Official Languages Committee on April 8th, 2024

[Justine Hendricks]

Yes, my team also uses this software. All communications from senior managers are always in both official languages, and when I organize meetings, they are held in both official languages.

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

In Quebec, what is the proportion of bilingual employees?

[Justine Hendricks]

I can send the committee the exact figure, but I'd say it's probably over 75%.

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

Are you talking about positions that require knowledge of English?

[Justine Hendricks]

No, I'm talking about knowledge of French.

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

Great. So 25% of positions are bilingual.

[Justine Hendricks]

Yes, but I would like to provide the committee with the exact figures on that.

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

Would you say that the common language used in your offices in Quebec is French? Representatives of the Public Service Alliance of Canada union told us that, for public servants in Quebec, a lot of work is done in English because there is systemic discrimination that means that everything is done in English first.

[Justine Hendricks]

I can tell you that since I've been in this position, which is about a year now, our meetings with clients in offices in Quebec are held in both official languages. I took my board of directors to a meeting in Quebec, with about 100 clients in attendance. Most of the meetings and exchanges take place in French.

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

Okay.

What about language of work?

[Justine Hendricks]

When I work with them—

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

I'm not talking about the language used with clients, but the language used between employees.

[Justine Hendricks]

We work a lot with clients, and I would say that oral communications are mostly in French. In addition, employees are able to work by communicating in writing in French or English. The common language is French when we're in Quebec.

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

That's good, I hope. I'll wait for your data on that. In any case, it's certainly better than CN or Air Canada, from what I can see.

Do you offer bilingualism bonuses?

[Justine Hendricks]

FCC doesn't offer bilingualism bonuses.

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

Okay.

For the officials—

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Mr. Beaulieu, I'm sorry to interrupt you.

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

My time is up.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you very much, Mr. Beaulieu.

I was generous with you, Mr. Beaulieu, because I gave Mr. Dalton a little more time. In the interest of fairness, I gave you a little extra time as well.

I now give the floor to Ms. Ashton, from the NDP.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I'd like to thank the witnesses very much for being here today.

Ms. Cassie, from the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, I'm particularly pleased to see you. Your organization does such important work in Manitoba.

You mentioned that Manitoba's francophone community is growing and that this growth is the result of francophone newcomers from all over the world. As you know, our committee has been heavily involved in studying immigration. It has also been looking at what needs to be brought to the attention of the federal government, federal services, and how we can support French‑language services in our communities for everyone, including these newcomers to Canada, who often don't speak English well enough or at all.

Given this context and the particular needs of francophone newcomers to Manitoba, do you think the federal government could do more and invest more to ensure that services are offered in both official languages, whether in housing, health care or employment? I'd like to hear your thoughts on that.

[Angela Cassie]

First of all, I don't want to celebrate this growth of Manitoba's francophone community too much, because we're still vulnerable, and more and more people are turning to English because of a lack of services in French. This is particularly true for newcomers, who often speak neither English nor French when they arrive. We have an organization, Accueil francophone du Manitoba, which contributes enormously to the reception of francophone immigrants and refugees, as well as all other immigrants. The reception services provided by such francophone organizations help to alert newcomers to the francophone reality here in Manitoba, and many of them end up sending their children to French immersion schools. When newcomers are welcomed in French, it shows them that there are avenues other than English. So we need those services.

There's also a lot of talk about the investments needed in the French‑language education continuum to strengthen the francophone labour pool. Francophone day care centres are also extremely important, since workers need access to early childhood services. To truly live in French, it takes investments in arts and culture, justice and health care, among others. It's more than just a transactional exchange at a counter; it's about being able to thrive in French in all facets of our lives.

From time to time, we see that francophone immigrants have trouble getting into certain bilingual positions, or that they don't have enough English to get into positions. As for senior officials, it takes individuals who understand the language, but who also understand the importance of these programs to help us build these bridges and ensure that these services continue to be offered.

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

Thank you very much.

I'm very glad you raised the issue of the education continuum, which is well known. I've spoken several times about the shortage of francophone education and early childhood workers here in Manitoba. We can't talk about a vision to make our public services more francophone without trying to find solutions so that more young people receive an education in French and become bilingual.

You work with a number of francophone communities outside Winnipeg. Can you tell us what resources the federal government could provide to bilingual municipalities so that they can strengthen their operations in French?

[Angela Cassie]

I know that there are a number of programs for bilingual municipalities and that they've expressed their need for services and resources. Again, I'd like to emphasize the importance of investments in education within the departments and public agencies that provide these services.

I applaud Ms. Hendricks's efforts. Models like these, which demonstrate a career‑long commitment on the part of a public servant, make it possible to offer more than just customer service and a counter. It ensures that people at all levels of the organization understand not only the language, but also the challenges that communities face. In bilingual municipalities, these challenges can affect a range of services, from those provided by the RCMP to the administration of justice, health care and the post office, just to name a few.

[The Chair, Liberal, René Arseneault]

Thank you, Ms. Cassie.

We will now move on to the second round of questions.

Mrs. Kusie, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Stephanie Kusie, Conservative, Calgary Midnapore, AB]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to the witnesses for being here today.

My husband is from Manitoba and has Franco‑Manitoban roots. He is the grandson of a grandfather from Belgium and a grandmother from France. In addition, our son is enrolled in a French immersion program in Calgary, where we now live, so it's very important for us to preserve the French language in Canada. My mother is francophone.

In your opinion, Ms. Cassie, what is the future of the Francophonie in Manitoba?