Official Languages Committee on Nov. 15th, 2011

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Welcome to the 12th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. We are here today, pursuant to Standing Order 108, to continue our study on the evaluation of the Roadmap regarding improving programs and service delivery.

Today we will hear from representatives of three groups. From the Consortium national de formation en santé, we have Ms. Lalonde and Ms. Gagnon. Welcome to you. From the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique, we have Mr. Roy and Ms. Sotteau. Welcome to you. From the Société Santé en français, we have Ms. Rivet, Mr. Fortier and Mr. Schofield. Welcome, everyone.

We'll begin with the representative of the Consortium national de formation en santé.

[Jocelyne Lalonde, Executive Director, Consortium national de formation en santé]

Mr. Chairman, committee members, dear partners who are here today, on behalf of the board of directors of the Consortium national de formation en santé and myself, I want to thank you for this opportunity to present the major initiatives and results that CNFS has been able to achieve thanks to the financial contribution from, and the exceptional collaboration with, Health Canada as part of the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality.

Following our presentation this morning, the committee will be convinced that CNFS has enabled the Government of Canada to fulfil the commitments set out in the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality with regard to improving access to high-quality French-language health services in francophone minority communities by means of enhanced training for francophone and bilingual health professionals and researchers throughout the country.

Thanks to its wide range of training and research activities, the CNFS has been able to ensure quality and range of access to French-language health services in francophone minority communities in light of the upcoming renewal of the Roadmap. The CNFS is eager to build on this solid foundation and, with the support of the federal government, meet the evolving needs of those communities.

It was the work of an advisory committee established by the Department of Health in 1999 that led to the creation of the CNFS in 2003. Sponsored by Health Canada, the CNFS was created as part of the Action Plan for Official Languages and continues to operate as part of the Roadmap. The mission of the CNFS is to ensure the establishment of an expanded postsecondary network of training and research in French in order to support the postsecondary institutions that offer health training programs and the researchers who are working in the health field.

The CNFS is a consortium of 11 university and college education institutions offering training programs in French in various health disciplines and six regional partners that facilitate access to those programs. The CNFS also has a national secretariat in Ottawa.

The CNFS engages in a wide range of activities classified under four strategic axes. First of all, there is recruitment. We have to support and reinforce efforts to promote health careers and student recruitment. Recruitment faces some significant challenges. For one thing, the pool of young francophones potentially interested in postsecondary studies is decreasing and competition from anglophone institutions is fierce. Over the next few years, promotion of and recruiting into CNFS French-language health programs must be increased in order to attract francophones as well as francophiles, and youth as well as adults.

The main goal of the training axis is to promote the maintenance, development and consolidation of existing training opportunities and institutional training partnerships. Since the Roadmap was implemented, it has made it possible to introduce 15 new French-language health programs, for a total of 48 new French-language health programs in Canada since 2003. In addition, since 2008, there have been 3,000 new registrations, 3,000 new students in programs supported by the CNFS and 1,000 new graduates. Since 2003, 6,000 students have registered for French-language health programs in our francophone communities. Nearly 3,000 of that number have now graduated and are working as professionals providing services in our communities. According to a survey we conducted, 86% of our graduates are working in health institutions and agencies serving our communities, and 79% of them are working in their home province or territory.

As acknowledged in the Roadmap, health human resources for minority communities require particular attention as there are numerous challenges. Francophone minorities are widely dispersed and find it difficult to access training programs.

Whether it be theoretical, clinical, ongoing or linguistic training, the solution lies in the inter-institutional sharing specific to the CNFS, that is to say sharing among various provinces, various institutions, which makes it possible to reinforce all educational institutions.

The CNFS also devotes considerable energy and human resources to health research, which, among other things, makes it possible to facilitate national research projects that examine the health of francophone minority communities. One such project currently has pan-Canadian thematic research teams studying aging and mental health. Unfortunately, the recent decision by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research to terminate the health of official language minority communities research program will have a significant impact on our current and future projects.

Through its established activities and main programs made possible through federal funding, the CNFS has for several years been able to establish significant complementary initiatives in immigration. We are working on remedial training for francophone health professionals who have been trained outside Canada. We are assisting in their integration into the communities and making them aware of specific issues before they arrive in Canada.

