Evidence of meeting #7 for Official Languages in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was witnesses.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Joël Godin Conservative Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC
Thank you to all three of you.
I appreciate your participation in this study.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you, Mr. Godin.
Mr. Villeneuve, you now have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for being with us.
As a citizen of Quebec, I've learned a lot since joining this committee. Frankly, some of the things I hear are shocking.
Ms. Lachance, thank you for recognizing that additional government funding is helpful. I also heard you say that, because of your growth, the funding formula doesn't seem to work as you'd hoped.
For the benefit of those following these proceedings, can you give us any recommendations on how the government could improve the formula?
President, Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta
When we found out that more funding was available, we were hoping the formula would be adjusted. We thought there would be a way for the government to recognize the wonderful growth in Alberta's francophone community through additional funding, instead of just allocating the same percentage to every organization. We don't want to take money away from provinces with small French-speaking populations, which do have significant needs after all, but we were hoping that the money would be allocated a bit differently.
By bringing everyone's funding up to 25%, the government has just widened the gap, because 25% of 100,000 is not the same as 25% of 500,000. That's why we were disappointed with the process that was followed. On top of that, an austerity budget is around the corner, and there will be cuts. If the cuts are calculated the same way the funding is, we are going to have more problems.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you, Ms. Lachance.
Mr. Ajavon, how do the 2021 census data on rights holders help you make your case to the province in terms of what you need?
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
Thank you for that excellent question.
We are always referring to those data to highlight our needs in our discussions with the province. We have many discussions based on demographic potential.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
That's great. Thank you.
Does the Conseil des écoles fransaskoises, or CEF, still require that one of the parents be fluent in French?
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
Yes, that's a requirement, but we can make exceptions. We grant what's known as enrolment permission. Every school has to meet with the family before making a decision on whether the student can enrol. Then the board just approves it. Overall, the board has a pretty strict enrolment policy when it comes to rights holders.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Considering the high level of assimilation and the desire to remedy the situation, is the CEF missing out on certain students by applying other criteria?
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
As you know, our mandate is threefold. In addition to educating students, we have to support identity-building and community vitality. To fulfill that mandate, we have to have not only a screening process for enrolment, but also the means to meet the French-language needs of students who do not speak the language. That is why, in the earlier discussion with your fellow members, we were so adamant that the system needed more funding, precisely to remedy the situation.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you, Mr. Ajavon.
The CEF opened a new school in the northern part of the city, École du Parc. Is that right?
Liberal
October 30th, 2025 / 12:35 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
We almost have no spots left, and Regina wants a new school for next year. We have resource centres and libraries that have been converted into classrooms, so again, students don't have that substantive equivalence, and we lose many of them to immersion schools or English school boards, as a result.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Okay.
Quickly, how much does the success or failure of part VII of the Official Languages Act depend on whether a full minority-language education continuum is established?
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
In order for part VII to be a success, the federal government has to do a bit more in fulfilling its duty to take positive measures. It has to stop saying that education is a provincial responsibility. Yes, education is under provincial jurisdiction, but there are still other things the federal government can do.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve.
Lastly, we go to Mr. Beaulieu for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Thank you.
Earlier, I heard Mr. Ajavon and Ms. Lachance, from Alberta, say that a lot of rundown English schools had been given to francophones. That really makes it seem as though francophones are second-class citizens.
What do you think?
President, Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta
It's a very big challenge for Alberta's francophone community. Our children have had to attend schools that were in absolutely unacceptable condition. For two years, my son went to a makeshift high school in the basement of a retirement home. In Jasper, for many years, our students did their schooling in a Royal Canadian Legion building. Needless to say, we have faced major challenges.
I can tell you, though, that Jasper now has what is probably the nicest school in the province, École Alexandre‑Taché. My son went there. The situation has gotten better, but there's still a big challenge. Still today in Alberta, children go to school in places that weren't built for that purpose, old processing centres, for instance. Francophones have accepted all kinds of things they shouldn't have. Why? Because they needed to give students an education in French. It's still happening now, in 2025.
Chief Executive Officer, Conseil des écoles fransaskoises
I would like to add something, if I may. The public school board in Regina was going to knock down École Monseigneur de Laval right before the school was handed over to the French system. That should give you a sense of the situation.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Schools by and for francophones are supposed to contribute to the vitality of French-speaking communities, but half the funding, if not more, goes to immersion schools.
Wouldn't it be more effective to make sure that schools by and for francophones were sufficiently funded, especially with the sluggish bilingualism rate in English-speaking Canada? The bilingualism rate among anglophones isn't going up.