Official Languages Committee on Nov. 17th, 2011

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Mr. Harris, go ahead, please.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thanks to everyone for being here today.

I'll admit to you that, as a Franco-Ontarian, I find this exciting. For 15 years now, I have helped youth get involved in politics and other things. Mr. Vaillancourt talked about his early childhood. I was born in Toronto and went to the Petit Chaperon Rouge, Georges-Étienne-Cartier School and Mgr-de-Charbonnel Catholic High School. I was a member of the FESFO. These are all good things. I'm happy to be here today and to have the opportunity to speak to you.

Earlier when you were talking about youth, you mentioned that you didn't have an organization in Nunavut. Is that correct?

[Alexis Couture]

Yes, Nunavut isn't represented on the board of directors. However, efforts are being made to have young people involved in all events.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

All right.

I asked the question knowing that, during the 40th Parliament, this committee began a study on linguistic duality in the north. The committee only had to go to Nunavut in order to complete and table the report. Do you believe that report is important and that it would help you in your work in Nunavut?

[Alexis Couture]

The federation is definitely in favour of getting additional information. One of our development areas for 2010-2013 is research and evaluation and having more information on the situation of francophone young people across the country. That includes Nunavut, Quebec and all the provinces and territories from east to west and north to south. Having documentation and statistics enables us to offer events that are better suited to and more consistent with the reality of young people. Of course, that enables us to reach out to those young people in the best way possible.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you.

That's interesting. The NDP, which is the official opposition, really has a young caucus for the first time. Twenty-one of its members are under 35. We think it will be really good and important to interest more young people in politics. We will definitely need candidates in New Brunswick in future.

Let us know if your organization wants to have MPs for events. I am caucus vice-chair and you can contact us for other things. With regard to the AEFO, it's important to attract young people.

Let's talk about francophone immigrants. In Ontario and elsewhere as well, immigration is very important for our future. What do you think is the most important thing we should do to improve the situation of francophone immigration in Ontario?

[Denis Vaillancourt]

I think the most important thing is to ensure that there is a very obvious francophone presence at the ports of entry to Ontario through signage and staff on duty. Upon entry, from an immigrant's first step in Pearson airport, McDonald-Cartier airport or Windsor, regardless of the point of entry where there is an Immigration Canada office, there should be bilingual staff who know the network and community access to services in French. To achieve that, there must be partnerships with local communities. I am thinking, for example, of ACFO in Kingston, which sponsored a project with the city of Kingston. Its representatives are there when immigrants arrive in the city to tell them from the outset the opportunities they have for living, working and taking part in community life in French. That's what's lacking in our showcases at each of our points of entry. It has to be clear that there is a French life in Canada and in Ontario in particular.

[Gilles LeVasseur]

I'd like to add one point. Once immigrants are here, there have to be integration mechanisms for them. Immigrants often find themselves without resources and lost in the community. The Immigration Program at Canadian Heritage and the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality must also take this approach into account in order to integrate them into the community, provide them with tools to understand where their next employment opportunities should be and what the education path is. The problem is that immigrants will get lost in the community, will follow a targeted group which is often their natural group and will then forget the francophone reality of Ontario.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

That's fine, thank you.

Mr. Weston, go ahead, please.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

My first question is for the representatives of this group from Ontario. I heard that, after the last election, there was a real explosion in the use of funding by the Greek-Canadian community in Ontario.

Second, thank you for your presentation. I come from British Columbia and I'm impressed by the increase in the use of the minority language in all provinces. Can you tell me your story and your favourite example concerning the growth of French in the anglophone communities? Alexis, perhaps you can start.

The third question concerns the accounting when you make a decision on the use of public funds. Every dollar is precious. It isn't our money, but rather that of the public. Can you give us examples of very good uses of public funds?

[Alexis Couture]

First, I'll answer your question about examples of growth in the use of the minority language in the majority community. In our case, we're talking about French in an anglophone community. The best example to date is the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne. The games have been in existence since 1999 and bring together people from all provinces and territories every three years. Last summer, they were in Sudbury, Ontario. Three years ago, it was Edmonton, Alberta.

We find ourselves in a very particular situation. Young people who come from immersion schools—these are anglophones who have learned French—very much want to take part in the games. They make remarkable efforts to join the provincial delegations sponsored by the provincial member organizations of the FJCF. The games reach out to young people on three levels: culture, sport and leadership. Through this varied programming, high-quality programming and very strong recruitment partners, we have managed to recruit young people outside what is considered the traditional francophone pool. We managed to do that in particular in British Columbia with the CJFCB, which is our member partner there.