Data collected to date demonstrate certain key findings on the impact of CNFS activities and show how well this organization has been able to overcome significant challenges. The main impacts have included: the rise in the number of French-language health training programs and their noticeable effect on the number of francophone and bilingual health professionals serving the communities; the availability of distance education, an approach that provides better access to postsecondary education in French for francophone students in remote and often poorly served communities; increased collaboration on health issues among all involved parties, on a federal-provincial/territorial level as well as on inter-provincial and inter-institutional levels, thanks to the leveraging effect created by federal funding.

Lastly, at mid-point in the current phase, a recent study has shown a marked increased in participation by CNFS universities and colleges in a number of health human resource planning initiatives. Provincial and regional human resource planning authorities are relying more and more on their expertise.

As you can see, CNFS's actions are making a difference in the lives of francophone minority communities. Since the release of the Roadmap, we have consistently surpassed our expectations and objectives, and the pace of our achievements continues to improve. Our numbers of registrations and graduates are greater than initial commitments. This result shows an undeniable return on the Government of Canada's investment.

The CNFS is therefore making a tangible contribution toward improving access to high-quality French-language health services by increasing the number of francophone and francophile health professionals throughout the country, thus contributing to the development and well-being of francophone minority communities.

The CNFS has worked hard to earn its status as the undisputed leader in postsecondary health training and research in French. In light of the upcoming renewal of the Roadmap and the Health Accord of 2014, it is essential to remind the federal government to continue to ensure that Canada's linguistic duality is acknowledged in health and service planning and funding for official language minority communities.

The CNFS and its partners, such as the Société Santé en français, are deserving of support for their work and for the consolidation of their foundations in communities across the country. We therefore hope that the recommendations of the Standing Committee on Official Languages will recognize the unique and exemplary model of collaboration that is the CNFS and the importance of training, which is central to the active offer of high-quality health services.

Thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

I now give the floor to the representatives of the Société Santé en français.

[Dr. Aurel Schofield, Steering Committee Member , Director, Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick, Associate Dean, Faculté de médecine et des sciences de la santé de l'Université de Sherbrooke, Société Santé en français]

Good morning, everyone.

My name is Aurel Schofield. I am a family physician in New Brunswick, or at least I was because now I am director of the Centre de formation médicale du Nouveau-Brunswick and associate dean of the Faculté de médecine et des sciences at the University of Sherbrooke for the francophone Atlantic region.

With me are Colette Rivet, executive director of the Société Santé en français, and Denis Fortier, who is a physician in Manitoba, a member of the Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba and vice-president of medical services at the Regional Health Authority Central Manitoba Inc.

We are going to divide up our presentation. I'll address the Réseau de santé en français, whereas my colleague Denis will touch more on services. We have prepared a kit for you containing additional information. Perhaps we can look at it in the second part.

Mr. Chairman, ladies and gentlemen members, on behalf of the Société Santé en français, we thank you for this opportunity to tell you about the progress made in the health field in the context of the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality and to share with you our ambitions for the future because we do have ambitions. We would also like to express our gratitude for the interest the committee has shown from the outset in the work we have done. In 2006, when your committee met in Moncton, I had the opportunity to welcome it to the Centre de formation médicale.

Health is a very big priority for the francophone communities. That's understandable because the language of communication is a central factor in offering high-quality services. We often hear about people who were unable to obtain an appropriate service because it wasn't offered in their language, one of this country's two official languages.

We thought we would present to you some cases that have arisen in the context of the Société Santé en français in recent years. These are actual cases, which show the importance of offering health services in French.

The first is the case of a woman from the Ottawa region who suffered a stroke. Of course, her situation left her vulnerable to disease. She had trouble speaking and was unable to receive services in French, her language, at nearly every level of care. The experience was very negative for that woman.

There was also the case of a young man from northern Ontario who suffered a mental illness and did not respond to treatment provided because, since his health was deteriorating, he did not understand what people were trying to tell him. When it was understood that there was a major communication problem, he was transferred to an institution where French-language services were provided, and that individual returned to normal after receiving appropriate treatment.

Lastly, a francophone father from Manitoba who was living out his final days in an anglophone care facility told his son: "Léo, I don't want to die in English." He felt very vulnerable and incapable of expressing his needs as he lived out his last days.

