Official Languages Committee on March 27th, 2014

[Marc S. Tremblay]

They work in restaurants and offer a service to the clientele. So they speak English.

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

We can check that, Mr. Godin.

There must be examples that we can draw on for inspiration. You are on the ground and you may have seen good exchanges. These kinds of stories can give us a lot. The same ingredients often lead to success. What do you think they are?

[Marc S. Tremblay]

Are you putting the question to me?

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

I'm putting it to the four of you.

[Marc S. Tremblay]

There are many success stories. People come and settle in Alberta to start up a business. We have 200 members who are either Franco-Albertans or people from elsewhere. There are also companies that come from elsewhere. Some Quebec businesses come and settle in Alberta.

For example, Groupe Cossette, an electrical company, has signed major contracts worth hundreds of thousands of dollars with Cenovus Energy in the Bonnyville and Fort McMurray regions. Large companies come and settle in Alberta and hire anglophones and francophones, thus contributing to the Albertan economy.

[Robert Therrien]

In Saskatchewan, when you work with francophone communities, that is to say where there is a francophone majority or at least a francophone presence, you sometimes forget that this benefits the entire community, both francophones and anglophones. I can give you some examples.

In a small community of 500 inhabitants, we helped set up a seniors centre providing primary, secondary and tertiary health care in the province. That created eight permanent jobs in addition to the jobs generated during the construction period.

In another community, we are setting up a similar centre, which will create roughly 10 jobs and approximately 70 more during the construction period. That will benefit the entire community.

We also helped a community in the southwestern part of the province create an emergency centre that serves a region. Our employee helped establish the centre, which provides both an ambulance service and a firefighting service. Those five jobs were generated in a community of approximately 400 inhabitants.

That does not seem like a lot, but you have to bear in mind that we work with micro-businesses. In Saskatchewan, the big businesses with French names like Bourgault Industries can have some 2,000 employees. However, since we rely on five or six employees to provide services to businesses, those big businesses do not really need our help. On the other hand, we can help them find labour, for example.

That varies for entrepreneurs. I can cite you some examples. There is a crisis in the child care service sector in our region. There is a shortage of spaces in the early childhood centres. We have helped set up day care centres.

We offer a variety of services. We helped one entrepreneur start up a motel, a hotel-restaurant project, which made it possible to create some 15 jobs.

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

Entrepreneurship is ultimately the common denominator.

[Robert Therrien]

Yes.

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

I am going to give the other witnesses a chance to respond.

[John Buck]

Absolutely.

Thank you for the question. It's a good question. I've had the pleasant challenge of trying to pick from among many, so if I could, I'll speak to two of them which I think are particularly relevant, and also two for which there are case studies that might be helpful for the committee in the future as you look to the success stories in your recommendations.

One I choose is close at heart and close geographically, and that's Campbell's Bay. It's just down the road from here in the Outaouais region. If you ever have the opportunity, it's about an hour's drive to the west, right along the river. It's a beautiful place to visit.

In the 2000s, due to a number of circumstances in our economy, they went through terrific challenges with respect to primary industries. That's very common within OLMCs across the country. We saw devastation in the lumber industry. We saw the disappearance of literally hundreds of jobs. Campbell's Bay at that point in time when things were working well was a community of upwards of 1,200 people. When several facilities closed in the area, they found themselves ultimately in a situation where there were simply no ways in which to work there. The people who stayed either remained unemployed or had to seek other jobs which in many cases caused them to leave the area or be displaced significantly in order to work.

We became involved with the area of Campbell's Bay in about 2004. I use this success story because I think it demonstrates that sometimes these things do take time. We engaged in the community through community economic development practices to look at assets, to look at what was possible, to look at what they had and how to leverage that not only to inspire but also to create a sustainable environment where people could live and thrive.

Over time we've seen a number of successes. Perhaps one that is very practical to speak to is an annual event called Bikes in the Bay. A number of citizens in the area, as an asset, were fans of motorcycles, and decided to create a festival. It brings individuals from not only the area but quite literally from all over North America into their area on an annual basis, into a small community that now has 600 people, if you can imagine this. The festival brings thousands of motorcycles into the Outaouais area down the road.

Now, that alone is not sufficient to create a sustainable economy. However, at this point in time, and I believe this will be the sixth or seventh annual festival of Bikes in the Bay, it generates as a festival upwards of $50,000 on an annual basis now, which the municipality reinvests directly into the community, into playground equipment, into technology, into different facilities.

As a consequence, this is serving as inspiration. We are seeing individuals who are there recognizing that they can be entrepreneurial. They are taking advantage of this and becoming involved in industries that are sustainable.

Along with this, to get to Campbell's Bay, of course, in many instances one drives through Ottawa. It's 100 kilometres to the west to get there. We're working with the Pontiac region, an area that has experienced some economic challenges as well, to develop a regional profile. It will be based around tourism. It will be based on attracting people and generating a sustainable economy.

Mr. Gourde, I like that example, because I think not only is it an economic opportunity, but it also has dramatically altered the way of life for the individuals who are there. When we started to work with them, they were devastated, in many cases unemployed, and lacking a lot of hope. I think now we see an inspired community that is thinking about its future and planning very strategically for its future.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much.

Please be brief, Mr. Léger.

[Jean Léger]

I will be.

Thank you for your question, Mr. Gourde.

About a year and a half ago, I attended the Montreal Conference, a major international economic forum that was extremely important for our country. It was attended by the presidents of major banks and representatives of organizations such as the International Monetary Fund and the OECD. I checked the information provided by the exhibitors there and saw that every participating country offered economic benefits.

