Official Languages Committee on Sept. 29th, 2016

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Welcome to this meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are studying the roadmap for official languages and immigration in francophone minority communities.

This morning, we are pleased to have with us representatives from the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones. Joining us is the federation's chair, Melinda Chartrand.

Welcome, Ms. Chartrand.

Accompanying her is Roger Paul, the federation's executive director.

Good morning, Mr. Paul.

[Roger Paul, Executive Director, Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones]

Good morning.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

In terms of how we will proceed, first, we will listen to you speak on the subject of immigration for 10 or so minutes, followed by questions. Then, we will discuss the roadmap, followed by another period of questions.

Before we get started, however, I'm going to give the floor to Mr. Samson.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I think the witnesses would prefer to talk about the roadmap and then immigration.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Oh, very well. That's no problem. We'll start with the roadmap, then, followed by immigration.

Also, Mr. Samson, would you prefer to deal with the five questions straightaway?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

It's done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Very good.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

I checked with the other committee members, and they all seem to be fine with the five questions proposed by the analyst. We'll have the questions sent to the groups concerned so that they can send us a brief without having to come here.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Very well. We'll consider the matter settled.

Ms. Chartrand, the floor is yours.

[Melinda Chartrand, Chair, Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones]

Good morning everyone.

My name is Melinda Chartrand, and I am the chair of the Fédération nationale des conseils scolaires francophones, or FNCSF for short. I want to thank the Standing Committee on Official Languages for inviting our organization to appear and contribute to the committee's study of the roadmap and immigration in francophone minority communities.

Accompanying me is Roger Paul, the FNCSF's executive director. As part of our presentation this morning, we will provide some background on the FNCSF to help you become more familiar with our organization, as well as share our views on the roadmap and immigration.

We'll also touch on the FNCSF's requests for the next roadmap, which will soon be developed. In addition, we'll discuss the role immigration plays in building and strengthening the elementary and secondary education network in francophone minority communities across Canada.

In the package we provided, we briefly describe how the school boards came about. To give you some context, I will now tell you a bit about the FNCSF. You were given a document that explains what our organization is all about.

[Roger Paul]

Mr. Chair, my apologies for interrupting the presentation.

The clerk submitted a request to us, one she has also given you.

We didn't have time to translate our brief or the document Ms. Chartrand is referring to. I'm not sure whether you'll allow us to hand it out, but it is rather important that you have it.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Okay.

Yes, Mr. Choquette?

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Mr. Chair, the documents can be filed but not handed out. To do that, we would need the documents in both official languages, out of respect for the English language just as much as the French language. That's extremely important.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

We don't have consent, so you'll have to file your documents.

Thank you.

[Melinda Chartrand]

Thank you.

The FNCSF is a non-profit organization that represents the 28 French-language school boards in minority communities across Canada. The school boards provide French-language educational services to more than 150,000 students in some 630 schools in nine provinces and three territories.

With regard to the roadmap, the FNCSF is calling for a better distribution of federal funding for French first-language education in francophone communities to better respect francophones' rights and more effectively manage their schools.

The FNCSF, the Commission nationale des parents francophones, or CNPF, and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne, or FCFA, have produced a report entitled “Objectif 2018/2023”. Unfortunately, the document is currently available only in French.

In the report, the three national organizations representing francophone parents, French-language school boards, and francophone and Acadian communities call on the Department of Canadian Heritage to make significant improvements in view of the signing of the next Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction, commonly referred to as the OLEP. As you know, Canadian Heritage renews the protocol with the Council of Ministers of Education, or CMEC, every five years.

I will now ask Mr. Paul to go over the highlights of the joint FNCSF-CNPF-FCFA report, “Objectif 2018/2023”, and to present our recommendations for the renewal of the next multi-year action plan for official languages.

[Roger Paul]

Thank you, Ms. Chartrand.

Good morning everyone. Thank you for having us this morning.

Our apologies for not handing out the document, which is available only in French, as we mentioned. It was released just a few days ago, but we've prepared a brief overview of the main points, in both English and French. I believe you have that document.

Since 1970, the Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction has defined the terms governing federal funding transfers to cover the additional costs of providing minority-language education and second-language instruction.