Illness leaves us all vulnerable, and, unfortunately, we will all need appropriate services in our language one day or another.

We rely to a great extent on studies conducted on Spanish-speaking communities in the United States. Some very interesting studies have shown, based on very convincing data, that language and cultural barriers make it difficult to access high-quality services, undermining the determination of an accurate diagnosis and compromising the patient's commitment to his or her treatment. This has consequences for the system and for patients themselves. There is an increase in the incidence of inappropriate treatment, deteriorating patient health, greater need for care, more hospitalization and increased treatment costs for those patients.

The entire issue of cultural and linguistic skills has become very important in more than one respect. At the Association of Faculties of Medicine of Canada, requirements respecting cultural and linguistic competencies are increasingly high and will probably even become accreditation standards for our Canadian faculties of medicine.

The study conducted in 2001 showed that 45% to 55% of Canada's minority francophone communities did not have access to health services in their language. That finding formed the basis of the strategy to improve access to French-language health services.

That strategy is based on three major axes. The first is networking, which promotes concentration and cooperation among all partners wishing to improve the situation. In fact, when you work in a minority community, people are often remote and isolated from one another. Networking is therefore absolutely necessary in order to bring all those individuals together.

The second axis is professional training. Ms. Lalonde just did a very good job of addressing that. The third axis is the organization of services, that is to say all the initiatives and levers that can be put in place to enhance the establishment of health services in French.

For budgetary reasons, we have had to downplay two areas of action. For lack of funding, they were not given priority like the first three. Those two axes were the development of new technologies to support service organization and delivery and the development of strategic information, that is to say how to obtain convincing information on the francophone communities that enables groups to make the appropriate decisions to establish better services.

The networking approach that we adopted was the key factor in the success of the Société Santé en français. It was based on a World Health Organization model called Towards Unity for Health. That model promotes joint action by partners and involves all principal partners: communities, health professionals, academic institutions, service facilities and political decision-makers at the federal, provincial, territorial and regional levels.

This close matching among the partners makes it possible to identify needs and to adopt common strategies to address them. The networks are known as the agencies that can facilitate or put in place projects to accurately meet the needs of the scattered and often remote minority francophone communities.

We have always wanted to put the emphasis on the quality of health services in French and patient safety. Through that, the networks have managed to build bridges promoting communication and joint action among the partners, including the provincial and territorial departments.

For your information, since 2009, we have had nearly 500 cooperation agreements which we develop and maintain every year with partner agencies. Furthermore, in a report on implementation of the Roadmap, the Hon. Bernard Lord said we were a model of federal-provincial/territorial and community cooperation. I believe that model is definitely very promising.

The Santé en français networks have carved out a place in the health system across Canada. In Ontario, two of the Santé en français networks have been recognized as French-language services planning entities to regional health authorities.

In Manitoba, the departments of health and social services have designated the Conseil communauté en santé as the principal liaison for the francophone community. The Conseil communauté en santé has also been assigned important responsibilities for which it receives additional funding from Manitoba's health department.

In Prince Edward Island, the network is a joint entity of the provincial government and the francophone community. The Alberta Health Services Authority has just established an advisory committee with the Réseau santé albertain on French-language services. I could continue this way for virtually all the provinces whereTowards Unity for Health networking model has been adapted and shaped to suit local systems.

The networks have established close cooperative arrangements with the provincial health departments across Canada.

As you will agree, this collaboration with all partners is not a goal in itself, but rather a win-win strategy.

The really important point is that it has given rise to hundreds of actual achievements that improve the access of francophone populations to high-quality health services in their language. In your kit you will find a document listing all the projects that have been carried out in recent years.

Through this close collaborative effort, the Société has managed to provide financial support to more than 225 initiatives across the country promoting access to health services in French in widely varying fields under the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality, whether it be primary or community care, general or specialized institutional care, health promotion, disease prevention or support for human resources.

A lot of these initiatives are ongoing and have now been integrated into the health system. This is another one of our successes because the efforts made and projects put in place have been integrated into the existing system. These actions have affected seniors, children, youths and immigrant families. Very recently, in cooperation with the Mental Health Commission of Canada, the society has begun to shape a development strategy for the issue of mental health.

[Dr. Denis Fortier, Vice-President, Medical Services, Regional Health Authority Central Manitoba Inc., Member of the Board of Directors, Conseil communauté en santé du Manitoba, Société Santé en français]

Allow me to give you a few examples among others.

