Official Languages Committee on Feb. 7th, 2011

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

Ultimately, health powers were transferred to you, but not the necessary money to exercise them.

[Francine Blais]

Exactly.

Perhaps Ms. Living could—

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

Please, Ms. Living, go ahead if you have anything to add.

[Francine Blais]

Do you have anything to add?

[Patricia Living, Director, Communications and Social Marketing, Department of Health and Social Services, Government of Yukon]

No, I think that's sufficient. As Francine said, the agreement was written well before the federal government transferred both the hospital responsibility and universal health program. We've been working since then with the French language directorate and in response to some requests from the community to try to increase our services. We are able to provide some, but certainly not to the level the community would prefer.

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

Regarding the francophone schools issue, how many francophone primary schools do you have, both public and private?

[Pamela Hine]

There's just the one francophone school in the Yukon, located here in Whitehorse. It is pre-kindergarten to grade 12.

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

So it includes primary and secondary.

[Pamela Hine]

Yes, it's combined.

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

How many students do you have in total?

[Pamela Hine]

In total, in the Yukon, there are 5,000 students. There are approximately 184 attending the francophone school.

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

Do you have the demand for more education in French? With 184 out of 500 students, that's not a lot. Do you have the demand?

[Francine Blais]

I'm not in a position to answer that because the Education Act is separate from the Official Languages Act, and let's say that my—

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

Perhaps Ms. Hine can answer me.

[Pamela Hine]

Yes. When I say 184 students, that's the number of students attending the francophone school, but out of the 5,000 students, there are approximately 2,600 students who are enrolled in French second language programs, so more than half are attending French as a second language or are involved with French as a second language. Some of that would be French immersion, core French, or intensive French. We have a number of second language French programs.

But when I mentioned 184, those are the right holders attending the actual French first language school.

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

Since the federal government transferred the powers to you without providing money, have other steps been taken with regard to health? Have you submitted any requests to government?

[Francine Blais]

We haven't stopped since 1997.

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

And you've never received an answer.

[Francine Blais]

No, absolutely not.

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

Mr. Chairman, when we get back, we'll have to examine this matter in our report so that these services are provided. There's nothing worse, when you're a francophone, than speaking French and, when you go into a health service, being served in English and understanding nothing. That's really something!

[Francine Blais]

Exactly.

I believe that, if we could get a little funding, we could definitely work with the community and prepare a kind of implementation plan that would meet their needs.

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

Right now you can't even make any plans since you don't have any negotiations.

[Francine Blais]

Correct.

I know that the deputy minister of health, whom Ms. Living represents, recently went to Ottawa and spoke to representatives of Health Canada and Canadian Heritage. I believe certain individuals are prepared to come to Yukon to talk about needs. However, nothing concrete has happened.

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

Nothing yet, and it's been a long time, since 1997. This is 2011.

[Francine Blais]

Yes, madam.