Official Languages Committee on Nov. 29th, 2023

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

I call the meeting to order.

Welcome to meeting number 79 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3) and the motion adopted by the committee on September 20, 2023, the committee is meeting to continue its study on the economic development of official language minority communities.

Today's meeting is taking place in a hybrid format, pursuant to the House order of June 15, 2023. Members are attending in person in the room and remotely using the Zoom application.

To keep the meeting running smoothly, I would like to outline a few rules to follow for witnesses and members.

Before speaking, please wait until I recognize you by name. If you are participating by videoconference, please click on the microphone icon to unmute yourself. Please mute yourself when you are not speaking.

For interpretation for those participating via Zoom, you have the choice at the bottom of your screen of either the floor, English or French. For those in the room, you can use your earpiece and select the desired channel.

Although the room is equipped with a sound system that performs well, it is possible that audio feedback will occur, which can be extremely harmful to interpreters and cause serious injuries. The most common cause for audio feedback is an earpiece worn too close to a microphone. So we ask all participants to be very careful when using their earpieces, especially when their microphone or that of their neighbour is on. In order to prevent incidents and to protect the interpreters' hearing health, I invite participants to ensure that they are speaking properly into the microphone assigned to them, avoid manipulating their earpiece, and put it on the table, away from the microphone, when they are not using it.

I remind you that all comments by members and witnesses should be addressed through the chair.

Members in the room who wish to speak are asked to raise their hand, and members on Zoom are asked to use the “raise hand” function. The committee clerk and I will do our best to maintain a consolidated order of speaking. We appreciate your patience and understanding in this regard.

In accordance with our routine motion regarding sound tests, I wish to inform the committee that all witnesses have completed the required sound tests before the meeting.

I would now like to welcome the witnesses.

From the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, we have Stephen Traynor, vice-president, Policy, Planning, Communications and Northern Projects Management Office.

Welcome, Mr. Traynor.

From Prairies Economic Development Canada, we have Anoop Kapoor, assistant deputy minister, Policy and Strategic Direction.

Welcome, Mr. Kapoor.

We also have Ginette LeBel, present by videoconference, senior business officer. Welcome.

For information, we have one hour to hear testimony and question our two guests. We will suspend the meeting after an hour, at about 5:30, so we can start the second part of the meeting.

I would like to welcome our witnesses.

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

[Stephen Traynor, Vice-President, Policy, Planning, Communications and Northern Projects Management Office, Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency]

Mr. Chair, members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, my name is Stephen Traynor and I am the vice-president of policy, communications and the Northern Projects Management Office for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency, or CanNor.

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

Thank you for the invitation to appear today to speak about CanNor's support in Canada's three territories for the economic development of official language minority communities.

CanNor works with Northerners, indigenous peoples, communities, businesses, organizations, the territorial governments and other federal departments. Our mandate is to help build diversified and dynamic communities that foster long-term sustainability and economic prosperity in Nunavut, the Northwest Territories and the Yukon.

In the context of today's appearance, CanNor works closely with the Francophone economic development organizations in each terirtory, namely the Association franco-yukonnaise, the Conseil de développement économique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest, and the Association francophone du Nunavut. The goal is to encourage and support projects that foster economic diversification, business development, innovation, and partnerships.

CanNor is responsible for promoting and delivering the economic development initiative, or EDI, fund in the territories. As the committee is aware, the EDI was announced by the Government of Canada in 2018, through the “Action Plan for Official Languages 2018‑2023: Investing in Our Future”. CanNor's share of the EDI, relatively speaking, is small—just $80,000 a year. As such, we also support Official Language Minority Communities or OLMC-related projects through our regular funding streams, including our flagship program, inclusive diversification and economic advancement in the North, or IDEANorth. Funding for the EDI was recently renewed under the 2023‑2028 action plan.

I would like to provide the committee with a few examples of our initiatives.

The first example underscores the importance of partnerships and collaboration.

CanNor provided $240,000 over three years, under EDI, to the Association franco-yukonnaise to work with Carrefour Nunavut and the Conseil de développement économique des Territoires du Nord-Ouest to attract Francophones to move to the territories with the goal of filling job vacancies.

In addition, CanNor provided $755,000 over two years to the Association franco-yukonnaise under the Jobs and Growth Fund, to promote the Yukon as a travel destination for francophones from Quebec. The project supports Yukon businesses that offer services in French to adapt their product offerings to the French-speaking market.

In the Northwest Territories, CanNor provided $285,500 over three years to the Conseil de développement économique des Territories du Nord-Ouest (CDETNO), under the IDEANorth funding program. The Conseil developed and delivered tools and training workshops targeted at Francophone entrepreneurs and youth in partnership with stakeholders such as chambers of commerce and school districts. Through participation in targeted promotions and events, CDETNO also promoted economic opportunities.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

You have 30 seconds left, Mr. Traynor.

[Stephen Traynor]

Okay.

In Nunavut, CanNor provided $350,000 for a one-year project to the Association des francophones du Nunavut, under the Canada community revitalization fund, to renovate a francophone community and cultural centre in Iqaluit.

I would like to conclude by briefly touching on recent engagement activities. CanNor officials participated in interdepartmental working groups and activities related to the implementation of the Official Languages Act. We also provided input on future engagement strategies with the official-language minority communities—

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Mr. Traynor, your speaking time is up. Please conclude your presentation quickly.