In Winnipeg, Manitoba, as a result of intervention by the Conseil communauté en santé with the Minister of Health and Winnipeg Regional Health Office, the new birthing centre that has just opened in Saint-Vital, a Winnipeg neighbourhood, will be designated bilingual and will offer services in French to the francophone population of that neighbourhood. I must tell you that, without the influence of the Conseil communauté en santé, I'm not sure we would have had bilingual services at that centre.

In my region, a rural area southwest of Winnipeg, a financial contribution of approximately $30,000 by the Société Santé en français in 2005 helped mobilize the entire community of Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes and get the provincial government involved in the construction of a community health centre. After the project was developed, with the support of the CCS network and Société Santé en français, the local community responsible for the project held a fund-raising drive in the community and generated $1.7 million. Then the provincial health department paid out $800,000 for the construction of the Centre Albert-Galliot, valued at a total cost of $3.3 million.

The Regional Health Authority Central Manitoba Inc., our authority, then took over by making available resources such as two nurses, one nursing assistant and a nurse practitioner, who are supported by four physicians.

The centre offers a number of health services in areas such as physiotherapy, occupational therapy, nutrition, mental health and public health, chiropractic, massage therapy and access to telehealth for online medical consultations and via telephone conferencing.

With regard to the use of new technologies, the CCS network gathered various partners together to develop francophone programming with Telehealth Manitoba. Last year, four video conferences were offered and reached eight francophone communities, thus enabling francophones across Manitoba to take charge of their health without having to go to Winnipeg.

Closer to here, in eastern Ontario, the Société Santé en français and the Réseau des services de santé en français de l'Est de l'Ontario, the RSSFEO, helped to develop the FrancoForme program with the cooperation of the University of Ottawa's Institute of Cardiology.

It's intended for any Franco-Ontarian who presents with one or two risk factors for heart disease and who has previously had cardiovascular disease. Recruited by their family physicians, participants have access, via telephone consultation over a period of three months, to the advice of an advisor who assists them in improving their physical condition, nutrition, stress management and other risk factors.

We could continue in this manner for all regions of the country but do not have the time to do so. And that's not to mention the numerous initiatives that have not required financial support but have received technical or professional support from the network.

We have created close collaborative ties with the provincial and territorial health departments and have enjoyed excellent cooperation by Health Canada, as was emphasized in the annual report of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

We should also mention an appreciable contribution from the Government of Quebec, which has been seconding two executive managers since 2004. Their expertise has been of invaluable assistance to us.

As you can see, the achievements are impressive. We have established a solid foundation. We are proud of having mobilized hundreds of partners, health institutions, professionals, community agencies and training institutions that have taken all kinds of initiatives in all areas.

We feel we have started a movement that is making real changes, but that movement is not complete it is still fragile and much remains to be done.

To implement health in French in a sustainable manner, we still need action based on the three initial components, that is to say, the network, training and projects that put sustainable mechanisms or structures in place.

In closing, we would like to emphasize that the progress we have made can also serve as a model for other communities. It can help better adapt our health systems to the growing diversity of Canada's population.

It should also be emphasized that very often the services we put in place in regions also serve anglophone clienteles because they are bilingual services.

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Fortier.

I now hand the floor over to Mr. Roy from the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique.

[Réal Roy, President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique]

Mr. Chairman, committee members, my name is Réal Roy, president of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique. I would also like to mention that with me is the executive director of our organization, Christine Sotteau.

Thank you for this invitation to appear before the Standing Committee on Official Languages to present our views on the evaluation of the Roadmap as regards improving programs and service delivery.

First we will introduce the FFCB and the community we serve. Then I will draw your attention to the Overall Development Plan (ODP) 2009-2014, which the francophone community of British Columbia adopted in June 2009, as well as the priorities that stem from it. We will also conduct an overview of the impact that government programs are having on the francophone living environment that we have created, developed and implanted in our province. We will close with a number of recommendations and considerations for improving and reinforcing the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013.

The Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique is the official organization representing francophones living in British Columbia. It was founded in 1945 and its role is to promote the advancement of the francophone and francophile community. Its main aims are to increase the francophone space and to strengthen the capacity of the francophone and francophile civil society and the influence of the French-language and francophone culture in British Columbia.

