Evidence of meeting #5 for Official Languages in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was community.
A recording is available from Parliament.
5 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Sylviane and Suzanne, thank you kindly for your presentation.
Suzanne, I see you more in Ottawa than I do in St. Boniface. It's always a pleasure to see you.
I'd like to talk dollars. You said that you represent 22 organizations and that the FCFA receives government funding. How much does the government give you?
5:05 p.m.
Chair, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
The FCFA?
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
The FCFA receives $950,000 annually.
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
No, we receive $950,000 from the Department of Canadian Heritage.
We also generate revenue through the dues paid by our 20 members. Every FCFA member has to pay annual dues of $6,000.
The FCFA is also responsible for the joint action network. We have 20 members, but a few times a year, we gather for a leaders forum. It brings together 42 francophone organizations active in all areas of people's lives, from health care, education, and municipal stakeholders to economic development and youth groups. Of the $950,000 we receive, $100,000 goes to consultation activities organized by the FCFA, in conjunction with all francophone community networks.
I'm not sure whether that answers your question.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
Are you getting more funding or less funding than you were six years ago? Or has it stayed the same?
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
We are getting the same amount.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
That's exactly right, and I've been with the FCFA for seven years.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
No, not for the past 11 years.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
What impact does that have? It actually amounts to a decrease in funding.
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
That is our day-to-day reality. In fact, we just talked about it before coming here today. It has a tremendous impact.
We are a team of eight people, and as soon as we are short one person, it becomes quite challenging to meet our objectives—do our work with the organizations and communities, and provide guidance to the government. We do indeed provide support and guidance to federal institutions. The people at foreign affairs, the CRTC, and fisheries and oceans, among others, turn to the FCFA for assistance with integrating the Official Languages Act into their departmental operations.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
I see.
Are the organizations you represent in the same boat?
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Absolutely.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
If that's the case for 22 organizations, it's a problem.
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes, and in some cases, it's even worse. Under the new roadmap, early childhood education was excluded as an issue of national interest because it was decided that it fell solely in the provincial domain. So that's $4 million.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
I see.
What are the biggest challenges to French-language education across the country?
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
It's the infrastructure.
5:05 p.m.
Chair, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes, the infrastructure. Successful identity building is the other one. Our two biggest challenges are successful identity building and infrastructure.
School divisions in some regions have trouble providing access to community members whose first language is not necessarily French and who are not, strictly speaking, considered to be entitled to French-language education.
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Immigrants are another consideration.
5:05 p.m.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
You may have already started to answer my next question. You mentioned community infrastructure but you certainly weren't referring to streets, alleys, and sidewalks.
5:05 p.m.
Chair, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
No. I meant community and cultural centres and the health of our institutional infrastructure. For example, cultural infrastructure is needed. Some areas have no place where people can go to have French cultural experiences. So we are still very much in need of infrastructure.
5:05 p.m.
Executive Director, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Schools are another dimension of that. There are appealing high schools that offer good sports programs, for example—gymnasiums and so forth. The students who attend them transition from elementary school to high school in French, not English. It's the same for post-secondary education. We need to keep students in a French-speaking environment.