[Stephen Traynor]

Okay.

Mr. Chair, members of the committee, thank you for giving me the opportunity to speak about CanNor's role in the development of official language minority communities.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Thank you, Mr. Traynor.

We will not move on to Mr. Kapoor or Ms. LeBel. I do not know which of you wants to speak on behalf of Prairies Economic Development Canada.

[Anoop Kapoor, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy and Strategic Direction, Prairies Economic Development Canada]

I will be speaking, Mr. Chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

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

[Anoop Kapoor]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Chair, members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, my name is Anoop Kapoor and I am the assistant deputy minister for Policy and Strategic Direction at PrairiesCan. Ginette LeBel, senior business officer in the PrairiesCan Saskatoon office, is with me virtually today.

I will speak about what PrairiesCan does to support the economic development of official language minority communities.

In the prairie provinces, there are about 112,000 individuals with French as their first official language. In 2021, this was about 1.7 % of the overall population on the prairies. There are 72 official language minority communities in the prairie provinces. Over the past five years, PrairiesCan has invested $34.9 million to assist these communities to thrive and prosper economically and culturally.

Every year, PrairiesCan invests $2.24 million in dedicated support towards enhancing the vitality of our official language minority communities. Of this amount, $640,000 comes from the national economic development initiative, or EDI.

Currently, PrairiesCan grants this dedicated funding to francophone economic development organizations, or FEDOs, in each of the three prairie provinces. The FEDOs are unique not-for-profit organizations in the prairies providing dedicated support to francophone organizations and businesses.

EDI provides francophone community organizations with access to funding for their local economic development initiatives.

In 2020, a three-year pilot project was launched to enable the FEDOs to deliver EDI on behalf of PrairiesCan, enabling them to work directly with francophone communities on economic development. With the implementation of the EDI, 35 projects for a total of $1,273,500 were funded across the three provinces. This funding assisted 195 businesses, supported 49 not-for-profit organizations and created or maintained 161 jobs. This delivery model addressed regional needs by bringing the funding decision closer to the communities. As such, the EDI continues to be delivered by the FEDOs for another three years.

Finally, since 2018, PrairiesCan has provided an additional $23.5 million to 39 projects, including eight businesses that self-identify as francophone, applying through our programs. This funding supported the creation of 200 jobs, served over 400 businesses and provided training to 1,100 people.

PrairiesCan officers have ongoing relationships not only with the FEDOs, but also with other Francophone stakeholders.

We also enhance the vitality and development of official language minority communities through our use of the official languages lens, another example of positive measures taken by PrairiesCan. The official languages lens is applied to the evaluation of all departmental funding program applications so that francophone communities also benefit from them.

Since 2018, and to date, in all programming, 186 projects totalling $115 million have been identified as extending their activities to benefit francophone communities, by using the official languages lens.

We also fund francophone tourism organizations, given that tourism is an economic driver for francophone businesses in the Prairies.

Thank you, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. I will be pleased to answer your questions.

[The Vice-Chair, Conservative, Joël Godin]

Thank you, Mr. Kapoor.

Before proceeding with our questions, I want to say that the first round is a reserved block of six minutes for the Conservative Party, the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the New Democratic Party.

Given that I am replacing the chair, who has unfortunately been kept at home, I want to welcome my colleague René Arseneault, who is with us virtually but is not entitled to vote.

Mr. Arseneault, thank you for being here in spite of the situation you find yourself in.

For committee members, I am going to withdraw as chair. I am going to sit in my chair as a member so that I can question the witnesses.

I invite the second vice-chair to act as chair.

[The Vice-Chair, Bloc, Mario Beaulieu]

If the Conservative Party is ready, you have the floor, Mr. Godin.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Traynor, in your presentation, you talked about investments by the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency. This is the Standing Committee on Official Languages. You will understand that I am mainly interested in what is happening at the agency from the standpoint of French, because the most vulnerable official language in Canada is obviously French.

How many employees are there in your team?

[Stephen Traynor]

In our team, overall, at CanNor there are just over 100 staff.

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

So you have about 100 employees.

[Stephen Traynor]

That's right.

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

Okay.

How many of your employees speak French?

[Stephen Traynor]

I'm sorry.

I don't have that information with me, but I can get that back to you.

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

You may not know the exact number, but can you estimate the number based on the people you see every day?

For example, what proportion of your employees can speak French and English? Is it 50% or 25%? I think this is an important question in a bilingual country.

[Stephen Traynor]

It would be less than 50%.

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

So it would be 50%.

[Stephen Traynor]

It would be less than 50%, but I'd have to get back to you on that.

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

Okay.

I would now like you to tell me how many francophones and anglophones there are among your agency's executives. More precisely, how many of your agency's executives can speak French?

[Stephen Traynor]

Most executives in the government, including at CanNor, need to speak French. While we are in the north, often with our colleagues it's more English than French, but when we're here in Ottawa, we certainly participate in meetings and speak both English and French.

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

You know that in the north, the Northwest Territories and Yukon are two territories of Canada where the French fact is growing.

Are you aware of that? You are indicating yes.

Are there many employees in your agency who are able to speak French, outside of the executive level?