Oh, oh!
Evidence of meeting #65 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 official.
A video is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #65 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 official.
A video is available from Parliament.
4:35 p.m.
Voices
Oh, oh!
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
We can both agree with equal ferocity.
But also, I do think there are moments that should be, and that can easily be, if we just act like adults and draw them above partisanship and talk about them.... Partisanship has its place and its importance in our parliamentary system, but every once in a while we can also recognize and say that something is not to the left or to the right, that it is just something that should be beyond partisanship.
I think Canada's 150th birthday ought to be that. I think we can do that. I think we can talk about that. For example, our decision as a government to create the Canadian Museum of History: it's an entirely non-partisan policy to have an institution with a pan-Canadian focus to do more to influence Canadians' ability to get access to Canada's history and to talk about it more. That's what we're trying to do.
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Good afternoon, gentlemen.
The Official Languages Support Programs are divided into two main components—the Development of Official-Language Communities Program and the Enhancement of Official Languages Program. What was last year's budget for the Development of Official-Language Communities Program?
4:35 p.m.
Conservative
4:35 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Heritage, Department of Canadian Heritage
I think it was $224 million.
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Your report mentions $232 million for 2009-2010 and $223 million for this year. Is that correct?
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Okay.
What was last year's budget for the other component, the Enhancement of Official Languages Program?
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Heritage, Department of Canadian Heritage
When you say last year, what year are you talking about?
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Yes, but we are getting there. I can tell you that the budget was $119 million.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
For 2010-2011, the budget was $223 million for the first component. The budget for the second component was $119 million, and it is now $116 million. The budgets of the two programs combined have been reduced by $11 million, but you are talking about an increase in the Official Languages Support Programs envelope. How do you explain this discrepancy in the figures?
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
James Moore Conservative Port Moody—Westwood—Port Coquitlam, BC
That is due to the fact that some initiatives or events were short-term, such as the Olympic Games.
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
I see no mention of that in your table. Where is that information? Can you show me?
4:40 p.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Citizenship and Heritage, Department of Canadian Heritage
The funds the minister is referring to were spread over the two programs—the Development of Official-Language Communities Program and the Enhancement of Official Languages Program. They had to do with initiatives announced as completed at the time. Those initiatives were supposed to end as of 2010-2011.
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
That should be broken down. Could you give us the breakdown of all of those components, so that we can see which initiatives were one-time and which were ongoing?
I would also like to know whether the roadmap budget has been improved.
4:40 p.m.
NDP
Pierre Dionne Labelle NDP Rivière-du-Nord, QC
Yet, since beginning our examination of the roadmap, we have been told that the existing program was being improved.
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
4:40 p.m.
NDP
4:40 p.m.
Conservative
