Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for this invitation.
My name is Martin Théberge, and I am president of the Fédération culturelle canadienne-française, the FCCF. I am accompanied by our executive director, Marie-Christine Morin.
Thank you for inviting us to appear before you today to discuss the modernization of the Official Languages Act. We are at a historic crossroads.
The FCCF represents 22 organizations: 7 national organizations devoted to artistic practices and the cultural industry, 13 provincial and territorial organizations, the Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada and an alliance of three Canadian French-language performing arts broadcasting networks.
When we appear before you, we do so on behalf of a total of more than 3,125 professional artists and 150 community organizations in 180 communities across the country.
This morning, let's strive for success.
Imagine that another revision of the act in 20 years is an opportunity to celebrate our pride in the quality of the work we have done. We are here to appear before you and to express our great joy that assimilation has been stopped, that our populations are stable and that they are also increasing as a result of immigration.
Imagine, this morning, that the public service has fully accepted its horizontal responsibility for official languages and has established an automatic lens containing information on the situation and needs of the francophone and Acadian communities.
Imagine that the gradual shirking of responsibility and the laxism have been replaced by a proactive attitude that has fully embraced a spirit of cooperation.
Imagine that the government has undertaken a rigorous environmental scan in the francophone and Acadian communities and has committed from the outset to working with us to find innovative solutions and practices to put in place. In addition to the "by and for" concept that we have promoted, the notion of "with" is now deeply embedded in current practices to ensure future results.
This is clearly a pivotal time: let's commit to a popular, modern vision.
Consequently, today we will look at three scenarios that we think should be central to the process we are undertaking together to modernize the act.
In scenario 1, arts and culture are catalysts in reinforcing our Canadian identity. Remember that the official language minority communities are, first and foremost, a cultural project. Consequently, the act must underscore the capital importance of a vital and developing arts and culture sector.
It must be acknowledged that arts and culture drive the development and vitality of francophone minority communities. The francophone identity is thus strengthened by the empowering image it has of itself. The reflection of our reality reinforces our attachment and stirs our pride. That, moreover, is why William Burton reminds us, in his "cry from the heart" concerning the program Tout le monde en parle, that we need to be seen and heard.
The FCCF has celebrated the express recognition of its arts and culture sector in the new Action Plan for Official Languages 2018-2023: Investing in Our Future. In it, arts and culture are described as one of the essential pillars of the government's strategy. We believe this should be stated loudly and clearly in the preamble to the Official Languages Act, and even in part VII, which concerns the development and vitality of our communities. The FCCF and its network of members across the country intend to mobilize for that purpose.
Thus, we want to add to the act a preamble that is in the spirit of part VII of the present act, one based on a clear recognition of the essential role that arts and culture play in driving the vitality of the official language minority communities and as a catalyst in reinforcing their identity.