Evidence of meeting #9 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 english-speaking.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:20 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Thank you.
You mentioned that there are a couple of things lacking—literacy, early childhood services.
Could you focus on the early childhood services, please?
9:20 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
We don't know a lot about early childhood services. There's work being done in our school boards around early childhood services, but we need more research around what it means to be a little person in a bilingual context, research around attachment and identity and how that attachment could continue throughout their formative years, how it could contribute to the vitality of the community. We don't have a lot of knowledge.
9:20 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Have you asked the humanities research council to help you on that front?
9:20 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
Yes...I mean, directly, maybe we haven't, but I think it's a question of having the resources to ask—
9:20 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
No, we haven't asked them—
9:20 a.m.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
They too have a responsibility under the Official Languages Act. And it is one of the 120 agencies out there.
9:20 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
And that scanning is really important for us. Thank you.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome to this committee today, both of you.
I'm a francophone from Ontario, and many of my interests are the same as those that English-speaking people in Quebec have.
I have followed closely the anxieties you've had to deal with, going as far back as Bill 22. Our anxieties go further than that. I wasn't there when Règlement 17 was brought forward—
9:25 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
Was it 1912? I was off by a few years.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
But I certainly remember Bill C-22, and Bill C-63 before that. I think the federal government over the decades has helped minority linguistic groups to improve their services and all that.
I have a concern about what's done with taxpayers' money, i.e., how much of it is focused on services to the communities and how much of it is for public relations and lobbying and those different things. So I'm going to ask you some specific questions having to do with money, if you don't mind.
What's your annual budget?
9:25 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
Well, it varies from one year to the next.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
9:25 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
This year we have core funding from Canadian Heritage; we have a grant from Canadian Heritage--
9:25 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
Our projected annual budget for this year is over $1 million.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
9:25 a.m.
Director General, Quebec Community Groups Network
I would say almost 100%—that includes the provincial government and the federal government.
9:25 a.m.
Conservative
Royal Galipeau Conservative Ottawa—Orléans, ON
How much of it is from the taxpayers of Canada and how much of it is from the taxpayers of Quebec?