In 2011, the federation has 37 member associations across the province. Those associations operate in numerous fields such as education, culture, youth, health, the economy, justice, social services and communications. The community has 14 community centres that serve francophones and francophiles and are located in the province's main cities.

According to the 2006 census, our community comprises 70,410 persons whose mother tongue or first official language spoken is French. However, it is important to note that nearly 300,000 persons can communicate in French, which makes it the second most spoken language in British Columbia. Those 300,000 persons live part of their lives in French. That represents slightly more than 7% of the entire population of the province.

The figure for the Victoria metropolitan region is approximately 10%, a one-percentage point increase since the 2001 Census. Not only is the community of French speakers growing in absolute terms, but it is also increasing in relative terms. This is an undeniable indication of the vitality of our community. These 300,000 persons demonstrate the success of French in our province thanks, among other things, to the support of the education and French immersion system and to the interest that British Columbians in general take in linguistic duality.

Lastly, the FFCB represents the francophone community of British Columbia to the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and participates actively in the development of the pan-Canadian francophone community.

In June 2009, the FFCB, together with the community network as a whole, established the Overall Development Plan on behalf of the francophone community in order to target its actions more effectively. This has been the fourth strategic plan since 1995. Based on the results and accountability of all players, this approach helps develop and measure, on an ongoing basis, performance for the entire francophone community over the period from 2009 to 2014.

When it was developed, we felt it was appropriate to adjust our Overall Development Plan to the federal government's Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality. That is why, last year, nine federal government departments and agencies, including Canadian Heritage and the British Columbia Francophone Affairs Program, adopted our plan, together with 34 francophone agencies, as part of a thinking and awareness effort involving government institutions and the support of the Pacific Federal Council. I believe this is a first in Canada. We would definitely like to give you a copy of our Overall Development Plan with the support of the various departments.

The priorities of the francophone community in British Columbia are based on four strategic axes. The first is access to programs and services. The second is strengthening ties. The third is promotion, awareness and recruitment, and, lastly, the fourth axis is improving organizational capacity.

Since the start of the Roadmap's activities, the francophone community of British Columbia has recognized and supported the federal government's official languages initiative. It is important to recall that the Roadmap is a comprehensive approach that also involves interdepartmental joint action and the contributions of the provincial government and municipal authorities.

Federal government support in all its forms is a lever for expanding services and diversifying our sources of funding. We entirely adhere to the area for action designated in the Roadmap of improving access to services for official language minority communities.

Access to health services is a priority sector for the community's ODP and essential to its well-being. Support for community networks and regional projects has made it possible to establish the RésoSanté Colombie-Britannique and to open up access to French-language health services for francophones by enabling us to establish ties between our francophone agencies and regional health authorities. This of courses involves issues concerning prevention, diabetes, smoking and healthy nutrition, but also direct services more particularly for vulnerable and at-risk francophones in the mental health and dependence fields.

In justice, thanks to the Access to Justice Support Fund, the Association des juristes d’expression française de la Colombie-Britannique is continuing its work with the provincial government to provide francophones with better access to justice services in their language. This work is also part of the community's ODP. As a result, our grade 11 and 12 students were able to receive law workshops on topics of concern to them, human rights, consumer issues and the environment. We are working with the Association des juristes and the provincial department to ensure that francophone juries are impaneled when trials are held in French.

In the community development sector, the immigration area addressed by the Roadmap coincides with an area targeted in the community's ODP. We want to meet the newcomer recruitment need identified in cooperation with the province, as well as newcomers' social, economic and community integration needs. There are a lot of newcomers because 35% of our francophone population was born outside Canada.

The support of Citizenship and Immigration Canada enables joint action involving the province, the community and educational institutions, in particular the Conseil scolaire francophone, the Bureau des affaires francophones et francophiles at Simon Fraser University, the BAFF, the Collège Éducacentre and employers, thanks to the Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique for immigrant recruitment and integration.

In the area of early childhood, family and literacy, we would like to single out the work of one of our members, the Fédération des parents francophones de la Colombie-Britannique, which works with our education partners, the Conseil scolaire francophone, the Collège Éducacentre and the provincial government to put in place direct services for families to provide support for French-language learning by francophone children from birth.

