Evidence of meeting #89 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 communities.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
There are still no figures for 2016. Do you have an idea of what you spent? Is it less than $1 million?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
It is hard to say because the figures have not yet been compiled, but I think it will be about $1 million. That remains to be seen.
Liberal
Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB
I will give Mr. Samson the rest of my speaking time.
February 7th, 2018 / 5:10 p.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I will take a bit of time to—
Liberal
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
This is not directed at you personally, but I am extremely disappointed by what I have heard today. It worries me tremendously. I will ask my questions quickly because I do not have much time. Please answer yes or no.
You said that funding by project is more effective than core funding.
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
It is easier to structure.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Okay.
You said there was some coordination with RESDAC, but now there is none. There are just two projects. Does that mean that people are working more in silos now?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
That might be the other side of the coin.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
That is a very good answer.
There were 21 organizations and now there are just two projects. What are those two projects?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
One is with the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes, or coalition for adult training in Ontario, and the other is with the organization AIDE, which evaluates the effect of essential skills on newcomers to francophone communities.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Do you think we help people in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Alberta and British Columbia? No, but the 21 organizations help them directly.
This question has already been asked, but I want to confirm the answer. What strategy or lens do you use to ensure that minority communities benefit from your projects?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
Our strategy will be to hold a very productive consultation in March.
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
Yes.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
The 21 organizations no longer exist and there are only two projects left. The communities have been weakened. The organizations have been watered down or eliminated and now you will be holding a consultation. Unbelievable!
I am not accusing you personally. Perhaps someone else made the decisions, but right now it is a disaster on the ground. RESDAC is one of the organizations that was involved in coordination and supporting the vitality and viability of minority communities. The communities have been weakened by these losses.
Have minority communities, in Manitoba or elsewhere, blossomed as a result of this change or have they been weakened?
Director General, Employment Program Policy and Design Directorate, Department of Employment and Social Development
These are very good questions. The one thing I would add is that we are focusing on our very small federal pot of money. I think that what we cannot forget is that the biggest amount is being invested by provinces and territories in literacy and essential skills. In our work with provinces and territories, there's strong collaboration, and we're investing almost $3 billion in provincial and territorial programs. Over the next six years, we will be investing about $20 billion in provincial and territorial programs and services, so we have a certain responsibility as the federal government, certainly, but through our projects we are also working with provinces and territories.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
That sounds good.
Yet the money is allocated to anglophone organizations that do not necessarily redistribute it to the francophone communities. That is the problem.
Liberal
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Perreault, you said earlier that you work horizontally with other partners.
Who are those partners?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
First, it is within the department itself. There are programs other than the OLES that work with official language minority communities. There is the enabling fund for official language minority communities, for instance, which focuses more on economic development.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
You work horizontally within your department or with other departments?
Manager, Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, Department of Employment and Social Development
To begin, it is within our department. It is easier to coordinate our approaches that way. We also hold discussions—at this stage, it is primarily discussions—with officials from Canadian Heritage. We have also had discussions with Industry Canada.
