Thank you, Mr. Chair.
I am moving that Bill C-13, in clause 21, be amended by replacing line 16 on page 11 with the following:ing formal, non-formal and informal opportunities for members of English and French lin‐
I want to begin by thanking the Réseau pour le développement de l'alphabétisme et des compétences, or RESDAC, and its president, Mona Audet, for the organization's participation in the committee's study.
RESDAC clearly showed the importance of two things: recognizing the education continuum, from early childhood to high school, and the availability of this education in French in official language minority communities.
Beyond formal learning, we need to make room for continuing education and literacy. We need to make room for education that doesn't always lead to a diploma or certification but is nonetheless crucial to the fabric of our society.
As we prepare to enshrine a robust francophone immigration program in law, I think we need to ensure that the federal government supports programs, learning and organizations that promote cross-cultural sharing between newcomers and those who are already here.
Even today, we face significant challenges. More than half the francophone population has trouble communicating and understanding what it's reading. It suffers from linguistic insecurity. Someone who struggles to communicate in their language will have an incredibly difficult time contributing to the vitality of their community and could end up becoming yet another francophone who has been assimilated. I would add to that the postpandemic landscape, the labour shortage, the looming threat of recession and the impact of technology.
Francophones in minority communities also need skills tailored to their circumstances, so they can face this postpandemic reality. The proposed amendment to clause 21 is especially relevant because adding the language “formal, non-formal and informal” would open the door to a much more holistic approach to learning. It would help establish a new paradigm, a new way for formal educational institutions and players in the non-formal and informal learning world to work together more effectively.
Once again, I want to thank Ms. Audet from RESDAC and all those working in the informal learning sector for their hard work. They showed us clearly that this is the way forward.