Official Languages Committee on Nov. 1st, 2023

[Marie-Caroline Badjeck]

If I may clarify your question, do you want to know how we go about accounting to the federal government or within the businesses?

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Yes. It is federal money, $30 million that we are making available to businesses and entrepreneurs. It is important to point out that these are loans, in the very large majority of cases, not grants. What is the return percentage on the loans that have been granted? Do you have statistics on that?

[Marie-Caroline Badjeck]

The last official evaluation of the economic development initiative that we have goes back to 2017. We can send you that evaluation, which is also accessible online. It is a public document.

We consult on an ongoing basis with our partners, the regional development agencies, on the next steps for evaluating the program. Once again, those agencies will be able to speak precisely about how they manage the funds.

How it is, since these are initiatives, is that all partners of the initiative account to Canadian Heritage each year. We can provide you with that information in aggregate form.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you.

Mr. Serré, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

As I said earlier, most Statistics Canada employees are located in Sturgeon Falls, Ontario. The committee knows that Sturgeon Falls is the town where the first French-language secondary school in Ontario was opened, in 1971.

Mr. Beaulieu, since my ancestors settled here in 1870, we have developed the francophonie in the town, and there is a significant francophone community there.

I now want to talk about the economic development agencies. As you know, there are seven, including the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario, or FedNor. Their mandate is very broad and they play a very strong role in relation to francophone communities and services in French.

Do the economic development agencies themselves have responsibility for deciding, without your involvement, whether they offer services to francophones, or does Industry Canada have some sort of protocol to make sure that all these agencies spend money for the francophone community in their respective regions?

[Kasi McMicking]

Unfortunately, I would ask you to ask that question of the regional development agencies.

That being said, what I would say is that we are all subject to the Official Languages Act, so they will be required to provide services under the act. In terms of how that all works and the mechanisms behind it, where they do it and how they do it, I think our colleagues from the RDAs would be better able to answer that question.

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

I want to be clear. We're going to ask that question of the agencies, but you, as a department, do not have a specific mandate given to all RDAs that they must offer French services.

[Kasi McMicking]

No. Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada is one department. Each of the RDAs is its own department. They are independent of us, so we don't tell them what to do in any way, shape or form. They are excellent partners of ours, but we—

[Marc Serré, Liberal, Nickel Belt, ON]

So you will have to ask the seven agencies individually that question, if you want to know about their mandate and their priorities regarding francophone communities. This is a recommendation that we can make.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Serré, Mr. Massie, Ms. Badjeck, and Ms. McMicking. This was really interesting.

I am now going to suspend the meeting for a few minutes to allow our new witnesses time to get settled.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

We are resuming the meeting.

We are continuing our study on the economic development of official language minority communities with representatives of the two regional development agencies, something that had not happened for at least seven years at the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

We have Daryell Nowlan, Vice-President, Policy, Programs and Communications at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the ACOA. And we have Sony Perron, Deputy Minister of the Economic Development Agency for the Regions of Quebec, or CED.

Welcome, gentlemen. You will each have five minutes to give a short presentation. I will let you know when your speaking time is up. I am pretty strict about this. If you do not have time to finish, you will have an opportunity to complete your remarks when you answer questions.

Mr. Nowlan, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Daryell Nowlan, Vice-President, Policy, Programs and Communications, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. My name is Daryell Nowlan and I am the Vice President of Policy, Programs and Communications at the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, or ACOA.

I am pleased to join you in person here in Ottawa and respectfully acknowledge that we are on the traditional unceded territory of the Anishinabe Algonquin nation.

Thank you for the invitation to appear today. I'm happy to be here to speak to you about what ACOA does on the ground with respect to official-language minority communities.

For more than 35 years, the agency has worked with Acadian and French-speaking businesses, organizations, and communities in the four Atlantic provinces. One of our greatest strengths is our presence throughout the Atlantic region.

We have employees working directly in offices located in over 30 communities around Atlantic Canada, ranging from our larger cities to small, rural, coastal and remote communities. We're proud to be a leader in providing services to entrepreneurs in communities in both official languages.