We were asked to talk about the roadmap today, were we not? I just want to make sure we are all on the same page. We also refer to the roadmap as the next action plan. That roadmap or next action plan includes the official languages in education program, which we will refer more succinctly to as the OLEP. We'll be talking only about the OLEP, so when I refer to the protocol, that is what I'm referring to.

The protocol has never been modernized to reflect the new reality of elementary and secondary education, from kindergarten to grade 12. In other words, it has never been updated to reflect section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Mahe decision, which you are no doubt familiar with, led to the creation of French-language school boards across the country in the 1990s, but the protocol predates that.

While the protocol is a positive measure by the Government of Canada to support the development of francophone and Acadian communities, it still contains what we believe to be significant shortcomings that undermine the effectiveness of the measures taken by the federal government. And when I say “we”, I am not just speaking on behalf of the FNCSF. I am obviously talking about a document being presented by the FNCSF, but it was also jointly produced with the CNPF and the FCFA, thus, it represents a nationally held view.

On Monday, we appeared before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages for two hours. We discussed only the protocol, and we are delighted to be able to speak to you about it today.

These historical shortcomings have been the focus of studies and reports brought to the government's attention on multiple occasions since the first protocol was signed in 1970. Today, 35 years after section 23 of the charter was adopted, the protocol still fails to meet the needs of communities or shed light on how federal funding is spent on French minority-language education in the country. After all, knowing who is handling the money and what it's being used for is important.

In an effort to address those shortcomings, the FNCSF, together with the CNPF and the FCFA, is calling for the adoption of a separate tripartite protocol between the Government of Canada, the CMEC, and the FNCSF. We are asking that the protocol be ready by 2018, when the next multi-year official languages action plan comes into force.

We believe the tripartite protocol would give a real voice to the communities when it comes to the management of federal funding for French first-language education in K-12 schools in minority communities.

It would also lead to greater accountability and transparency in the administration of federal funding. As you know, this money, earmarked for French-language schools outside Quebec, will help us to strengthen the French language and francophone culture in our schools. It is our view that the tripartite protocol would prevent provincial and territorial governments from continuing to unilaterally determine the priorities of minority French elementary and secondary education.

Finally, adopting a separate tripartite protocol would be a positive step in terms of public policy, bringing the protocol in line with section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The protocol's modernization through the creation of a separate minority-language education protocol is not a radical proposal.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Mr. Paul, I have to stop you there. You had 10 minutes for your presentation. You'll have an opportunity to round out your comments in answering the committee members' questions.

I would just advise committee members that you will each have five minutes of speaking time during the first round, rather than six minutes. So I would ask that you kindly stick to your five minutes, which includes answers.

Mr. Généreux, you may go ahead.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Mr. Paul and Ms. Chartrand.

Mr. Paul, when you talked about the need to better support the communities, did you mean at the municipal level or at the school level?

[Roger Paul]

I was speaking in general terms. In our view, the community comprises all those with ties to the school, be they municipal officials, school representatives, or parents.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Under a new protocol, would you like to see the money in the hands of another institution? Who currently receives the funding? Is it the school boards?

[Roger Paul]

No, that's the problem. Under the protocol, established even before the the existing school boards were created, the additional funding for language and cultural education goes directly to the provinces, the ministries of education, and sometimes even without the school boards being consulted. Ministries get to decide, distributing the money as they see fit. That's where the problem lies.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but education is under provincial jurisdiction.

[Roger Paul]

Absolutely.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Consequently, when the federal government gives the provinces funding, they are the ones who decide how to spend that money. Your tripartite protocol includes the provinces, does it not?

You indicated that the changes you are calling for under the new protocol aren't major. What are they?

[Roger Paul]

I'd like to begin by responding to your comment. Education is indeed a provincial domain, and we are well aware of that. However, when the federal government gives the provinces funding to invest in education, it has a responsibility to hold the provinces accountable for that funding. But there is no real accountability. We don't know where the money is going.

Another flaw in the protocol is that it doesn't require the provinces to consult with the communities. Provinces can do so if they wish, but when is up to them. In many cases, though, they don't consult at all. It should be noted that, when they do consult, the discussions aren't proper consultations, so steps are missing. The protocol needs to be modernized. It states that the provinces may undertake consultations, but we believe they have a duty to do so.

In terms of accountability, when you give the provinces and territories funding to improve French-language education and francophone culture in our schools, I would think you expect that money to be used as intended.