Official Languages Committee on March 6th, 2012

[Lisa Setlakwe]

It's a little of both. First, we worked closely with the agencies to establish criteria so that they would be logical. In some cases, the agencies conducted their own evaluation, and, in other cases, we did so together because it was more efficient that way. We hired an advisor to help us with the evaluation.

Ultimately, however, we are the ones who will bring all that together to prepare a report for submission to Canadian Heritage.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Perfect. Would you be able to send a copy directly to the committee?

[Lisa Setlakwe]

Absolutely.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you very much.

You said that some regional development agencies had previously conducted, or were conducting, a summative evaluation of the roadmap. You mentioned FedNor among others.

Have any others already begun the same process? Can you state the exact number?

[Lisa Setlakwe]

They have almost all finished. I believe they have completed their evaluation in the west. They have all started, and we expect them all to have finished by the end of March. To obtain more specific information, it would be better to ask them exactly how far they have gone.

For example, we did it for, and with, both ACOA and CED. That will definitely be complete before the end of March.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

There was something I found quite interesting when I read the report you published on results. You mentioned that a filter is used at Industry Canada to determine what agency, who must deal with official languages as part of his or her work, and who is less concerned by that situation.

Would it be possible for you to send us the filter? I am quite interested in the criteria.

[Lisa Setlakwe]

Yes, no problem. It's a document that we will even be trying to improve in the next few months. We use the document when we prepare Cabinet briefs and other documents.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Why are certain programs exempted from the filter, when it is imposed on others?

[Lisa Setlakwe]

They aren't exempted as such. The idea is to determine whether the filter applies to the policy or program in particular. That depends. It is determined on a case-by-case basis. There is a series of questions that officials must answer to determine whether they must apply the filter.

[Élaine Michaud, NDP, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

That's interesting. I can't wait to see the analytical framework that's used.

Briefly, I would like to know a little more about how the research on official languages that Industry Canada is currently conducting is coordinated with research conducted by other departments.

[Lisa Setlakwe]

We are working very closely with other departments, particularly Canadian Heritage and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. We have committees that work together. We will often share part of the research. Some research has previously been conducted in partnership with those departments.

I would say that our research is based on two different sectors. Some research is designed to equip the communities, and the purpose of other studies is to conduct socio-economic analyses, including the ones we have previously discussed.

For example, we conducted the Business Vitality Index project with the CEDECs. It was a project designed to help the communities measure economic development and entrepreneurship gaps and opportunities. We gave the CEDECs funding to develop the tool, to train people to apply the tool, and we applied it in certain communities—I think it was Témiscaming and Campbell's Bay.

We conduct various types of research, and we share results with our federal and community partners. We work with both groups to determine the research plan.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, madam

Mr. Boughen.

[Ray Boughen, Conservative, Palliser, SK]

Thank you, Chair.

Let me add my voice of welcome to the panel. We're glad that you're able to be with us this morning and share some thoughts with us.

I'd like someone on the panel to respond in a little more detail on research. What is the topic of the research and how does that tie in to tourism? We heard you speak on tourism and what's happening to increase the probability of people coming north. Could you share with us a couple of those issues that are in vogue now in attracting people?

[Mitch Davies]

In terms of the research, my colleague mentioned that there are essentially two aspects of the program.

One is what I call more field research. For example, there's the business vitality index, which is a practical research tool to develop best practices in terms of a community assessing its attractiveness to attract investments, its attractiveness to grow itself economically. In that case we partnered with communities that wanted to build this tool, and then that becomes a mechanism that can be replicated and used by the community. That's sort of active, on-the-ground research.

The second aspect to the program is more the socio-economic study of the economic development and situation of the official language minority communities in particular, which is more or less taking the overall data that we have through Statistics Canada and actually taking it further, actually adding more richness and detail so that we can pull out the specific economic circumstances, the population circumstances and so on, of the communities that are the focus of the economic development initiative.

That's our service, essentially, to all the departments involved in the road map. It's to ensure that we have the right evidence on what's happening in those communities and can put together a strong research program in that regard.

