Official Languages Committee on Nov. 29th, 2011

[Brigitte Gagné]

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.

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

So we'll be able to attend those activities in our language?

[Brigitte Gagné]

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.

[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.

[Brigitte Gagné]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Gourde.

The head office of the anglophone cooperatives is in Guelph, isn't it?

[Brigitte Gagné]

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.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

To close, Mr. Bélanger, you have the floor.

[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.

[Costas Menegakis, Conservative, Richmond Hill, ON]

I didn't say much about the CBC.

[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?

[Melvin Doiron]

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.

[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?

[Brigitte Gagné]

What portfolio are you talking about?

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I'm talking about the federal budget for that year.

[Brigitte Gagné]

We don't receive $30 million.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

That was to assist in capitalization.

[Brigitte Gagné]

No, it hasn't been continued.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

It hasn't continued?

[Brigitte Gagné]

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.

[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.