Official Languages Committee on June 2nd, 2026

[Kelly Burke]

Again, I think it's important that third parties have obligations and—

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

What should those obligations be?

[Kelly Burke]

The Official Languages Act addresses the obligations of third parties in sections 23 and 25, so I think we could draw on those provisions.

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

I have one last question for you.

Do you think Treasury Board and officials should go back to the drawing board on the draft regulations, which is what we're going to recommend for part VII? As you can see, there's a lot that isn't covered.

Should they start over, taking the time to do it right and provide the right tools to achieve the purpose?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Ms. Burke, the member is out of time, so kindly provide a one-sentence answer.

[Kelly Burke]

Are you talking about part VII of the Official Languages Act?

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

I'm talking about part VII and the fact that we are going to ask Treasury Board to start over in relation to that part. Would that be your recommendation as well?

[Kelly Burke]

I think an impact analysis would be needed.

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

An in-depth analysis would need to be done.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Ms. Chenette, you may go ahead for two minutes.

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

That was a very interesting discussion, so I'd like to keep it going.

Ms. Burke, other witnesses have told us that it would be better to review the regulations every five years, so as to really reflect changes in francophone communities, while never ceding any ground in terms of coverage. What do you think?

[Kelly Burke]

A regulatory review every five years would provide an idea of where things stand but wouldn't necessarily allow for the regulations to be implemented. Five years isn't always enough time to properly assess the impact of regulations. Although you would get some perspective and results after five years, you would get a much clearer picture of the results after 10 years. That would also align with the review period for the act, which is every 10 years.

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

How, then, do we make adjustments? Francophone immigration is going well; those levels are being met. We need to encourage bilingualism in Canada. If we want to see more incentives and an expanded scope for all the organizations, how do we take a responsive approach and adjust as needed over the next 10 years? Do you have any suggestions?

[Kelly Burke]

The criteria for designating regions with a strong francophone presence could take into account the vitality of communities and other qualitative factors, not just quantitative ones. Obviously, these communities change, as do all communities. They have specific characteristics that need to be taken into account. That could factor into the broader evolution of the operation of the act. The regulations could identify how to do that.

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

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Ms. Chenette.

Ms. Burke, on behalf of the committee, I'd like to thank you and your colleagues for being here. The last time you were here was pre-appointment, if you will. Today, we had the opportunity to start working together, and it was a good start. Thank you very much.

Fellow members, I'm going to suspend the meeting, since we are going in camera for the next hour.

[Proceedings continue in camera]