Official Languages Committee on Feb. 26th, 2024

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses, who are sharing their experience with us.

My first question is for all the witnesses.

Several of you said that the language of business was English.

Is there a way to work in French in your regions and businesses?

[Marie-Eve Michon]

Of course, there's a way to do business in French. We have quite a large francophone business network in New Brunswick.

Toward the end of May, we're organizing Rendez‑vous Acadie‑Québec, which allows francophone businesses in New Brunswick and Quebec to network.

We're always trying to forge closer ties with the Quebec community, but also with the francophone community outside Quebec. The members of the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité, or REDEE Canada, including my counterpart from Alberta, who is here today, all work together and also share their best practices and good tools to support francophone businesses in each of our provinces.

Our best practices are exported to other provinces, and all that creates a good francophone business network.

[Reginald Nadeau]

I agree with Ms. Michaud on this point, Mr. Beaulieu.

All the work we do in the province and in Canada is mainly done in French, but the manufacturing sector does a lot of exporting.

I was talking about bilingualism earlier, but it's French that predominates in businesses these days. We are proud to keep our language alive by recruiting francophone workers from outside Canada. This allows us to promote the French language and keep it alive in our part of the country.

[Mylène Letellier]

There are 7,000 so‑called French‑speaking businesses in British Columbia. For them, the French‑speaking market is often their first market, but they will quickly want to develop their business by working with the English‑speaking market. We're trying to develop more and more francophone markets in the other Canadian provinces, in other official language communities, be it in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island or Quebec, and even, as I said earlier, in Africa.

In terms of employment, we do a lot of recruitment for employers. The bilingual workforce is growing in our regions, and we're increasingly being asked to work with sectoral associations, such as the British Columbia Hotel Association, to go and work with them to find bilingual staff in francophone countries.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

I don't know if you've implemented measures regarding the use of French at work. The last census showed that the use of French as a language of work was declining. All the indicators show that French was in decline.

Do you have any data on the use of French as a language of work?

[Marie-Eve Michon]

I don't have the data on language of work, but 30% of New Brunswick's population is francophone.

To add to what Ms. Letellier and Mr. Nadeau mentioned, we've set up an online business purchase platform to promote the purchase of businesses by francophones and further develop the market for francophone businesses. It's already in place for the four Atlantic provinces and Saskatchewan.

I don't necessarily have the numbers—

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

I'd like to ask Mr. Nadeau another question.

You said that people in your sector speak French. The government has developed a strategy to promote francophone immigration outside Quebec.

Do you think that we're more likely to promote French by sending foreign workers to places like yours or by sending them to mainly anglophone environments, where they'll have access to very few resources in French, in addition to not being able to work in French?

[Reginald Nadeau]

Our companies recruit in francophone countries. As a result, the workers who come to our territory speak a minimum of French. That makes it easier for them to integrate. That's the foundation. It also makes it easier for them to communicate with their co‑workers.

Companies are scrambling to keep discussions in French in the workplace, in the plants. This makes it possible to support the French fact. We realize that people who come from non‑francophone countries start speaking French. However, we agree that learning French is quite a challenge. Learning French is difficult, compared to other languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau and Mr. Beaulieu.

We'll complete the first round of questions with Ms. Ashton, from the NDP.

Ms. Ashton, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses for joining us.

I'd like to start by asking Ms. Letellier a question.

I wanted to ask you about something else. Based on your testimony, but first, I want to highlight one of the points you raised, which is the financial support you'll need when Vancouver hosts the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

As members of Parliament, we do a lot of work to support our young people and to determine the role that Canada should play in this regard. We have in mind the World Cup and the investments in programming for recreational activities, particularly as it relates to soccer. So I was interested when you mentioned this sporting event, since we all recognize that it will be a historic moment. It's the largest sporting event in the world. It's unique, and it will be the first time Canada will host the FIFA World Cup, and it will be in your region.

Can you tell us specifically what you'll need from the Government of Canada to support your work? Also, how would you like to welcome the francophone community that will be coming to your region in two years?

[Mylène Letellier]

Thank you for your question.

In fact, we would like the federal government to commit to promoting the francophonie at this event.

I'd like to give you an example.

During the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, the Société de développement économique de la Colombie-Britannique, together with pan‑Canadian partners, inaugurated a Place de la Francophonie, which was on Granville Island, to promote the French language in our province and across Canada.