Some extremely interesting efforts have been made. We are seeing growth in participation in the games precisely because we are going after that clientele outside the population pool that could be considered francophone. It's also for that reason that the federation has members in the country who are French-speaking young people 14 to 25 years of age. You have to draw a distinction between a French-speaking young person and a young francophone. French-speaking young people don't necessarily have French as their mother tongue.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

Are public funds being used?

[Alexis Couture]

The games are obviously funded by the federal and provincial governments. Perhaps I can let Sylvain provide more details on that subject.

[Sylvain Groulx]

In fact, the Department of Canadian Heritage contributes financially to the games. Other provincial agencies make significant contributions through the delegations. To go back briefly to the accountability question, the youth organizations are extremely responsible and handle the money very well.

You can imagine everything that has to be done to manage an activity or a youth organization where you work with young people most of whom are 14 to 18 years of age. In other words, they aren't adults. We have to speak with the parents, obtain consent forms, work with them and get volunteers. We get an enormous amount for every dollar invested because, given the nature of the event and the people we work with, we have to step up our efforts. Generally speaking, our members are very good in that respect.

I don't want to take up too much time, and I'm going to let the others speak.

[Denis Vaillancourt]

I'd like to add to that and to provide some actual examples. The investments in the community arts and culture groups in certain regions of the province have resulted in permanent infrastructure being established and the francophone community taking charge of cultural activities that have had an economic impact. I'm thinking, for example, of a cultural centre or auditorium in Hearst. I'm thinking of auditoriums in various places where the community has stepped up through its activities and taken charge. It has entered into partnerships with the Department of Canadian Heritage and the provincial government. That's the provincial spillover effect. All that has been transformed into economic activities that enable the community to live in French.

I have to say that the best example in Ontario—I admit I'm not neutral, being a career educator—is the entire effort being made with our youth. The school system founded the FESFO, among other things. Today, when I go into the professional world, I meet young Franco-Ontarians who are lawyers, physicians, accountants and business owners. They are taking their place. These are examples that show that, without investments and networks, whether it be the Jeux franco-ontariens, the school sector or the community sector, we wouldn't have these professionals. It's very enriching. The result of our investment is ultimately that, around this table, we have Franco-Ontarians who have gone beyond the system, are speaking French and are still here to represent us. These are tangible signs of the success of linguistic duality and of the complete maintenance of our minority.

[John Weston, Conservative, West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC]

That's good.

[Gilles LeVasseur]

One thing has changed, Mr. Weston, and that is the rights holders. Under section 23 of the Constitution, we have gone after the rights holders, those who were entitled to French-language schools. Through funding, we have gained access to schools and we have funded schools outside Quebec in regions where, in many cases, there were previously no French-language schools.

The rights holders have thus made this growth in the francophone population possible. On the anglophone side, the French-language immersion programs in the schools have also helped francophones a great deal. People who are capable of speaking French work for provincial government bodies or other bodies. They are capable of communicating with francophones, which creates this francophone community. That aspect is often overlooked. Various programs afford us the opportunity to work much more with the other communities. At first, it was the rights holders. This is one of the major problems that we have to solve among francophones to ensure we have this linguistic continuity in the schools.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Mr. Aubin, go ahead, please.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Here's a challenge for you, if you accept it. I have five minutes and three questions to ask, and I would like to hear from both your organizations about each of the topics.

Here's my first question. The Roadmap is an additional funding strategy to develop projects. In real terms, is it easy for each of your organizations to draw a distinction between regular programs and Roadmap programs, or are we bogging you down in red tape?

[Sylvain Groulx]

I'm going to take the liberty of responding.

It's not easy. You have to ask a lot of questions to get a clear understanding. The Roadmap as such, at least the way we understand it, involves 15 departments that are taking part in it and that have programs that are operating normally.

So my answer would be to say no, it's not easy to see or to understand our situation.

[Denis Vaillancourt]

I agree with Mr. Groulx.

We understand that there are programs. At the provincial level, our assembly is making an effort to understand. When we talk with our members, it isn't easy for them to distinguish between a Roadmap program and a program of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

So this must be clarified, and I support the idea that this isn't necessarily easy. You really have to go and explore and find things.

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

Thank you. Here's my second question.

In the past little while, we've heard quite eloquent testimony about the success the linguistic minority communities have achieved. There are even some promising prospects in what you're proposing.

However, the fact is that the departments are being asked to cut 5% and in some cases 10% from the plans. Have you got wind of any cuts at one department or another that would affect you directly?

[Denis Vaillancourt]

Not directly, in view of the fact that there are agreements regarding certain envelopes that will subsequently expire.

We have our suspicions, but we have had no direct indication regarding the Assemblée de la francophonie. However, the rumour is circulating.

[Alexis Couture]

We would echo that comment. We haven't heard of any direct impact at this point, but that prospect is of course something people have on their radar screens.