Evidence of meeting #16 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 roadmap.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
Many of the activities will be in French, and many of the activities in Canada will also be in English. It must be understood that half of the participants in the cooperative movement are anglophone.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
So we'll be able to attend those activities in our language?
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
Yes. For us, they'll be bilingual. The activities in Quebec, for example, will be in French. The activities in Ottawa will be bilingual. The other activities in the other provinces where the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité is involved will be bilingual.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
I wish you every success. It's thanks to organizations such as yours that the Canadian and Quebec cooperative movement can be shared around the world. It's important for us to do that. We thank you for your great work.
November 29th, 2011 / 10:40 a.m.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
Thank you.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you, Mr. Gourde.
The head office of the anglophone cooperatives is in Guelph, isn't it?
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
In fact, there are two national organizations. One is for the anglophone cooperatives, and it is located here in Ottawa. The other one, for the francophone cooperatives, is also located here in Ottawa. However, there are members everywhere, in all the provinces. We are established in nine provinces.
Conservative
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you.
Earlier I raised the question regarding CBC/Radio-Canada. Mr. Menegakis was kind enough to clarify some points. I will also clarify a few other points. He said he did not know a single member on the government side who had supported that. I'm going to say two things.
First, I will refer to an article in the Globe and Mail of September 23, which refers to a survey that the Conservative Party conducted of its members. They were asked, among other things,
whether the more than $1 billion Ottawa spends on the CBC is good value or bad value.
That's taken from a survey conducted of its members.
I will also refer to the website of the member for Calgary West, who belongs to the government party, where the first page promotes a petition calling for the defunding of the CBC.
That's a clarification on the subject for Mr. Menegakis.
Conservative
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
He said that no member of his party was talking about the subject, whereas the first page of the website of one of his colleagues promotes the petition.
Second, a member can very well table a petition without making the customary remarks. He can do so without making any comments. For example, he can refrain from using the words that those two Conservative members used, that is to say
“I have the honour”
and
“It is a pleasure”
when the petition is tabled. You have to take a balanced approach.
My question is for Mr. Doiron.
You opened my eyes to a phenomenon I wasn't aware of. There are apparently some 20,000 small businesses having problems transferring their property. Have you any documents or studies on that subject? If there are no buyers, are large companies acquiring them?
Administrator, Board of Directors, Director General of the Coopérative de développement régional – Acadie ltée, Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
It's large foreign companies. I'm referring to a document prepared by the Canadian Federation of Independent Business. We also carried out a project to validate those figures in various regions and provinces. According to the estimates, by 2020, 20,000 businesses will change hands, but half of them will find no takers. They're saying that 200,000 jobs could be jeopardized. That's a very big issue.
So we have to consider this possibility, which is significant for a lot of business owners who would like nothing better than to assign their businesses to local buyers or to their employees, naturally. But they should be made aware of this option. The necessary measures must also be taken, for example, to offer tax credits, tax incentives and other measures.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I'll stop you.
I remember that, in the 2005-2006 budget, the minister of the time, Ralph Goodale, included $30 million to support development of the cooperative movement. Is that figure still included in the budgets?
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
What portfolio are you talking about?
Liberal
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
We don't receive $30 million.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
No, it hasn't been continued.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
In fact, a few years ago, we received an amount, but it was for the north. It came from a very specific budget that had been set aside for northern development.
Conservative
The Chair Conservative Michael Chong
Thank you, Mr. Bélanger.
Thanks to all the witnesses for their presentations, and thanks to committee members for their questions and comments.
This meeting is adjourned.
