Evidence of meeting #8 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 federal.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Marc Dalton Conservative Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC
Where do you find them? Where did they get their education, at universities or colleges? Could you give us some information on that?
Executive Director, La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier
Nova Scotia has set some criteria in that regard. Candidates must have completed a two-year post-secondary early childhood program. Internationally, we recruit candidates mainly from Belgium, France, Morocco and Tunisia, where we've built relationships with establishments providing such programs. That's been really helpful. We've established pools of candidates to meet our needs. Without all of this, opening six early childhood centres in Halifax would never have been possible.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you, Mr. Dalton. Your time is up.
Ms. Mingarelli, you have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to all the witnesses for joining us today.
Ms. Williamson, we know that French-language day cares play an essential role in passing on the language and in enhancing a community's vitality. This week is national francophone immigration week. The contribution of immigrant families to the vitality of French-speaking communities is huge. Do you think the shortage of child care spaces in French-language day cares is hurting their integration into French-speaking communities?
November 4th, 2025 / 11:35 a.m.
Executive Director, La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier
Could you repeat the last part of your question, on the shortage of spaces?
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Do you think the shortage of child care spaces in French-language day cares is hurting the integration of immigrants into French-speaking communities?
Executive Director, La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier
Absolutely. We could welcome many more immigrants, but if we don't have day care spaces for the children, the parents can't work. It can have an impact on their integration into the community.
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Thank you.
Given your experience, how could we improve their access to services beginning in early childhood?
Executive Director, La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier
The solution would be to continue building partnerships with school boards to get floor space in schools, and have the possibility of adding to that space to welcome more French-speaking children. It could be done by adding extensions to existing structures or putting new structures on school property.
We have waiting lists, and we've developed good recruiting strategies to find our staff. If we could get funds to add structures, we could welcome more children.
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Thank you very much.
One last question. Does your organization recruit or train immigrants to be educators, to meet the need for French-speaking staff?
Executive Director, La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier
Yes, we do.
Depending on their work permit or how we recruit them, some people are allowed to receive training. They're hired through a process that allows them to gain the qualifications they need, meaning they can work while they complete their training at Université Saint-Anne. We do it all the time.
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Thank you very much.
Mr. Morrow, for mobility or employability reasons, young francophones in many English-speaking regions of the country debate whether they should continue their education in French. How can we make pursuing a full education in French more attractive?
Social Entrepreneur, As an Individual
One way would be to make the link between education and employment. Young people are looking for jobs, getting ready to join the labour force. They need to see that they'll get better job opportunities if they have that education from attending French-language schools. These establishments exist, but some programs may not be offered, because there aren't enough eligible people. Students must also have access to support.
It can be scary for an anglophone to study in a francophone environment. It's not easy. However, it's much easier for them if they have support, and if they feel welcomed. The more anglophones join those programs, the more will come. It's more appealing for anglophones if they see it as a possibility.
Liberal
Giovanna Mingarelli Liberal Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON
Thank you. How can we help francophone students in anglophone environments?
Social Entrepreneur, As an Individual
Anglophone students and universities must be encouraged to contribute to the vitality of French-speaking communities. What's important is maintaining a link between education and the French-speaking community.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you, Ms. Mingarelli.
Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor for two and a half minutes.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
Mr. Morrow, bilingualism has evolved in Canada. In Quebec, more and more francophones and allophones are bilingual; that number has steadily increased. In the rest of the country, however, bilingualism is stagnant. According to Statistics Canada, there's a decline in native French speakers who are bilingual. Among anglophones, that number has stayed at about 9%.
Given all the money invested in teaching French as a second language, how do you explain this stagnation?
Social Entrepreneur, As an Individual
The reason I'm here today is to say that there's no support at the post-secondary level. We can't give students studying French as a second language any guarantee that they'll keep their level of proficiency in French until they enter the labour market. They lose their French during those five years of education, because they have no support. They think that it's not for them, that they tried. They wanted to succeed, but they can't, so they drop out.
Once post-secondary students can rely on a support system, then we can measure things. Being bilingual gives you a competitive advantage in the labour market. It's up to us to make young anglophones see that.
Bloc
Mario Beaulieu Bloc La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC
What do you think of the Canadian linguistic system, meaning sprinkling bilingualism here and there, without having a jurisdiction that tries to make French the common language? People can learn French, but they have few opportunities to practise the language. Wouldn't it be more effective to have a jurisdiction-wide system?
Social Entrepreneur, As an Individual
Yes, it would. I sent the Quebec government a proposal to establish a French immersion program in Quebec, where English-speaking students from across the country could go to study French. My proposal was rejected, but I think it would be a good idea. We need a strong Quebec where things are done in French, so that anglophones can immerse themselves completely not just in the French language, but also in the culture, and everything that comes with it.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
I apologize, Mr. Beaulieu, but your time is up. Thank you.
Mr. Bélanger, you have the floor for five minutes.