Official Languages Committee on March 2nd, 2018

[Sandra Drzystek]

I meant programs where students could be with their friends. I'm very glad you asked that question, because it touches on the notion of bilingual identity. In Canada, and in my home province of Manitoba, francophones or non-francophones, however you want to call them, all have this same complex. We need to address that complex and talk about what a linguistic trajectory means. Everyone has their own trajectory.

We can ask ourselves how we reacted when we felt insecure. Did we stay silent? Did we decide to push through? Did we have friends who could help us, encourage us, or correct us?

I'm referring to the idea of a bilingual trajectory that starts in grade 1 and continues through to grade 12 and beyond into adulthood.

What does it mean to be bilingual? Sometimes, it means not feeling confident. That is what we've found in Manitoba. Now we use the term “linguistic insecurity”. Both students and teachers lack confidence in their language skills.

How do we work on that? By valuing students' linguistic experiences. We're always talking about being bilingual, but nobody can really define what that means. Furthermore, there's a myth that immersion programs produce students who can speak French like someone from Quebec or France. By myth, I'm referring to parents' belief that once their children graduate from grade 12, they will be able to speak perfect French, like a native French speaker. That is not the goal, and what's more, it is not necessarily achievable for everyone. What we need to do is shift the focus and consider what it means to learn an language over the long term, for life, with all the mistakes and insecurity that entails.

That is part of a person's identity. This is a conversation we need to have. In education, we use the term “metacognition”, which means reflecting on what you've done and what you can or can't do to improve.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much, Ms. Drzystek.

The last intervention is from Mrs. Boucher.

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

Thank you very much. This is all fascinating. I'm going to continue in the same vein as my colleague, René Arseneault.

You said that in order to live in French, people need incentives outside the school context.

We've heard about the cultural scene in other provinces, but I would like to know if the cultural scene in Manitoba is adapted to the reality of bilingualism.

Do you have more access to anglophone culture than francophone culture?

I've always thought of culture as our deep roots. I myself am a francophone from Quebec, but I can tell you that not all Quebeckers speak correct French. We have different dialects. The same goes for New Brunswick. Earlier you talked about the French spoken by the people of Quebec or France. In the same way, the French spoken in the Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean region is totally different from the French spoken in Quebec City or Montreal.

In your opinion, should the federal government be doing more to promote francophone culture to you?

[Jeff Anderson]

We definitely want to give our students the chance to learn about French culture. We Winnipeggers are very lucky because a lot of institutions there offer programs in both languages. We can take our kids to the Canadian Museum for Human Rights, the FortWhyte environmental centre, Oak Hammock Marsh, or the Manitoba Museum. All of these sites offer top-quality programs in both languages. There are many other examples. In the arts sector, the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra gives concerts in French as part of its school program. It is a wonderful performance. It's in French, and it's incredibly beautiful. In addition, musicians from other parts of Canada come through Winnipeg.

However, children enrolled in immersion programs in Brandon, Dauphin, and Thompson don't have access to so many resources. The federal government could improve things just by continuing to fund the development of such programs, but also by subsidizing travel costs to help children in more remote regions get to Winnipeg so they can take advantage of these programs. That would be important.

The issue of teachers lacking confidence came up earlier. The Université de Saint-Boniface offers an intensive language program called French immersion for teachers, or FIT, which helps French immersion or French as a second language teachers refine their language skills and fully adapt to their level. The federal government already provides some funding for these programs. More could certainly be done to help teachers by increasing support for these programs.

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

You bring up a good point.

In an urban centre like Winnipeg, these kinds of programs are easier to access. Distance is a factor. Francophones are scattered across the western provinces, and the same is true for the eastern provinces. Do immersion students outside major cities have the same access to these programs as students who live in urban centres?

[Sandra Drzystek]

I can answer that.

The federal government already provides funding through a revitalization program, involving Canada-Manitoba agreements that are really aimed at facilitating access to cultural and linguistic enrichment activities. There are grants for these activities, but they obviously cover only part of the cost.

I would like Manitoba's francophone cultural organizations to get funding so they can offer other programs across the province. Some do exist, but not enough. Yes, there is a symphony orchestra and some major organizations, but there are other people who can offer cultural activities in French. I want these people to receive the support they need to provide these activities in schools. That's important.

I want to add something about how the federal government could contribute. It could show Canadians across the country that Canada has a rich francophonie. The complex that has been mentioned is attributable to the fact that our bilingual Canadian identity... I really want to come back to this idea. A person's second language is different from their first language, but that doesn't mean there are no similarities. Manitoba has a rich francophone culture. French is a first language for some and a second language for others. What is the Canadian francophone identity? It's the image projected by people like me who have always studied and worked in French and who live in French here. People say that that's what Canada is, but I would like to see some kind of campaign around that idea.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Mr. Bentley, do you have something to add?

[Derrek Bentley]

I have two points to make briefly. First, I think we need more content that comes from here, from Manitoba or the West, that represents our accents and our way of speaking. I also think that the accent and speech patterns of young francophones and young people learning French as a second language should be represented.

Second, I think something concrete could be done through the official languages in education program. We should look at how money is used by the provinces, how the provinces account to the federal government, and how we as citizens or members of an organization can ensure that the funding actually does go to support French as a first or second language programs and is used to take young people to a French play at the Théâtre cercle Molière, not to buy basketball equipment for young francophones.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you, Mr. Bentley.

Mr. Arseneault, you have the last word.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

I have a question to ask, so it's not quite the last word. Can I have a minute, Mr. Chair?

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Yes.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Here is my burning question.

Ms. Drzystek, you said that the federal government's mission is to show Canadians the richness of bilingual culture. I'm older than you, but when I was little, I didn't even know there were anglophones in Canada. There was a Canadian program aimed at promoting bilingualism in Canada. I was too young to understand how it worked, but the spokesperson for the program was Angèle Arsenault, a native of Prince Edward Island. No relation, in case you were wondering. She sang songs like “Bonjour, mon ami, how are you, my friend? Ça va très bien, thank you”.

In the modern era of inclusion and multiculturalism, how can we promote this idea and persuade people of its merits?

[Sandra Drzystek]

This is a cause that's close to my heart because a lot of people immigrate to Manitoba, like everywhere else in Canada, and many of these newcomers choose French immersion for their children, because they believe in it. Since Canada is a bilingual country, they believe their children are going to learn both official languages. They also hope Canada will encourage them to keep their own language and will see the value in that. That is why I think it's essential to talk about bilingualism, multilingualism, and Canadian identity for all Canadians.

Some people think it will be harmful to official languages. On the contrary, it will help convince people of the value of language learning and show them how languages can enrich their lives, especially their traditional languages. That's what Canada is all about.

People sometimes say:

the world needs more Canada,

And this is why. We are talking about this situation, but we need to go further. I hope this committee will consider the two official languages, which have a very important status, but will also consider the need to tell every new citizen that they are important and that we value the languages they speak. Together, we represent the richness of Canada.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much, Ms. Drzystek.

Many thanks to you all for a great meeting and discussion. I commend you on your fundamental and absolutely amazing contribution to society.

Before we adjourn, I would ask you to stay in your seats so we can take a group picture.

The meeting is adjourned.