Official Languages Committee on Oct. 25th, 2016

[Blandine Ngoga Tona]

Of course.

As I mentioned, the Alliance des femmes de la francophonie canadienne represents 12 women's groups across the country and many of those groups have projects on violence against women, for instance. Almost 100 women a year receive services for that.

In terms of exogamy, the Alliance has set up a project called “FrancoZone”, particularly for the Yukon, British Columbia, Alberta and Nova Scotia. In addition to our organizations, other women's groups use that program to see how we can promote the activities of women in exogamous couples who pass on French, their mother tongue, to their children.

We also have a mentorship program to encourage young francophone women to become leaders in their communities. I think we have demonstrated at the various levels of the roadmap that our program meets the official languages requirements.

[Dan Vandal, Liberal, Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB]

Thank you.

We are all aware of the importance of access to services in French when French is our mother tongue, whether in terms of social services or health care.

In the case of services related to violence against women, how does the availability of French-language services compare to that of English-language services in your community?

[Blandine Ngoga Tona]

I will use the example of Manitoba, where I live. Unfortunately, there is no first stage housing in Manitoba for francophone women going through a crisis or conflict situation. Francophone women also don't have access to a crisis response service call line. In other words, women who are going through a crisis or conflict situation must turn to an anglophone organization. The organization also doesn't have any bilingual employees, but the management is apparently planning to recruit bilingual staff if the organization obtains the necessary funding. They use volunteer or interpretation services as needed. I have often volunteered at the second stage centre for women who are victims of violence.

Unfortunately, that organization only has enough space to accommodate 10 people at a time. With 40 people waiting for housing every year, the waiting list for housing is long if we consider the fact that 80% of the clients are francophone newcomers. Our situation is critical, not only at the first stage, but also when it comes to support structures for francophone women in general and francophone immigrant women in particular.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much.

We will now go to Mr. Choquette for five minutes.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the witnesses for being here today.

This has been very thought-provoking and enlightening. I also have a background in education, which starts in early childhood and goes all the way to adulthood. You talked about basic skills. However, immigrants—and I am talking about newcomers here—don't all have basic skills when they arrive in Canada. Francophone refugees are one example. It is very advantageous to be able to provide them with basic skills as soon as they arrive.

Mr. DesRoches, you said that you have not received core funding since 2013. In spite of everything, you continue to provide services thanks to your reserves.

If you no longer have core funding, to whom has that funding gone?

[Gabrielle Lopez, Acting Director General, Réseau pour le développement de l'alphabétisme et des compétences]

I will try to answer. That is a good question, but I don't know who has received that core funding.

Our core funding initially came from the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, which decided to no longer provide core funding to national organizations or provincial coalitions. That decision came into effect in 2013.

In addition, the office has realigned its services so as to meet only labour market needs. However, when we talk about literacy and skills development, we are also talking about families, communities, citizen participation and about parents, who have the skills that enable them to support their children's development, and so on. We are also talking about work, but that's not all. The office currently really has a different approach that we don't fully understand. It operates sort of like a private business that wants to choose its partners and operate solely on the basis of developing the labour market.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

So that's not really an approach focused on supporting official language minority communities.

[Gabrielle Lopez]

That may be its objective, but only in an economic perspective, aligned with the labour market.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

The “by and for” approach is often talked about. But are those services provided by official language minority communities?

[Gabrielle Lopez]

Yes, that's generally the case. We can still obtain project funding, but it does not always come from the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills. We sometimes get funding from our members, in the provinces and territories, through their own government organizations, under agreements....

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

You manage to obtain project funding, but you no longer have any core funding.

How does that affect your daily reality?

[Donald DesRoches]

I am currently president of Collège Acadie, on Prince Edward Island. That is a two-headed organization of the type we see in official language communities. We provide literacy programs, but we also provide college programs.

For service delivery on Prince Edward Island, we receive money under labour market development agreements, but the amount is insufficient to provide all the services to Prince Edward Island's francophone adult learners. So we have to play with project funding across the territory. We can submit a project to one department or another, but the service is not focused on learners' needs.

When it comes to core funding for an organization like our small college, on Prince Edward Island, RESDAC is essential for business intelligence on new approaches. We are talking about the quickest ways for learners to acquire labour market skills, essential skills or family literacy skills to ensure the passing on of the language.

We have not had a face-to-face meeting with the RESDAC people since 2014. Everything is done over the telephone, by videoconference or through other means. Videoconferences are fine and well, but I know Ms. Ngoga Tona, and it would be much more interesting if she were here with us. That said, this is the reality of our country.

We want to know what the world's best practices are in terms of adult education. RESDAC, on the other hand, goes from a legal literacy project to a health literacy project, and then on to something else. That meets some needs, but it is not focused on learners' holistic needs. They go from one thing to another, and there is no continuity in the work being done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you, Mr. DesRoches.

Mr. Samson, go ahead.

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

I want to thank everyone for being here today. I appreciated your presentations.

Our committee is focusing on two extremely important considerations, which have been under discussion for years: immigration in minority settings and the roadmap that guides the committee in its work.

I have a few quick questions. I will begin with you, Mr. Bahaya.

You say that the 5% target is far from being reached. What do you think the problem is? What is the solution? If you were the chair of this committee and I gave you all the funding you needed, what would you do?

[Georges Bahaya]

The political will must be there. I am happy that you are asking me the question as a member, as you will be the ones doing the work.

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

Exactly.

[Georges Bahaya]

You have the power to influence departments' decisions to help them reach the objectives. I manage projects. When I apply for funding, I am provided with objectives. If I don't reach those objectives, I am penalized. There are no penalties in this case, and that is why the situation has remained unchanged.

If I say that I will serve 1,000 clients, I will be given $1 million. If, at the end of the year, I have not served 1,000 clients, the funding will be taken from next year's $1 million, enabling me to serve them.

This is a fairness issue. We are feeling a bit frustrated because we are being forgotten. The solution would be to send more francophones to minority communities, as was promised, and to provide the organizations that serve those people with means.

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

I ask that you answer my next question in five seconds.

Department representatives have presented to us their strategy or action plan. They told us that some people were responsible solely for the francophone immigration issue. Do you know them well?

[Georges Bahaya]

Are you talking about government representatives?

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

Yes.

[Georges Bahaya]

Yes, I know some of them.

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

Are they working only on francophone immigration in Canada?

[Georges Bahaya]

I think so, but it's just a matter of seeing the results of their work.

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

Thank you.

I will put two important questions about literacy to Mr. DesRoches.

Let's take for example a 45-year-old francophone or Acadian who has not had access to French schools. Can you provide that person with services, and to what extent? What problems could arise?

[Donald DesRoches]

The situation varies a great deal from one province to another. In New Brunswick, there is a literacy program both in the community and at the college level. In other provinces, including British Columbia, there are some major shortcomings in terms of access to those services.

As for your example of a 45-year-old francophone, we mustn't forget that they may have never had access to education in French because, at the time, that right was not enshrined in the charter. Even if that individual is 45 years old today, if their parents are rights holders, according to our legal advisers, there is a constitutional obligation to provide them with services.

It's not their fault if they dropped out of school at the age of 15 or 16 or did not have access to a French-language school in their community. That's really the cause of their current literacy problem. The services were not provided when they were supposed to be. According to our legal advisers, there is a constitutional obligation under section 23 to ensure that those people have access to services.

So far, literacy and skills development have been seen as something that is nice to have, if there is funding for it. However, it is not handled with the seriousness shown toward elementary education and high school education, which are protected under the charter.