Official Languages committee  I am not saying that it is the same situation everywhere, but this is the case in certain locations.

Official Languages committee  I must say that our staff, even the volunteers, suffer from burnout. The turnover rate in our communities is horrendous. In 2008, in some communities, the turnover rate was approximately 68% for a period of less than two years. It must not be forgotten that the community development cycle is from five to ten years.

Official Languages committee  Yes, and as a consequence, the Government of Canada is not able to fulfill its obligations to francophone citizens.

Official Languages committee  It's not something new; it has been in effect for a long time. In addition to that, I'd like to add that we are required by nos bailleurs de fonds.... I'm sorry, my English is usually very good—I'm a translator—but for some reason this morning, it's not coming on. The finance people are asking us to manage this money very well, and that is what we are doing.

Official Languages committee  Yes. Previously, the decision was taken by the Department of Canadian Heritage. But now, they have told us they want to work with us to find the best way of managing the funding. We are very pleased to be given more leeway.

Official Languages committee  We have always found that the department was open-minded. We understand that certain programs need to be worked on, except that some of them need to be reviewed. Certainly, the Department of Canadian Heritage listens to us. We have a good working relationship with Heritage officials.

Official Languages committee  It hurts a lot. I have to admit that there are several negative consequences, including a high staff turnover. Indeed, doubling our efforts means working twice as hard with the same amount of money. You don't get more money because you waited six months for it, you don't get back the interest you've had to pay, either.

Official Languages committee  A little earlier, Suzanne talked at length about projects. Our organizations submit projects to compensate for the lack of basic program funding; programs are the way we deliver services to our communities. I will be very direct and frank with you this morning. We carry out projects in our communities.

Official Languages committee  To be honest, it would be to send us the cheque as quickly as possible, or the letter of confirmation to those organizations which would not have received it yet. There has to be a way to get the money out more quickly. The first funding instalment only gets sent out at the end of April.

Official Languages committee  No. Some provinces and territories have their own system. In Saskatchewan, for example, there is a committee comprised of members of the Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise. That model works very well. In Newfoundland, there was a problem because people said that the committees did not know who they were, yet the committees set the priorities and decided where the money should be invested in a given year.

Official Languages committee  That's not the case when funding has been confirmed.

Official Languages committee  Indeed.

Official Languages committee  Sometimes the rationale behind a project is questioned. Questions will be asked about the project itself.

Official Languages committee  It always depends on the province, territory or organization. It also depends on whether people have questions. Sometimes, Canadian Heritage will ask questions. But from the moment you receive confirmation, it usually takes several months before a cheque is sent.

Official Languages committee  That's right. Several communities, for example in Saskatchewan, have a management committee. This committee asks many questions and makes sure that the applications are prepared correctly before sending them out with recommendations. However, sometimes there are additional questions regarding an organization, a program or part of a program.