Thank you.
Good evening, Mr. Chair and distinguished members of the committee.
My name is Linda Cousineau. I am the vice-president of business innovation and community development for the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario.
I want to start by recognizing that I'm joining you from Waterloo, which is the traditional territory of the Neutral, Anishinabe and Haudenosaunee people.
Thank you for the invitation to appear before the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I am pleased to be here to share the work that FedDev Ontario is doing to support southern Ontario's official language minority communities.
Southern Ontario is home to the largest French-speaking population outside Quebec, and the needs of our OLMCs are diverse. Eastern Ontario is home to well-established communities and ecosystems around Ottawa and Cornwall. To the west, the communities are proportionally smaller and more dispersed. Cities such as Toronto and Hamilton have growing francophone populations, in part fuelled by immigration.
FedDev Ontario leverages its regional footprint to connect with these communities and the knowledge gained informs investments in community capacity building, economic development, entrepreneurship and business growth.
We also engage officials from FedNor to address province-wide issues and provide cohesive support for all of Ontario's francophone communities.
FedDev Ontario recently relaunched its economic development initiative, which is a component of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages 2023‑2028. Over the next five years the agency will deliver $4 million in support.
This initiative aims to support OLMCs by strengthening the rich cultural fabric of francophone communities, while accelerating economic growth within these communities. It enables financial support for projects that encourage economic diversification, business development, innovation, and partnerships. It also provides support for small and medium-sized businesses in OLMCs.
For example, Collège La Cité received $1.79 million over four years to support francophone businesses and entrepreneurship. La Cité delivered training and workshops, as well as collaborated with businesses on applied research to support innovation and product development.
In addition to this dedicated program, FedDev Ontario also helps small and medium-sized businesses owned by francophones become more productive, innovative and competitive. It supports entrepreneurship in these communities through its regional and national programs, including the community futures program and the Black entrepreneurship program.
For example, through the Black entrepreneurship program's ecosystem fund, the Mouvement Ontarien des femmes immigrantes francophones is receiving a non-repayable contribution of up to $1.7 million. With this support, the organization is providing access for Black entrepreneurs and Black-led businesses to advisory services, mentorship, networking events, coaching, the International Black Economic Forum, and an entrepreneurial boot camp, as well as introductions to potential partners and investors to help them start and/or grow their business.
Projects like these are supporting francophone entrepreneurs such as Angèle Adoté, founder, owner and operator of Dûnu Donuts in Ottawa, which is a street food and doughnut business that is bringing African cultural food to new audiences.
FedDev Ontario has also made investments that support and promote francophone tourism and cultural offerings of our official-language minority communities through programs like the tourism relief fund and the Canada community revitalization fund.
FedDev Ontario will continue making investments to support jobs and promote the economic growth of francophone businesses. It will continue its work to build an economy in southern Ontario that is inclusive and promotes the vitality of its official-language minority communities.
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share FedDev Ontario's role in economic and community development for official-language minority communities.
I'm pleased to answer your questions.