Official Languages Committee on Dec. 14th, 2010

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

I'm sorry, but we are running out of time.

The family was French-speaking, too.

[Claudette Deschênes]

Yes, but if that person needed to call an ambulance, for instance, perhaps the emergency services—

That being said, it has been resolved and we have made sure that very clear instructions are sent so that the family can choose the language of their family caregiver.

However, to understand clearly, when this is being considered, the goal is to ensure that these people can be served in the event of an emergency and that they can get the children to the hospital.

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

I disagree, Ms. Deschênes.

This is Canada. It is a bilingual country. You are saying that when Quebeckers go to live in British Columbia, they need to think about if they can move there and if they can call an ambulance in the language of their choice.

[Claudette Deschênes]

That is not what I said. I said—

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

No, I am the one saying that, because that is what that means.

[Claudette Deschênes]

We resolved the problem by saying that—

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

Has it been resolved for the long term?

[Claudette Deschênes]

Yes, the long term.

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

You say you are still studying this. That means it has not been resolved.

[Claudette Deschênes]

I was trying to explain why it happened.

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

Ah! Why it “happened” in the past. It is no longer happening.

[Claudette Deschênes]

The instructions are clear. People need to be able to speak one of the two official languages and that has to correspond to the family's needs.

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

Okay. It is clearer now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you.

Thank you very much, Mr. Godin.

That concludes our second round. Would any members like a third round on this side? No, okay.

So go ahead, Mr. Bélanger.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I am a little puzzled by the fact that as a solution to the problem regarding the citizenship ceremony, you want bilingual judges. Who would appoint them?

[Neil Yeates]

The Governor in Council does.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

So how will you ensure that the Governor in Council appoints bilingual judges?

[Neil Yeates]

We won't be able to ensure that, Chair; that will be up to the Governor in Council. But we're part of the process and are trying to move forward. We've certainly tried to sensitize people that we need better bilingual and French capacity than we have at the moment.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

But it's not a given that the Governor in Council will appoint them.

[Neil Yeates]

No. That's up to them.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

I would now like to talk about Roadmap expenditures for the department. The Roadmap allocated $20 million, I believe, to your department

Can you tell us how those funds were used?

[Les Linklater]

As you know, we support minority communities. We support them through an agreement we have with the FCFA. So some of the money goes towards that.

We also support Destination Canada, an event to promote recruitment. In terms of specific investments, we would have to get back to you with those numbers.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Could you do that, tell us how much has been spent so far?

[Les Linklater]

Yes.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Okay.

How much does the department spend every year on settlement funding?