In arts and culture, we know that the major cultural events in our province receive support from Canadian Heritage's Cultural Development Fund and afford francophones and francophiles access to cultural products. These include the productions of the Théâtre la Seizième and a number of festivals, including the Bois de Maillardville festival, the Victoria and Prince George francophone festivals, the Festival d'été de Vancouver, the Coup de coeur francophone and the Rendez-vous du cinéma.

All these events also have a direct economic impact on their region. In Nanaimo, for example, the provincial government, through its department of tourism, has taken an interest in the growing success of the Sucre d'Érable festival and has facilitated implementation of a pilot project, the "Bonjour!" program. The tourism industry is an economic driver for our province and this program is an effort to involve the francophone community more closely in the development of this sector.

It is important to note that, although we acknowledge the federal government's investment in our community and are able to measure participation and the number of services offered, it is still difficult to measure its impact on the lives of francophone citizens in British Columbia. However, we wish to report to you that the work we have begun pursuant to the development of the ODP, with the support of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and the ties we have managed to establish with the various federal government departments and agencies will enable us to assess the ODP's direct impact, if not to measure its actual effect on our community.

It must be borne in mind that the support program for the official language communities managed by the Department of Canadian Heritage is part of the Roadmap and is still the cornerstone of our community's development. The cooperation agreement entered into between the community and its various components and the Canadian government through Canadian Heritage must be maintained and also revised upward.

That agreement enables the community volunteer sector, which for more than 65 years has been working with francophone citizens to protect and promote linguistic duality, to get involved as a partner in the federal government's action to realize and promote what a majority of Canadians feel is this fundamental aspect of Canada's federation.

It is essential that we inform the members of the standing committee that the federal government must rectify the situation regarding funding transfers to the provincial government. The situation prevailing in British Columbia following the transfer of employment programs, has not enabled francophone organizations receiving services to continue offering the services that have been available for more than 10 years thanks to the federal government.

The language clauses included in the agreements entered into between the federal and provincial governments must include accountability mechanisms that are binding on both levels of government and that are developed in cooperation with the community. We would like the federal government to renew the Roadmap, while implementing mechanisms that enable the communities to access the programs that are managed at the national level.

The Roadmap must also enable us to develop and negotiate multi-year funding agreements with agencies in the field. These longer-term partnerships are key to the development of our community. In its throne speech in March 2010, the federal government stated, "...the best solutions to the diverse challenges confronting Canada's communities are often found locally."

Since its inception in 1945, and more particularly since the first strategic plan was developed 16 years ago, we have demonstrated our community's ability to meet the challenges involved in promoting French, one of Canada's official languages, in British Columbia.

On behalf of the francophone community of British Columbia, I would like to thank you for your attention.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

We have one hour for questions and comments.

We'll begin with Mr. Aubin.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

I would like to welcome all of you here today.

First of all, on behalf of all my colleagues and myself, I would like to offer my sincere apologies for this disruption. We will very definitely be reviewing our transportation strategy to prevent a repeat of this situation. My apologies in particular to Ms. Lalonde, who was in the middle of her presentation.

That said, I would like to thank you for the quality and relevance of your presentations, which are definitely enabling us to form a clearer picture of the situation.

We have begun the process of evaluating the Roadmap, and even before thinking about the next one, which is probably already on the drawing board, I would like to know one thing.

Before the presentation that you prepared and made this morning, did the departments you dealing with pass on to you any communications, questionnaires or forms, or contribute in one way or another to the evaluation of the programs previously implemented under the first Roadmap?

Perhaps you could respond briefly in turn.

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

We receive our funding from Health Canada. That department is currently beginning a mid-term evaluation of the Roadmap. We expect that we will shortly be receiving calls concerning the evaluation of the work that Health Canada is doing through our agencies. An entire process is underway, and consultants have been hired to evaluate the work Health Canada has done under the Roadmap.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

All right, but that hasn't reached your level?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Not yet.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Thank you.

[Dr. Aurel Schofield]

I'd like to add that project implementation is being done together with the departments. We had to ensure that the projects were consistent with the objectives that our provincial departments and communities wanted to achieve. Most of the time, our projects therefore were very focused on needs acknowledged at both levels, even at the three levels, federal, provincial and community. The mid-term, project-by-project evaluations have enabled us to report some very relevant results. I also believe that the process involved in doing that was very interesting. People took part in the entire project development process.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

That's good.

