Official Languages Committee on Nov. 18th, 2025

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

I’m sorry to interrupt you, Mr. Chaisson. I do understand what you’re saying. In short, when it comes to early childhood, funding from the federal government does not align with the monies that are actually allocated on the ground in the province.

[Ali Chaisson]

That’s correct.

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

Doesn’t the modernized Official Languages Act fix that?

[Ali Chaisson]

We’ll see how that pans out, but each additional intermediary between the source and the recipient of funding adds to the overall cost. The only way to truly fix this problem is to allow for direct agreements between the federal government and French-language school boards, which have the same legal responsibilities as other Crown agencies in the province in finance and financial audit matters.

The time has come to change how the federal government engages with official language minority communities.

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

Currently, what kind of support does the Conseil scolaire francophone du Nouveau Brunswick get from the province?

[Ali Chaisson]

For now, I think New Brunswick probably has a unique situation because there are two sectors within the department of education. Francophone school boards deal exclusively with the department’s francophone sector while anglophone school boards deal exclusively with the department’s anglophone sector.

I get the sense that people in Moncton, Fredericton and Saint John get by well enough. Obviously, the challenges are steep. We don’t necessarily expect to have the same configuration in 2025 as we did in 2005 or 1985. Society is changing. There is enormous pressure on school districts to provide programming tailored to an evolving society and—

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

Thank you, Mr. Chaisson. As you know, my time is very limited. I only have a minute left and I’d like to hear from Ms. Arseneau‑Sluyter, the president of your society.

Earlier, you said that 1,000 rights holders in New Brunswick did not have access to education in French. Is the situation getting better or worse?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

We have just completed a survey. When I spoke about 1,000 rights holder, I was referring only to the city of Saint John and surrounding areas, and not to New Brunswick as a whole.

You may not know this, but there are no francophone schools outside Saint John. It’s a large area stretching from Sussex to St. Stephen and all the way north of Fredericton to Grand‑Sault, yet people there still don’t have access to French-language schools.

I was alluding to a survey that focused on our city because the school is overcrowded.

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

My understanding is that the situation is worse and more dire.

What we are hearing is that there is no collaboration or co-operation, as you said at the beginning of your opening remarks, to help francophone communities in New Brunswick thrive. You would also like the number of intermediaries cut down as a way to enhance efficiencies. Have I understood you correctly?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

Absolutely. Currently, there is a direct contribution to assimilation.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Godin. Your time is up.

Ms. Chenette now has the floor for six minutes.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Good day.

I would like to thank the witnesses for helping us understand the situation. There is a palpable sense of passion in the air.

I would like to continue along the same lines as Mr. Godin and address my questions to the representatives of the Acadian Society of New Brunswick.

You summed up the current issue quite well, but I would like to delve further into the subject.

It’s important to acknowledge the call from francophone school boards to receive funding directly. Do you have support from the private sector or are they neutral? Do you collaborate and engage with private sector partners to promote the vibrancy of our beautiful French language, highlighting it as both a valuable export asset and a gateway to working with other provinces across our beautiful Canada? Is this something the private sector considers already resolved or it is not a priority for them?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

Would you like to know whether we have support from the private sector?

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Yes, that’s right.

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

Of course, a significant share of assistance to schools comes from the community, but this is primarily the case in majority francophone areas. However, as you know, the linguistic landscape in New Brunswick is fairly unique. The majority of francophones are found in the north. Those who live in Saint John, like me—I have lived there since 1987—are in a very small minority. It’s therefore quite hard to approach private businesses for donations for our school, our school centre or anything else. That is why we need more funding and assistance if we really want to slow down the assimilation of francophones.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

I was not trying to find out if you ask for money from the private sector, but rather, if the private sector could put pressure on the government, insofar as businesses see the benefit of having people who speak English and French. In this sense, it would be an asset.

If the government retains a portion of the funds it receives before distributing the remainder to school boards, which stakeholders might be instrumental in helping improve the situation?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

I know that private businesses are always looking for French-speaking employees. It’s not easy either, especially in majority anglophone areas.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

You alluded briefly to the issue of talent. Is attracting talent with the right skills in sectors ranging from early childhood to university a challenge? What are the biggest challenges to attracting talent in education and having the infrastructure to provide services in French?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

There is a clear need for teachers and personnel, from early childhood education to the university level across New Brunswick.

Saint John has the largest francophone early childhood centre in the province and the majority of our employees, or over 50%, are francophone immigrants from other parts of the world. Immigration is therefore very important to ensuring the survival of French in New Brunswick.

I can assure you that with the next census, the percentage of francophones in New Brunswick will fall below 30%, which will be a big drop for us. To what extent can we say that our province is bilingual? That is troubling.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

I’d like to build on that reasoning to talk about the province’s commitments. Some of the experts who have appeared before the committee essentially share your views and have said the Government of Canada should provide funding to school boards directly. If the Government of Canada takes that step, how will accountability be ensured? Accountability is the intermediary measure needed to properly monitor where monies are spent. What would be the benefit of sending money directly compared to the current situation?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

There is certainly a clear need for funding. I don’t know if you are aware, but in New Brunswick, early childhood education is not covered by the Education Act or by linguistic duality. This is even more worrying for us and puts us at risk. Will all of our child care services use federal funding to continue to teach children French? What control mechanisms will be in place in this regard? I think we need to discuss this issue, because it’s making us feel somewhat insecure.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

In the same vein, the new version of the Official Languages Act refers to the education continuum, as you mentioned. Do you think that section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms should explicitly apply to early childhood and post-secondary education?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

Section 23 of the charter applies to all stages of life, from birth to death.

[Madeleine Chenette, Liberal, Thérèse-De Blainville, QC]

Do you therefore think it should be used in that sense?

[Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter]

Absolutely.