Our offices located in bilingual regions for language of work are all of our offices in New Brunswick, including our head office in Moncton, as well as our small office that we have here in Ottawa. We have established offices directly in francophone and Acadian communities throughout the region: for example, Wellington in P.E.I., Pointe-de-l'Église in Nova Scotia, and Edmundston and Campbellton in New Brunswick.

One way that ACOA successfully supports entrepreneurs in official-language minority communities is by being more accessible and visible. That is why, wherever possible, our staff are co-located with other economic development organizations in these communities. This type of partnership allows for entrepreneurs in Acadian and francophone communities in Atlantic Canada to be made aware of the full suite of programs that are available to them to help them grow their businesses, and they can have that service in French.

For example, in the southwest region of Nova Scotia, two agency employees share offices with the Corporation for the Benefit of Community Development, the Economic Development and Employability Network, or RDEE Canada, the Nova Scotia Economic Development Council, and the Nova Scotia at Work employment services centers.

The agency works closely with these partners to identify priorities and opportunities that might exist, and they bring all of their services together in a bit of a one-stop shop.

Through our regular programming, including the business development program and the regional economic growth through innovation program, the agency helps small and medium-sized businesses become more competitive, innovative and productive. We also work with communities to identify growth opportunities and investment initiatives that lead to long-term jobs through our innovative communities fund.

In addition, in recent years, the agency has implemented the economic development initiative, a component of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages 2018‑2023.

The EDI, as we've talked about previously, represents $6.2 million over five years to support things like tourism, innovation, productivity improvement, market and trade development, and francophone immigration projects with francophone and Acadian communities.

Over the last 18 months, ACOA, in addition to the EDI, has approved 1,250 projects in francophone communities for over $211 million. For example, we've done projects with la Société acadienne et francophone de l'Île‑du‑Prince‑Édouard and Horizon TNL to provide support for francophone immigration services.

Last April, ACOA also announced an investment of $1.6 million for the IMPACT project, led by the four RDEEs in the Atlantic, the Centre québécois de développement durable, and RDEE Canada. This project aims to increase the performance and competitiveness of businesses and organizations in French-speaking and Acadian communities in the Atlantic provinces by helping them better position themselves in the face of new market and societal expectations in terms of sustainability.

The agency remains committed to creating more diversified and inclusive communities, and to solidifying economic development efforts that benefit all Atlantic Canadian communities.

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about the role of the Atlantic Opportunities Agency of Canada in the development of official language minority communities in Atlantic Canada.

I'll be happy to take your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Nowlan.

Mr. Perron, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Sony Perron, Deputy Minister, Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good afternoon, everyone.

My name is Sony Perron and I am the President and Deputy Minister for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Thank you for inviting me to appear before you to discuss the work done by Economic Development Canada for the regions of Quebec to support the economic development of official language minority communities.

I wish, first, to acknowledge that we are gathered on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe nation, and I would like to thank the members of the first nation for welcoming us on their ancestral territories.

Economic Development Canada, or DEC, for the regions of Quebec is the regional economic development agency dedicated to Quebec, a province where language is particularly important.

This is true historically, but it is also reflected in the economic geography of each region. It is essential that this geography be taken into consideration, for us to fulfil our mandate. That is what we do, based, in particular, on our capacity to offer the services of our advisers in both official languages in each region of Quebec.

DEC's mission is to promote economic development in all regions of Quebec, through promising projects for small or medium enterprises, or SMEs, and the communities, that will contribute to building sustainable, green and inclusive growth.

It is clear to us that carrying out this mandate also calls for full participation by official language minority communities. That participation contributes to the economic vitality of Quebec and Canada. The economic and entrepreneurial ecosystems of those communities are engines of innovation, productivity, job creation and economic growth everywhere in Quebec.

This is why CEDQ provides them with ongoing support through the delivery in Quebec of the economic development initiative for official languages. Between 2018-19 and 2022-23, CEDQ invested $8.7 million in the OLMCs through the economic development initiative for official languages. This has led to the implementation of innovative projects and entrepreneurship initiatives, and to the development of partnerships that help to diversify the economic activity of these communities everywhere in Quebec.

