Mr. Chair, I was just about to refer to the provisions of the contract signed between the parties.
I would like to make a comment first. I am sorry to see that we want to waste time with this kind of motion. After all, the same member has another, very interesting motion dealing with an issue of minority language rights that has implications all across the country. I find it's a shame that we are squandering our time—and, yes,“squandering” is the right word—on this motion today.
Some motions also deal with problems and shortcomings in the right to receive services during the pandemic. Others genuinely deal with basic issues for Canadians, but we are spending our time on this motion.
I am going to share with you the paragraphs that describe the organization's commitment. It wanted to make sure that the projects were in fact created in both official languages.
In the contract, in paragraph 37.1, under official languages, it is well stipulated that, “Where the Project is to be delivered to members of either language community, the Recipient shall”—so the WE Charity should—“(a) make Project-related documentation and announcements (for the public and prospective Project Participants, if any) in both official languages where applicable; (b) actively offer and provide in both official languages any Project-related services to be provided or made available to members of the public, where applicable; and, (c) organize activities and provide its services, where appropriate, in such a manner as to address the needs of both official language communities.”
Mr. Chair, you see that it's in black and white, it's crystal clear on the contract, and it was signed and both participants knew full well that the services needed to be in French and English.
We can find some of those activities where some of those projects needed to be done in both official languages throughout the contract, and more specifically in clauses that pertain to such activities. I'm going to draw your attention to some of those.
When we look at schedule A, we see that the specific objectives of the project are to “[P]lace up to 40,000 students in WE volunteer service opportunities across Canada, including those from vulnerable or underrepresented groups and official language minority communities (OLMC), through the 'I Want to Help' platform;”
It continues: “Ongoing from May to September 2020 [V]alidate and post volunteer service opportunities in bilingual format from Not-For-Profit partners and for Not-For-Profits through web-based input modules, electronic feed, to ESDC's 'I Want to Help' platform”.
Further on we read, “Provide bilingual supports to Not-for-Profit partners to ensure they have the capacity to train and safely onboard volunteers to WE service opportunities”. Furthermore, “Provide bilingual supports, youth skills training, and COVID-19 training to volunteers in WE service opportunities”.
We can go on and on, Mr. Chair. For instance, under June 2020, we also see, “Launch a bilingual online WE Platform to register and intake volunteers for WE opportunities”.
To say that the contract that was signed did not foresee that there was a basis and an emphasis making sure that both official languages...in services to be rendered by this organization is very far from the truth.
I honestly do not see the relevance of this motion we have before us. I think we need to move beyond this motion, Mr. Chairman, and get to the serious business of impending issues that are affecting the linguistic minority communities day to day across the nation.
What is unfortunate with this whole process is quite simple: the large scale of this program never came to be; and at the end of the day, it was the students who suffered.
They were the organization that was recognized to be able to take on such a huge undertaking with this project. They had the know-how, they had the expertise and they knew from the onset that they needed to provide services in both official languages.
Why we are dragging this into this committee is beyond my comprehension.
Mr. Chairman, I'm going to yield the floor to my colleagues, who I'm sure have a mouthful to say on this issue today. However, I'm going to remind you, Mr. Chairman, that I seek clarification from the member who is proposing this today, so that we can have a clearer understanding of how his motion responds to the mandate of this committee. I would like to have an answer on that, and I'm going to reserve my right to come back to speak.
Thank you.