Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good morning, everyone.
First, I should note that I am here as an official from the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour and that I am, of course, not speaking on behalf of the Government of New Brunswick. Since I am an official, please bear in mind that I am operating within an established framework, as Mrs. Lanthier mentioned earlier. It is difficult for me to think outside that framework, but I will do my best.
First of all, I will speak about the roadmap.
Thank you for inviting me to speak today about the impact the roadmap has had on official languages in the minority communities, more particularly on New Brunswick and francophone immigration.
New Brunswick, like several other Canadian provinces, is facing a sizable demographic challenge. With an aging population, youth migration greater than that observed in other provinces, francophone migration to other provinces, and a high unemployment rate, together with labour shortages in certain rural regions and employment sectors, our province must acquire tools with which it can try to address the situation and increase its population, while striving to maintain the linguistic balance that is a very special part of New Brunswick.
As you know, New Brunswick is the only officially bilingual province in Canada. One-third of its population have French as their first language, while the remaining two-thirds have English. When you think of it, New Brunswick is in fact a microcosm of Canada.
New Brunswick passed the New Brunswick Official Languages Act in 1969 to recognize the equal status of its two linguistic communities. That act was repealed in 2002 and replaced with the Official Languages Act. Although it presents special challenges, that status is a social and cultural asset and a resource for our province to an even greater degree. Successive governments over the years have remained engaged in promoting the vitality of the two official language communities in New Brunswick.
The province also wants to continue building the privileged relationship it enjoys with Canada in the area of official languages so that it can continue improving its services to the public in both official languages and establish structural initiatives that can help achieve true equality between its two linguistic communities.
We hope the federal government will continue supporting the provinces through intergovernmental service delivery agreements, while acknowledging New Brunswick's specific status as the only officially bilingual province. New Brunswick's priority service sectors are literacy, early childhood, youth, services to seniors, health, and well-being.
The next federal official languages strategy should continue to focus on education, support for francophone immigration, health, justice, economic development, and development of the language sector. Immigration to official language minority communities was included in the last two roadmaps and is still a priority issue for the vitality of those communities.
Since my experience is mainly in the immigration field, in my presentation this morning, I will outline the impact the last two roadmaps have had on francophone immigration in New Brunswick.
The Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013 provided that support for francophone immigration was a priority. New Brunswick greatly benefited from that first roadmap in the area of francophone immigration as a result of a record $10 million federal government investment over five years, $2 million a year.
With that investment, New Brunswick made serious advances in francophone immigration, in the areas of promotion, recruitment, and settlement, as well as the retention of French-speaking immigrants. As a result of that financial support, New Brunswick has managed to establish itself in the francophone immigration sector, to make potential francophone immigrants realize that there are indeed francophone communities outside Quebec, and to promote the benefits of an officially bilingual province.
This has enabled us to create settlement centres for newcomers in francophone rural regions and to provide French-language services in previously established centres. We have also supported certain activities of New Brunswick's francophone immigration network and others designed to promote the benefits of francophone immigration to New Brunswick. Last but not least, it has helped us explore less traditional source markets.
The Roadmap for Canada's Official Languages 2013-2018 has established the following two priority sectors in immigration: language training for economic immigrants and immigration to official language minority communities, including support for francophone immigration to New Brunswick.
Although the second roadmap also designates francophone immigration as a priority, New Brunswick was granted $4 million for its French-language intake and settlement services, which represents a 60% cut from the amount granted under the previous roadmap and a reduction of activities funded by the federal government to promote francophone immigration to New Brunswick.
New Brunswick has tried to offset its revenue shortfall but, given the difficult financial situation, has been unable to restore funding for immigration to the level of the first roadmap.
According to the Roadmap for Canada's Official Languages 2013-2018, 170 new service points have been created for francophone immigrants in Canadian cities since 2008. Thanks in large part to funding under the first roadmap, New Brunswick has 13 service points for newcomers to the province as a whole, nine of which provide bilingual or French-language services to those newcomers.
We are definitely proud to provide these services across the province, but, as a result of federal funding cuts under the roadmap 2013-2018, three of the nine centres providing French-language services no longer receive federal funding and are funded entirely by the province. It should be noted that those three centres are located in rural areas.
I am speaking to you today on behalf of of a single province. I also recognize that New Brunswick represents only a small percentage of the population of the Canadian francophonie, but its status as an officially bilingual province makes it a unique province whose unique challenges and needs will have to be taken into account in developing the next roadmap.
I will focus more on immigration in the francophone minority communities in my second presentation. As I represent New Brunswick, please feel free to ask me questions in the language of your choice, English or French.
It's your choice.
Thank you.