Mr. Chair, dear colleagues, I am pleased to take part in this debate on the main estimates of the Department of Canadian Heritage for the 2007-08 fiscal year.
As my colleague, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women, pointed out, the Department of Canadian Heritage plays an essential role in the cultural and community life of Canadians. I am proud to cooperate with her, and with all the other ministers, to promote the cultural vitality of Canadian society, particularly in the area of official languages. All of us here are well aware of the stakes involved in the promotion of official languages in Canada, and I am pleased to be here to discuss this issue.
Today, I would like to explain how we are taking firm and concrete action in the area of official languages. We get all partners and stakeholders involved. We listen to official language minority communities, and we invest new money to help promote our two official languages throughout the country.
Let me first explain my role as Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages. I have two distinct responsibilities that complement each other. First, I am responsible for the Department of Canadian Heritage programs that support official languages. In that capacity, I ensure that the new Government of Canada helps promote official language minority communities, and the full recognition and use of both official languages.
I am also responsible for coordinating the activities of the new Government of Canada that relate to official languages. In that sense, my work takes me beyond the activities of the Department of Canadian Heritage, and involves cooperating with all my cabinet colleagues. I work with them to help official language minority communities, promote linguistic duality, support the linguistic rights of federal employees, and encourage the use of official languages in serving the public.
This double mandate in the area of official languages is in addition to my duties as Minister for la Francophonie. As hon. members know, it is the first time that all these responsibilities are grouped together under a single minister. This is concrete evidence that the new Government of Canada is living up to its commitments when it comes to official languages, and is strengthening the country's linguistic duality, both inside and outside the government.
From the beginning of our mandate, we have taken decisive and concrete action. Since my appointment, I have signed bilateral education agreements with every province and territory totalling $1 billion over four years. We have entered into important agreements for minority language services totalling $64 million over four years. For example, the Governments of Canada and British Columbia signed a multi-year agreement for French-language services. In addition, the Governments of Canada and Manitoba signed a multi-year agreement for minority language and second language education. Thanks to these agreements, minority communities are able to implement programs in keeping with their reality.
In addition to signing these agreements, I announced support for the construction and expansion of two school-community centres in New Brunswick, two centres in Saskatchewan and one centre in the Northwest Territories. I announced new funding for promising educational projects such as the École au coeur de la communauté project in New Brunswick. By providing better programs and services in French minority day cares, schools and universities, our goal is to allow young Canadians to start, continue and complete their studies in their language. In this way we will ensure that their community continues to thrive and that they live their lives in their language, in their region.
In addition, the Department of Canadian Heritage allocates $80 million annually to second-language learning programs, which makes it possible for 12,000 youths to participate in activities and work terms throughout the country. They benefit from experiences and gain knowledge enabling them to be versatile, mobile and in touch with today's reality. Canadian society as a whole shares in this success.
To get results such as these, we involve all partners and stakeholders in the process. Last October, I co-chaired the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie. I can attest to the spirit of cooperation that was present in the various levels of government. We examined future courses of action and all ministers agreed on the report that was prepared.
I am convinced that, through this cooperation, our governments will be able to exercise their leadership on priority issues. I am thinking about issues such as the recruitment and retention of minority students or the revival of immersion programs and the development of innovative second language teaching methods.
In fact, I am very pleased, as a minister, as a francophone and as a Quebecker, that Quebec has become once again a full partner in our efforts concerning the francophonie. Quebec is the main centre of Canadian francophonie, and the support of Quebec partners is essential to ensuring that the French language flourishes across the country.
As I said earlier, I am working with my cabinet colleagues on francophonie and linguistic duality issues. Among other things, I announced, along with the former citizenship and immigration minister, a plan to promote the establishment of French-speaking immigrants in minority communities, and I will continue this work with the new Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. This is critical for the future of communities.
Finally, I attach considerable importance to the contribution of all francophones and francophiles who believe that linguistic duality is a major asset for all of Canada.
Canada's new government will continue to provide direct support to non-profit organizations that represent official language minority communities. I will continue to listen to their needs, their concerns, their ideas and their vision of the future.
When I was appointed to this portfolio, I conducted a series of consultations with representatives of official language communities and members of the second language education community. This enabled me to better understand the various realities that minority community members face and the opportunities available to them.
Our dialogue is ongoing. In two weeks, I will have an opportunity to meet a large number of representatives and stakeholders during the first summit of francophone and Acadian communities here in Ottawa. During the summit, we will have an opportunity to see where we are and find out how people responsible for the vitality of Canada's francophonie can make a difference.
We have a number of tools to achieve that goal. One of the most important tools is funding for official languages programs. In its latest budget, Canada's new government increased funding for linguistic duality and official language minority communities by $30 million for the next two years.
This kind of support makes promising projects, like the ones I mentioned, possible. Once again, this proves that Canada's new government is taking real action to ensure that Canadians can benefit fully from their two official languages.
Our linguistic duality makes Canada and Canadians richer. It is part of our cultural identity. It ensures economic success. It is a priceless, indispensable tool on the world stage. We have come to a point in our history where Canadians believe that bilingualism is becoming more important.
We are ready to take advantage of the vast potential of our linguistic duality both individually and collectively, and Canada's new government is planning to make a real difference in that regard.
It is our responsibility to focus on the enthusiasm of Canadian youth—indeed, of all Canadians—and to seize this unique opportunity to create a country that is proud of its two official languages and stronger because of them.
Our government is committed to official languages, and we have proven that many times over. We will continue to support official language minority communities.
