Mr. Chair, members of Parliament, we are very glad to be appearing before the committee today.
Before continuing with our presentation, I'd like to recognize the tireless efforts of the organizations that give official language minority communities a public voice. French for the Future would like to draw your attention to four recommendations that are at the heart of our vision of the Official Languages Act and the Canada of tomorrow.
It is important to understand that all our recommendations today will be meaningless unless Parliament undertakes a comprehensive review of the act and empowers a central authority to implement it.
Our first recommendation—the most important, in our view—pertains to an issue that has received little attention thus far. The Official Languages Act must provide direct educational support at every level, from junior kindergarten to post-secondary studies, to increase the number of learning opportunities in the other official language. In order to strengthen linguistic duality countrywide, it is essential to recognize education as a key driver of linguistic duality. Part VII of the act should clearly define the federal government's role in supporting second language learning, as well as the implementation measures and overarching principles guiding those commitments.
Our second recommendation is to remedy the lack of clarity in part VII and make it mandatory for the government to adopt a plan focused on job readiness and economic development. Allow me to explain. Having meaningful experiences in French is an absolutely critical determinant in committing to learning the other official language and being successful at it. French for the Future offers those kinds of opportunities through the local forums it hosts in more than 15 cities across the country. Young people get to experience life in French for a day and participate in their local francophone community.
Mr. Samson, in Vancouver, in 2017, you had the opportunity to see this amazing program in action. It brings together 4,000 francophone and francophile students every year. Students are able to explore the options available to them and figure out how they can become actively involved in their community and retain their language skills after completing their studies. Opportunities for young people to experience life in French are too few and far between. Unfortunately, the result is that more and more young people are having to rely on decentralized factors to justify their French as a second language learning. They say, for example, that French is the third most spoken language in the world, that they are learning it so they can travel to Europe or that they are in French immersion so they can work at the international level later. That's all well and good, but young people should be able—and, above all, want—to participate regularly in Canada's francophone community at the local level. They need to be able to see that communities are vibrant and growing, that they are places of genuine opportunity for all young Canadians.
I will now turn to our third recommendation. For over 20 years, French for the Future has been working to bridge the gap between young people in both official language communities. There is no doubt in our mind that the Official Languages Act has a pivotal role to play in bridging that gap. In addition to formally committing to enhancing the vitality and supporting the development of English and French linguistic minority communities, the federal government must commit to supporting and recognizing Canadians who speak or learn the other official language. What's more, that support and recognition must apply throughout the act. We are in favour of adding the right to participate in the implementation of the act so that communities truly have the opportunity to participate. As far as the regulatory requirement to consult is concerned, I would stress the need for the official language minority communities advisory council to include at least one member of the linguistic duality network. The advisory council was established by the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada in its proposed wording of a new Official Languages Act, in part VII.I
In conclusion, the efforts we are making today towards modernizing the Official Languages Act will help redefine Canada's language framework for years to come. We weren't around when the Official Languages Act was created, but we will be to watch it grow and evolve. The technological landscape has radically changed the way we live, consume content and interact with others, not to mention how we express ourselves and speak our languages. For all those reasons, French for the Future firmly believes that young people are the partner of choice when it comes to implementing the Official Languages Act and should have a special place on any advisory council. Canadian youth want an Official Languages Act that is inclusive, strong, respected and innovative.
We would be happy to answer any questions you have.
Thank you.