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.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
Guy Lauzon Conservative Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON
You haven't spoken yet. Do you have an example to submit to us or something to say perhaps?
Mr. Doiron?
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
10:30 a.m.
Administrator, Board of Directors, Director General of the Coopérative de développement régional – Acadie ltée, Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
It may be difficult to attribute success stories that we could tell you about to the Roadmap. We can't necessarily link to the Roadmap the funding allocated to certain partners associated with our achievements or with cooperative development, although that did help.
I would not dare put any project forward, except the initiative projects. However, we can't necessarily link them to the Roadmap as such.
10:30 a.m.
Conservative
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Chunseng Leung said that he spoke five languages and that he had visited a number of countries. He said that, when he travels in a country, he learns the country's language. However, he apologized for not speaking French in Canada. I don't know whether he realized that there were two official languages in Canada. He could have learned them, but he was not required to do so.
In Canada, anglophones don't all have to learn French. Someone once said that anglophones didn't all have to learn French and that francophones all had to learn English. However, we want bilingual people to provide services. We also want to preserve our languages and culture in our regions. If we leave that up to companies or the markets, it will be worrisome.
Mr. Nadeau, you explained it very well. In Tracadie-Sheila, all the gas station signs are in English. And yet it's a francophone area; it's the heart of Acadia. I know that Dieppe would like to be the heart of Acadia, like Nova Scotia now. However, if we let those things go, it will be disturbing. We see that some people don't even take the trouble to learn French, and that's all right, except that we can't say the markets will resolve the matter. No. The government has responsibilities. You all agree with me: the government has responsibilities.
10:30 a.m.
President, Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
It's a social contract.
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
The Official Languages Act has been in existence for a little more than 40 years and, even today, they are appointing unilingual auditors general and Supreme Court justices. They couldn't care less about the two official languages.
It must be recalled that the two official languages are recognized out of respect for the country's two founding peoples, not to mention the aboriginal peoples. There is something special in Canada: two official languages are recognized out of respect for the two founding peoples. That has to be respected. If that were respected, I believe it would solve a lot of problems.
Now that the Roadmap is halfway through its term, I would like to know whether you have been contacted by the government for an evaluation of the projects you have done and of what you have accomplished, to determine whether you are satisfied and what you would recommend to the government.
Let's start with you, Mr. Nadeau. Has the government contacted you?
10:30 a.m.
President, Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
Yes, through the FCFA at the Conférence ministérielle sur la francophonie canadienne. Those people came to a meeting in June. The start of the process was announced to us. We received letters and correspondence, including responses from Hubert Lussier, Acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Citizenship and Heritage, to start the assessment. I believe there will be some kind of investigators, people who will call us in order to go into a little more detail. I don't know whether they will do that in the whole—
10:30 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Among the organizations that you represent, were any forgotten in the current or previous Roadmaps?
10:30 a.m.
President, Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
As I told you, the idea is to continue helping existing organizations. The only original idea that comes to my mind would be to obtain assistance to francize our anglophone brothers and sisters. At the university level, that could even help the University of Moncton and the Sainte-Anne University as well, but I believe the University of New Brunswick should provide some more French courses because Canadian graduates, especially those aspiring to high positions in this country, in New Brunswick, among other places, know from the outset that they have to speak both official languages.
10:35 a.m.
President, Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
It's a celebration. The three languages—
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
That doesn't seem to be the case, Mr. Nadeau. They don't stop making appointments—
10:35 a.m.
President, Société de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick
That's the contradictory message that has recently been conveyed by the government. I hope the bleeding is over.
10:35 a.m.
President, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE) Canada
Thank you for your question, Mr. Godin.
RDÉE Canada reports at the start of every fiscal year. We submit strategic planning to our funder. We submit a monthly report on activities and potential repercussions for the communities concerned.
10:35 a.m.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Briefly, because I believe my speaking time is nearly up, tell me whether you are in favour of extending the Roadmap. I would like to hear the answers of the representatives of the three groups.
10:35 a.m.
President, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE) Canada
Definitely. I would even go as far as to say that we need an enhanced version, of course. We have to move forward.
10:35 a.m.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
Yes, undeniably.
10:35 a.m.
Administrator, Board of Directors, Director General of the Coopérative de développement régional – Acadie ltée, Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
I'd also like to add, in connection with what Mr. Lauzon said a little earlier, that with strictly as small a budget as that cited for the cooperative development initiative, 1,677 cooperatives have been supported with consulting services; 131 of them were created and 701 others were reinforced. We're talking here about 334 jobs. So we've supported 63 more. That's a very good performance in percentage terms. So imagine what we can put into the Roadmap in terms of a direct assistance approach, and we're in business.
Thank you.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Mr. Chair, I would like to acknowledge the work of the Conseil canadien de la coopération because I see your 2012, International Year of Cooperatives badge. You've done a lot of work in cooperation with two of our former ministers, Jean-Pierre Blackburn and Lawrence Cannon. I want to acknowledge that because it's a great achievement. We are very pleased.
I know there will be a lot of francophone activities during the International Year of Cooperatives. Can you remind us what those former ministers have done to achieve this international recognition? It didn't happen by itself. Canada had to take on an international leadership role. Explain to us how that happened?
10:35 a.m.
Director General , Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité
It was all in cooperation with a lot of people, including through steps made to approach the UN. For first time in its history, Canada has supported a theme year before it was introduced by the United Nations. So I would say that, in terms of partnerships in relations between the government of the moment and the people in the cooperative movement, it was really a work of art. Now we have to make it work. Having it proclaimed is one thing, but making it work is another. We'll need leaders who can be there with us during the year. It is really very important to make it work at the international level. Canada is recognized as an important place for cooperatives and a model to be followed.
For example, the International Cooperative Alliance just adopted a motion at its last meeting to include mutual companies in its membership. That is the case in Quebec and nowhere else in the world. So I think it's important to acknowledge the influence we are having at the international level.
10:35 a.m.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC
Will many of the activities be in French?