As it relates to tourism, of course, the issue in that case is partly to ensure that we have a very active dialogue with communities, specifically as to their needs in relation to attracting tourists. So there is marketing, putting together programs to ensure they can market on a collective basis so that not everyone is trying to do this themselves. It's very costly. But if you can put together communities into a plan and you can, overall in a regional area, bring more interest into that area....

The second aspect is also to work on strategic planning around what attractions can be built, which is more the tourist experience and ensuring that we can enhance the tourist experience. The EDI money is helpful in terms of some of the strategic planning, and then again through our regular programs, through regional agencies, they can then identify if there are worthy projects that they can carry forward, and actually finance part of those projects and see them through to completion.

Marketing is one key aspect because there's a lot of competition in tourism to get our message out, to get these communities' message out to the specific target markets they want to focus on, and, second, to help them build up the actual asset, the tourist experience, through training and the development of infrastructure that would help them offer a full experience to tourists.

[Ray Boughen, Conservative, Palliser, SK]

Thanks, Chair.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay.

Mr. Harris.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Thank you. Merci.

Thanks to everybody for being here today.

I'm going to start with CanNor. I have a couple of questions. As a new organization, certainly I'm sure that more data would be helpful. Would a northern study on linguistic duality help CanNor in its endeavours?

[Michel Robillard]

I think it will, for sure.

Whatever we do in terms of economic development, if we have.... As I said in my speech, we like to develop fact-based policy and programs. Whatever source of information we get to support any communities in the north, we try to get access to these studies or these analyses.

I have a good example, and I would like to come back to the previous question with respect to tourism. If you look at the two strategies right now, one supported by the francophone community, the other supported by the three territories, they have done some really important research to help us target, really, the different markets. Whatever we can get access to in terms of studies or analysis, we're trying to use this information to develop our policies and programs.

I think it's time for me to shut up because—

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

That's the cue to my next question.

I was asking because the last Parliament did start to undertake a study on linguistic duality in this committee. We've spent nearly $150,000 on that, and to date this Parliament has not completed it.

You mentioned that the cornerstone of the partnership is Table 867. Is that partnership going to be producing a report as to the activities they've completed and are undertaking? Since these bring together the minority language groups from all across the territories, I'd certainly be very interested to hear what collectively they might have to say about the program.

[Michel Robillard]

Specifically for this one, I don't know, but I can come back to you with the answer.

What I know is that Table 867 did apply. As I said, CanNor is application-based and project-based. Bringing Table 867 together to do this strategic planning session was part of a project.

Normally at the end of each project, as part of our contribution agreement, not only do we have performance indicators, we also have regular reporting. And at the end of the project we normally have reports.

But I will make sure I get back to you with a more thorough answer.

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

Excellent, thank you.

Since your group no doubt works on official languages, does it have authority to impose directives on all branches and components of Industry Canada?

So are you able to provide, encourage, and force the subgroups with directives?

[Mitch Davies]

I feel like asking, directives in what respect, but I....

[Dan Harris, NDP, Scarborough Southwest, ON]

With respect to official languages.

Élaine Michaud spoke about the filter. Are you able to actually make that filter apply to every subgroup, for instance? And does it?

[Mitch Davies]

Our staff work very actively with the policy groups in the department, in particular on new initiatives as they're coming forward in their early stage. We work with the policy staff and other organizations to go through the filter with them. Our key value-added is to bring forward specific knowledge of the Official Languages Act requirements, part VII in particular, to ensure they're applied in a rigorous fashion when we implement policy.

The law in and of itself is authoritative enough in this respect, in the sense that it doesn't require an authority on our part more or less. We're bringing to the attention of the department and its employees the obligations that are already in place under the law and dutifully ensuring they're taken care of in the department.

I don't think it's a question of force. It's more awareness, skill, and competence in being able to represent, to all parts of the departments, the Official Languages Act requirements, particularly part VII, requiring our active support of official language minority communities through our activities, and how that would apply, given the case.