This event was a showcase with different dimensions. For example, francophone businesses organized culinary tasting evenings. There were musical performances, a booth showcasing all the country's francophones through their language. This event was a golden opportunity to raise the profile of the French‑speaking community, particularly within our province.

As I said, from memory, we received several million dollars from the government. I think that the Department of Canadian Heritage and Economic Development Canada had invested money so that we could set up an event of this kind.

I can tell you that, since that event, we've seen a keen interest in British Columbia from francophones. Francophone companies are moving here, and francophones are coming to work in our communities. In our opinion, this is a must‑attend event. I think we should be able to repeat the success of 2010, but we need to be able to count on the government's commitment.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Okay.

We know that some of the best teams in the world are in countries where French is still one of the official languages.

We hope you will get support for that event.

I want to go back to a question that we've been asking ourselves a lot in this study. Perhaps you could start, Ms. Letellier.

What are the repercussions of the labour shortage in francophone schools, francophone child care services and health care in your region, in British Columbia? What impact does this labour shortage have on the economy of a francophone community in your region?

[Mylène Letellier]

The labour shortage has a negative impact on the hiring of francophone early childhood educators and francophone teachers in schools. Of course, that puts a brake on those services. That's a given.

That's why, thanks to events such as Destination Canada, but also with the province's help, we're going to do more and more recruitment in francophone countries to attract people to come and work here, in early childhood centres, in restaurants and in schools.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you.

Mr. Nadeau, would you like to share your thoughts on this question?

[Reginald Nadeau]

Yes.

You've hit a nerve for us. French‑language education in our province is affected by the labour shortage and the exodus of young people and families. People are leaving for work, and we know that Canadians are having fewer children than in the past.

However, as I mentioned, the arrival of new families from elsewhere in Canada or abroad has made it possible to ensure the survival of one of our schools. Without that, it would have closed its doors last year. Thanks to PIC, known in English as the community incentive program, which I mentioned earlier, this year that school has one‑and‑a‑half times as many students as it did four years ago. There's a great dynamic, the school is full of young children, and more than 40% of our students come from other communities in Canada or abroad. That's very encouraging.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau. We're well over six minutes.

In the next round of questions, I appeal to the discipline and collaboration of committee members, since their speaking time will be short. It'll be two minutes for the first two parties, then one minute for the Bloc Québécois and the NDP.

Mr. Généreux, you have the floor for two minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses.

I have to declare a conflict of interest: I have a company in New Brunswick. I wanted to make sure you knew that.

Ms. Michon and Mr. Nadeau, you seem very positive about what's happening in New Brunswick. My understanding is that the province has had a budget surplus for the past four years.

Do you think that was done at the expense of francophones? I'm asking you this somewhat thorny question, but it's important to know if we want to put pressure on the province to invest more in the francophonie.

Second, a few weeks ago, we met with people from the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité du Canada, or RDEE. It's a great organization. You're very dynamic. In fact, I had the pleasure of meeting people from New Brunswick. You have to keep up the good work.

I asked them if they felt that too many organizations were taking care of the francophonie, generally speaking, in all the provinces where francophones are represented. I would like to put the same question to both of you, on the RDEE and on the number of structures we have to serve the francophonie.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Please answer in less than a minute.

[Marie-Eve Michon]

It's true that there are a lot of structures at the service of the francophonie in New Brunswick, and that is also the case at the national level as well. It's important to recognize organizations that have been doing this for a long time and that have developed expertise.

Obviously, some organizations discover an employability mandate when a new fund is set up. We have to observe that and be aware of the expertise and mandate of each organization.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Nadeau, please answer in 15 seconds.

[Reginald Nadeau]

In my case, we are talking about community organizations that promote the integration and retention of newcomers. They are sorely underfunded.

Was it misspent in New Brunswick? I couldn't say for sure, but federal investments would be a great help to those organizations, which are doing miracles right now.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Mr. Généreux.

Thank you to the witnesses.

Mr. Drouin, you have the floor for two minutes.

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses who are with us.

Ms. Letellier, you mentioned that the companies you work with face certain barriers when it comes to accessing federal funds.

Do you have any specific examples of what might be a barrier for those businesses?

[Mylène Letellier]

Are you talking about what I mentioned in my five‑minute opening remarks?

[Francis Drouin, Liberal, Glengarry—Prescott—Russell, ON]

Yes, exactly. You mentioned a number of things that could present challenges, including federal funding criteria, for example.