Evidence of meeting #42 for Official Languages in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was yukon.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Francine Blais  Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon
Pamela Hine  Deputy Minister, Department of Education, Government of Yukon
Janet Moodie  Deputy Minister and Cabinet Secretary, Executive Council Office, Government of Yukon
Patricia Living  Director, Communications and Social Marketing, Department of Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon
Harvey Brooks  Deputy Minister, Department of Economic Development, Government of Yukon
Angélique Bernard  President, Association franco-yukonnaise
Roch Nadon  Director, Cultural and Youth, Association franco-yukonnaise
Régis St-Pierre  Co-Executive Director, Association franco-yukonnaise

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

At the end of every fiscal year, we prepare a report on our activities. Of course, management is part of the government. It isn't an entirely independent office. We wouldn't be able to make those kinds of recommendations because we would be virtually in conflict of interest. In the evaluations, we discuss issues, we prepare a report and we have a committee of deputy ministers to discuss French-language services. We see what we can do and what we can't do, but there's no independent mechanism, if that's your question.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Would it be desirable for there to be one?

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

I can't answer that question.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

You might have more accurate information every year on changes in the situation and the needs in the various departments.

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

That's definitely something we can discuss in our internal committee. I'm even going to put that issue on the agenda.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

I think you should note it down because it would be helpful for you. If you request federal funding to promote the French language here based on the departments where there are really flagrant deficits, that would enable us to put pressure on the various governments, regardless of who is in power, so that you could get the money you need. You can't implement projects if you don't have any money.

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

No, because—

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

It really surprises me that you only get $1.7 million. That's peanuts.

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

And your request wasn't extraordinary either. Eight hundred thousand dollars a year is—

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

No. That would have helped a little more, but not enormously.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

Are there any social groups within the francophone community? Do groups meet? Are there community centres for francophones? Do they work well?

9:45 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

Very, very well. The Centre de la francophonie organizes a lot of activities for the francophone community. There are coffee clubs on Fridays. The centre is very, very active.

9:45 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

It's very active?

9:50 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

Very active, and it does very good things.

9:50 a.m.

Bloc

Monique Guay Bloc Rivière-du-Nord, QC

As regards children learning French, do they retain it or are they eventually assimilated by another language, English, among others?

9:50 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

I think they retain it, I don't know whether—

Pam would like to respond to that.

In my opinion, they retain it.

9:50 a.m.

Deputy Minister, Department of Education, Government of Yukon

Pamela Hine

As I mentioned before, in addition to the French first language school, we have French immersion schools as well that go all the way up to grade 12. So again it becomes a parental and student choice as to where they want to move forward. But we have a lot of opportunities for students to take French language.

Just as an example from funding, because of the Department of Education, we enter into a separate bilateral agreement with the federal government on French education. We just renewed our new agreement, which runs from 2009 to 2014. Again, we have the same issue where the money is limited. We just renewed the agreement in 2009, but the actual value was the same as it was in the previous agreement, although we have increased costs when you look at the cost of increases for your teachers, your cost of running your schools, and the number of students we have.

Just to give you a breakdown so you have an idea of the amount of funding, the bilateral agreement is approximately $2.2 million annually from Canada and approximately $6 million annually for the Yukon over the five-year period. So for French first language, Canada provides $1.2 million, while the Yukon contributes $2.3 million. For French second language, the federal contribution is just under $1 million, and the Yukon contributes $3.7 million annually over that five-year agreement. That's just to give you an indication of the level of funding that's coming into the Department of Education for French schools.

The other part of it that makes it a little unique is that the Department of Education performs many functions that most jurisdictions would delegate to school boards or school districts. As I mentioned, the francophone school board is the only school board in the Yukon. So the department has a dual role, the ministry and department. A lot of the services we provide are outside of what would normally be covered in other jurisdictions in the bilateral. We provide these services, again, at our own cost.

Just as an example, some of our translation costs that would not be covered under the bilateral would run between $40,000 to $50,000 a year, which is coming from the Department of Education budget because of our unique aspect. So we go forward with our numbers and bring our case forward. We show the number of students that are enrolled in French first language, almost 50% of our students who are enrolled in the second language, and yet the numbers remain the same.

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

The Chair Conservative Steven Blaney

Thank you.

Thank you, Ms. Guay.

Thank you, Ms. Hine, for all that information.

I'd like to give all committee members the opportunity to speak. We still have Mr. Lauzon and Ms. Zarac who have not done so. Mr. Lauzon, go ahead please.

February 7th, 2011 / 9:50 a.m.

Conservative

Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'm going to ask one or two very brief questions. I want to share my allotted time with Mr. Galipeau because he has other questions to ask.

Ms. Blais, you said that there are 1,245 francophones in Yukon. Has that number increased or declined in the past 10 years?

9:50 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

There are now 500 more French speakers in Yukon. I'm going to try to find out since what year that has been. I think I'm getting too old to remember all the figures.

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON

Five hundred more persons?

9:50 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

Five hundred more persons since—

9:50 a.m.

Conservative

Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON

2001.

9:50 a.m.

Director, French Language Services Directorate, Government of Yukon

Francine Blais

That's correct.