microcosm of what could be happening on the outside. So the face of this francophone community we were talking about is changing as well, through education.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

Did the government help you go to those regions to do recruitment?

[Ibrahima Diallo]

Yes, there were some government initiatives. We went there with the assistant deputy minister for immigration, Mr. Gerry Clément, at one point. I also think initiatives are being introduced because all the universities also want to have international access, in view of the fact that our local recruitment is starting to reach a ceiling.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thanks very much to our people from Saint-Boniface.

We're going to finish the second round with Mr. Godin, from New Brunswick.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

We're talking about immigration. Mr. Diallo, I want to congratulate the francophones of Saint-Boniface or Winnipeg who are now not afraid to speak their language. You say they are proud of their language and request services in their language.

[Ibrahima Diallo]

More and more so.