Evidence of meeting #15 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
November 24th, 2011 / 9:50 a.m.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Ms. Bossé, what is your vision?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
We have a vision in the Community Strategic Plan. I can quote that vision from memory. The vision is that all citizens who choose to live in French and to speak French, whether permanently or from time to time, have the capacity and environment to do so.
Conservative
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Anywhere. I'm thinking of the 4,000 francophone students in British Columbia's French-language schools and of the 45,000 students in the immersion schools.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Is the vision the same for the anglophones?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes. We have to expand this area of exchange and respect.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
What is your vision, Ms. Kenny?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Personally, I dream of a Canada where I can live in French and bring up my children in French.
I will respect my anglophone neighbour's choice not to do so and to do so in English. I would like him to respect my choice as well. I will also respect and admire people who choose to be bilingual.
Anglophones who choose to live part of their lives in French are, in my opinion, English-mother-tongue francophones. So I consider you a francophone.
Conservative
John Weston Conservative West Vancouver—Sunshine Coast—Sea to Sky Country, BC
Thank you.
And your vision, Mr. Léger?
Executive Director, Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse
For me, it would be full implementation of paragraph 2(a) of the Official Languages Act. That paragraph concerns equality and equal chances for French and English speakers in our country. It also concerns the possibility of living and growing in French and English wherever one is in Canada.
Conservative
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you very much. Thank you for being here.
Ms. Kenny, you talked a lot about the Community Strategic Plan, which I find very interesting. All the associations are developing strategic plans. So I imagine you drew on that in preparing a more comprehensive plan. Is that correct?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes. Those are the overall development plans. That's the name we've given them. The sectoral organizations have a strategic plan. Everything is integrated into the Community Strategic Plan. There are obviously differences from one region to the next, depending on the needs and situations of each.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Could you tell us briefly about the main priorities that have been identified in your strategic plan?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes, five areas have been developed. I spoke earlier about our population. There is also our space, our governance, our influence and our social and economic development.
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
I would like to add that the Community Strategic Plan was developed and adopted following community consultations in the field in 2006. A steering committee travelled across the country consulting the communities and identifying those issues, the development priorities. It included, among others, members of Canadian Parents for French. In June 2007, 800 francophones met in Ottawa to validate all that content, to adopt the Community Strategic Plan and to undertake to implement it by 2017.
Since then, those 43 francophone organizations have met annually to examine the work they have done throughout the year.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Do you currently think that everything that has been identified in the Roadmap corresponds relatively well to what you identified, or are there any more specific initiatives that you would like to see in the next Roadmap to respond to what you've proposed?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Earlier Mr. Léger talked about Industry Canada. So there are areas and sectors of intervention that are not represented enough. The Roadmap's weakness is in reinforcing the network's capabilities, which is also its objective.
Executive Director, Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse
May I answer?
They have a national perspective, whereas we have a provincial perspective. I think it is important to know that. In Nova Scotia, our Acadian and francophone communities are completely scattered across the province. There are 10 regions in all, nine of which are rural. We see that rural life in Nova Scotia is currently crumbling. The major priority for us is sustainable rural development. The unemployment rate is 30%, and communities are losing their populations, as people go away to work in other provinces. We have nothing against the other provinces, but we would like the population to remain in our communities. We have a major challenge. I would say this is the first challenge that was identified by our overall development plan.
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you very much; that was very interesting.
You've seen the motions that have been introduced. We'll talk briefly about the study on the north. If, in an ideal world, we followed your recommendations, there would be more consultations for the development of a new Roadmap.
My question is more for you, Ms. Kenny and Ms. Bossé. What importance could the report on that study have for the recommendations that you could make on another Roadmap?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Are you talking about the mid-term report underway?
NDP
Élaine Michaud NDP Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
No. I'm talking about a study on the north that was undertaken by the Standing Committee on Official Languages during previous sessions.
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Was that on immigration?
NDP
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
It's the study on the Northwest Territories.
I can simply tell you that the work done by this committee is very important. The work done by the previous committee was just as important, like that of all the committees since they came into existence.
I believe that, if it was worthwhile for a committee to examine one point, whether it be immigration or another topic, it would be interesting to see that report, particularly because we've learned this morning that it was unanimously adopted. I wouldn't want to see the work you've done here disappear tomorrow morning and no longer be important. I say that without any partisan bias.
