Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Chair and members of the committee, I'd like to thank you for having invited me to speak about the federal government's measures to protect and promote the French language in Quebec and everywhere in Canada.
My name is Tanya Tamilio, and I'm the president of a francophone community centre in the Sarnia—Lambton region. Our centre brings together and represents the francophone community of Sarnia—Lambton and it also coordinates projects. The centre has a francophone space for these activities. In addition, it's a pont of entry to the francophone community in the Sarnia—Lambton region and acts as a catalyst for collaborative projects.
My testimony today will describe for you what French is like in the smallest towns, a reality that you have no doubt already heard about. I would also like to give you some ideas about what the government could do to help us thrive in our own language.
Let's look at what it's like in a very small town. Sarnia—Lambton is a tiny industrial town in a region that is full of opportunities for outdoor activities, near the border with the United States. There are over 5,000 francophones and francophiles there. We have four French-language and five French immersion schools that are bursting at the seams, in addition to non-profit organizations that offer activities in French and that are working to increase the availability of services in French. Our francophone community is dynamic and its francophone leaders are encouraging people to request services in French.
On December 13, 2021, the City of Sarnia received its designation under the provincial French Language Services Act. The provincial MPP told us that it came about because of the growth of our francophone community and the cohesiveness of francophones in our region. We are working hard to make it possible for francophones to communicate in our community in the language of their choice whenever possible. However, the designation would have been impossible without the support of federal MP Marilyn Gladu and provincial MPP Bob Bailey, and our great defender and mayor of Sarnia, Mike Bradley. I would also like to underscore the dedication of the Hon. Caroline Mulroney and her team. Their political support in this area was essential and I thank them for it.
As a result of the designation, we can obtain government services, drivers' licences and health cards in French. Now what, you might ask, could a small recently designated town also need from the federal government? How is one to protect and contribute to the vitality of French in Canada and regions like ours? I'm asking you to invest here.
In previous testimony, it was suggested that the principle of territoriality be adopted to promote the language. I'm opposed to that. In small franco-Ontarian towns, we've been fighting for centuries on behalf of the development of the French language. This option would be a step backwards and run counter to the many efforts to make Canada a bilingual country.
The shortage of francophone teachers is a major problem in a community like ours. The quality of our services in French depends in part on how well our young people have been educated. To prepare myself for my appearance today, I had a discussion with the French-language education superintendent for public schools. The challenge is genuine. Families have been opting for French immersion for their children but the school board lacks resources. There are no supply teachers who can teach in French and no additional educational resources to support the teachers. The social workers also don't speak French.
How can we support our school boards to ensure that students, our next generation, will be able to grow up in French rather than just learning French? Please spend more, here.
The vitality of the French language is generally part of the mandate of local community organizations and programs, and government programs to promote official languages. The federal government offers grants for core programming, which for us means $30,000 a year to further the development of the French language in a French-speaking minority town. This amount allows us to hire an employee who works 20 hours a week, at non-competitive wages and without benefits.
That forces me to fall back on dedicated volunteers who want their children and grandchildren to grow up in French, but it's nearly impossible.
Project funds are often limited to nine months, something that a representative from Canadian Heritage mentioned earlier, meaning that this funding is helpful for a while, but we end up back where we started.
As for immigration, the statistics are there and they show that Canada needs immigration. However, why should an immigrant with no knowledge of French or English have to choose one of these two languages rather than be able to opt for both?
I think I only have 15 seconds left, so I'll stop there.