[Réal Roy]

In fact, Canadian Heritage has started to send forms to member agencies. So that has already been done with the businesses.

I'd like to ask Ms. Sotteau to give you a more specific answer.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

Please do.

[Christine Sotteau, Executive Director, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique]

In fact, certain federal departments had already begun the evaluations and consultations last year. I remember taking part in a strategic planning effort. Service Canada consulted our B.C. communities. I suppose that was also done outside our province.

We also took part in an evaluation of the programming in the entire health field conducted by Health Canada and in an evaluation conducted by Justice Canada. I was consulted and was asked by telephone whether I could conduct an evaluation on behalf of the community. They wanted to know what justice services it was able to offer its citizens. So those three studies were done.

I believe another important aspect should be added. When the provincial government asks us to evaluate work being done under the Canada-British Columbia Cooperation Agreement, that's at least in part an assessment of what, within this broad Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality, the interdepartmental aspect represents, the direct intervention of the support program and what the province and federal government together are able to offer the community. We also want to know what kinds of services we can offer with the provincial government's cooperation.

I believe the evaluation of the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality must be very comprehensive and involve all the partners mentioned taking part in it.

[Robert Aubin, NDP, Trois-Rivières, QC]

That's perfect; thank you.

My second topic focuses perhaps more on the agencies working in the health field.

In recent testimony before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, the Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, said he was concerned about the fact that the Canadian Institutes of Health Research had abolished the Official Language Minority Communities Initiative. Do you share that concern? If so, were you consulted by the CIHR before the program was abolished?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Perhaps I can tell you about that because the Consortium national de formation en santé has been working closely with the Canadian Institutes of Health Research since 2003. In 2004, we established an official languages advisory committee with our anglophone partners in Quebec. At the advisory committee's last meeting, we learned that funding for the Official Language Minority Communities Initiative was to be terminated at the end of March.

As I mentioned in my presentation, we understand from this situation that it will be increasingly difficult for francophones to make funding requests. Furthermore, it won't be as easy to fund the entire research issue, which directly concerns the health of francophone minority communities, if there is no more dedicated funding for research on French-language health services.

A meeting has been scheduled between the Consortium national de formation en santé and the president of the CIHR to look at how we'll continue to work together.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Mr. Gourde, go ahead, please.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I'd like to thank the witnesses for being here this morning. This is very interesting.

My first question is for the representatives of the Consortium national de formation en santé.

Our minority francophone communities sooner or later need specialized health services. When we need health services, we are more vulnerable and have a greater need for care in our language. That's somewhat comforting. Just ensuring that the doctor, nurses and those offering us services have a good idea of what we are going through is very important. I believe the Consortium national de formation en santé has put the emphasis on training health specialists.

How has the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality helped you achieve those objectives?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

Thank you, Mr. Gourde.

To be able to improve access to health services, the minority francophone communities must first have professionals who can deal with their francophone patients in French. We therefore have to be able to train health professionals in various fields. People in Canada are currently being trained through federal government funding and assistance. The funding we receive from the federal government is a lever. It enables us to increase the number of health professionals across Canada. In particular, we're talking about physicians, nurses, speech therapists and social workers who work with people suffering from mental health problems.

Since 2003, that funding has enabled us to register 6,000 new students in programs, and 3,000 of those students, who have now graduated, are working in our francophone communities. I believe these are real results. Without those results, we can't say we're working to improve access to health services in French.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Are these people who come from the communities themselves, who come from across Canada, or who have moved? Is there a mix of all that?

[Jocelyne Lalonde]

No. In most cases, these are people who live in francophone communities in various regions of Canada. Of course, we don't have medical programs across Canada. We have one in New Brunswick, particularly with Dr. Schofield at the Centre de formation médicale, as well as the University of Ottawa. However, I can tell you that spaces are being set aside in New Brunswick to meet the needs of the communities in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Spaces are also being reserved at the University of Ottawa to meet the needs of the western provinces.

One female student from British Columbia is currently training at the University of Ottawa as a result of the fact that the federal government is contributing to funding for spaces at faculties of medicine, which the Government of Ontario would not do since that person comes from British Columbia.

In short, our people come from our francophone communities.