As ambassador of the economies of the francophone and Acadian communities, I felt there had to be a tool to present the economies of those communities across the country. We prepared a document entitled "Invest, Do Business, Succeed—An overview of the economic benefits of the Francophone and Acadian communities", which presents our provinces and territories and the promising economic sectors and financing programs that could assist with business start-ups.

I used that tool at one point in my involvement in an activity called Destination Canada in Paris and Brussels. At the request of Canada's ambassador to Paris, I made a presentation to people interested in investing or starting up a business in Canada. I presented my document to them, and some 600 people were interested in starting up a business and investing in Canada. We designed a database to which the people interested in investing and starting up a business in our communities added their information. People were interested in buying restaurants in Manitoba, for example, or investing $300,000 or $400,000 in our communities.

There is an extremely significant amount of potential there, and we would like to take these initiatives to another level. This is a success story that could apply to our francophone and Acadian communities and provide them with money.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you.

Ms. St-Denis, you have the floor.

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

First of all, Mr. Therrien and Mr. Tremblay, I would like to go back to the francophone communities. You have great plans; you explained all that to us. That seems positive from an economic standpoint. However, I would like to know how the communities are experiencing this in real terms, in real life.

For example, the population Alberta is 2% francophone. You said it was virtually impossible to reach francophones living in rural areas given the long distances.

Are people in the francophone communities in the provinces able to live their lives in French, or is that just a theory?

You said the same thing, Mr. Therrien. It is very difficult.

What percentage of francophones living in rural areas are able to live their lives in French despite the fact that we cannot reach them, compared to the percentage of francophones settled in the cities, in larger communities?

[Robert Therrien]

There are associations in the francophone communities offering a variety of services, cultural, educational and other types of services. For example, Fransaskois schools are established in the regions. People can live their everyday lives in French in the rural communities where there is a certain educational presence and a community association that chooses to carry out activities in French. People thus continue to live their lives in French.

Of course, the populations of the rural communities are declining to a certain degree. That is attributable in a way to the aging population. Will it still be possible to live in French in one or two generations? That is hard to say. It depends on the contribution made by immigrants who settle in our province.

Francophones in the major cities also lead very active lives in French. There is a variety of activities in the communities themselves.

[Marc S. Tremblay]

Even though the population of Alberta is 2% francophone, there are very strong, vibrant communities living in French in villages and towns like Beaumont, south of Edmonton, St. Albert, Legal and St. Isidore. You hear French virtually everywhere as you walk around St. Isidore, the population of which is about 55% francophone.

The communities have rallied around and joined forces in the Concerto project, an initiative that we launched and that is based partly on the Manitoba model. It is built on four economic development pillars specific to those municipalities. The communities involved in it are easy to reach.

The village of St. Isidore is located four or five hours by road from Edmonton. That is quite far. However, the community is quite concentrated.

Other villages such as Donnelly, Guy and Girouxville are very small and it is difficult to reach the communities there, although we manage to do it. Those people are able to live in French.

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

You must give us your card. We may be going to a caucus meeting near your home this summer and therefore may go and visit you.

How are francophones perceived by anglophones in your communities? Are they ignored, despised, valued? You mentioned the importance of the value that the francophone community adds. Do people consider the francophone communities as an asset to the province, or is that something completely foreign to the concerns of anglophones in your provinces?

[Marc S. Tremblay]

Anglophones increasingly recognize the francophone communities as a value-added. And we see that during the Rendez-vous de la francophonie and the Lever du drapeau franco-albertain, which take place in 27 communities in the province. The mayors of the cities and the municipal councillors hold a ceremony to recognize Alberta's francophone community. It is celebrated.

A very small minority of people are somewhat opposed to the francophone community. They are called "rednecks" in English. However, we do not see them often.

[Jean Léger]

I was executive director of the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse for 10 years and acted as representative of the Acadian and francophone community of that province. I can tell you that the private sector is a factor in the vitality of the francophone community in those provinces. You need an economy and business people who will finance francophone activities in the community. For example, if you want to have art clubs or shows, you need business people to support those francophone activities.

It is like the Government of Canada: you need a strong economic sector to generate taxes in order to—

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

That is why the federal government is granting you only 54% of your budget this year.

Mr. Léger, how many current projects are not being extended because ad hoc funding from the federal government has not been renewed? On Tuesday we heard from representatives of the cooperatives who told us they had lost a great deal.

[Jean Léger]

We have lost less since the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities, which finances our network, was extended under the roadmap. So no programs have met with that fate for the moment.

However, we are waiting to hear what will happen to certain programs. For example, we are not too sure about how things will go for Industry Canada's Economic Development Initiative.

However, there have been smaller losses for the other programs, Ms. St-Denis.

[Lise St-Denis, Liberal, Saint-Maurice—Champlain, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Go ahead, Mr. Tremblay.

[Marc S. Tremblay]

To answer your question, I must say that two major programs in Alberta were not extended.

The first was the Small Business Internship program, which provided us with government funding, from Industry Canada in this instance, which was redistributed to businesses, SMEs, so that they could hire people to train in e-commerce. That very important program provided jobs for young people, for new graduates. As far as I know, the program was cancelled without being evaluated.

The same is true of the Co-operative Development Initiative. Our council in Alberta was a member of the Conseil canadien de la coopération et de la mutualité. Now we will be a member of CMC. This program was cancelled and the consequences have been quite significant.

This funding previously helped us create cooperatives. For example, thanks to us, a theatre cooperative was established in Calgary. Two weeks ago, it had a major success when it presented a theatre play to nearly full houses for an entire weekend. Unfortunately, we cannot continue helping people who want to start up cooperatives.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

All right, thank you.

Mr. Therrien, you have the floor to answer.