Our approach is to ensure that the support we offer meets the needs of these communities. One example is CEDQ's support for the Youth Employment Services foundation, called YES, an NPO that provides entrepreneurial support for English-speaking youth looking to start their own business. This year's renewal of CEDQ's agreement for $2.84 million of nonrepayable contributions for this organization, under the EDI program, helps YES to be there, everywhere, in all regions, including in the Montreal region.

Another example of agency funding is the Community Economic Development and Employability Corporation, or CEDEC, which develop economic development partnerships and initiatives for entrepreneurs in Quebec's anglophone community.

DEC has just renewed its support for the CEDECs in the amount of $1.17 million over four years. This funding is intended to help them mobilize communities around economic development issues, identify business development opportunities, and put tools in place to guide communities and help them launch economic diversification projects.

DEC is convinced that economic development must be done for and by the community. That is why it is crucial that we listen to the community's needs. We do this continuously, both through our network of business offices and by holding bilateral meetings that bring DEC's senior officials and representatives of official language minority communities.

Under the economic development initiative for official languages, and in collaboration with Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, or ISED, Economic Development Canada meets with representatives of the communities every two years to hold dialogue days, the last one having been on October 5, 2022, I believe.

These consultations are very important meetings for us in that they keep us up to date on the challenges and needs of entrepreneurs from official language minority communities, which enables us to adapt our actions to the needs voiced. They also enable us to make sure that the communities are aware of the federal programs and services that entrepreneurs could access.

SMEs are what drives the economy. The DEC believes that it is essential to support the high potential enterprises that originate in official language minority communities, through the Economic Development Initiative for the official languages.

An excellent example is that with our funding, a promising business plan was developed on the Îles‑de‑la‑Madeleine: Generation V—Boat Builders, in Grosse-Île.

I will stop there Mr. Chair. I could continue for several more pages, but I will find a way of telling you more in the next minutes.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Perron. That is what I was going to say.

As you are asked questions, you will certainly have a chance to continue what you were saying.

This is how it will work from this point. In the first round of questions, each party will be allowed six minutes. That speaking time includes discussion.

We will start with Joël Godin, the first vice-chair of the committee.

Mr. Godin, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you for being with us, gentlemen.

As a member of Parliament from Quebec, I am happy to see that we will be hearing comments from a representative of Economic Development Canada for the Regions of Quebec.

Mr. Nowlan, my first question is about ACOA's operating budgets.

What is the total envelope that serves as operating funds for the financial assistance measures, the grants and loans given to communities in the Atlantic region?

[Daryell Nowlan]

When we talk about economic development initiatives for the communities—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

My question relates to the entire operating budget that you receive from the federal government for financial assistance, in the form of grants or loans. I would like to know the total envelope.

Prepare yourself, Mr. Perron; I am going to ask you the same question.

[Daryell Nowlan]

I didn't bring that exact data with me. I would have to get back to you specifically on that question.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Can you give me an order of magnitude?

[Daryell Nowlan]

We would provide on a regular basis in the neighbourhood of $220 million in grants and contributions. That goes out directly to businesses and communities, in general, in the neighbourhood of—

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Right, I'll stop you there.

Generally speaking, $222 million is invested. If we break that figure down to find out what percentage goes to official language minority communities in the Atlantic region, it corresponds to 25%, 50%, 75%?

I am throwing out figures, but I just want an order of magnitude.

[Daryell Nowlan]

I do not have the figures, but I would say that through the economic development initiatives, for example, we receive funds amounting to $5.5 million over five years.

In addition to that, we use our regular programming. For example, in the last 18 months, as I mentioned in my notes, ACOA provided $211 million to francophone entrepreneurs or francophone communities. That's in the last year.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Right.

Do you give money directly to enterprises? I saw that you work with other organizations. In fact, you are the second level: there is the ISED, the ACOA, and the organizations, and then there are businesses. There are three levels before we get to the business.

Is that it?

[Daryell Nowlan]

For the most part, we work directly with the businesses and their community.