Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. Yes, absolutely. Access to quality services in French is important, especially for essential services such as justice. We make sure that bilingual lawyers are trained, but we also need bilingual judges, otherwise we could see incredible delays for extr

Official Languages committee  We certainly have to continue recruiting to attract bilingual talent. We also need to keep investing in that talent during their public service careers. I'm going to briefly talk about my own story. I worked in the federal government for 25 years in various capacities. I was abl

Official Languages committee  The reason we wanted to modernize the Official Languages Act was precisely to be better equipped to fight this decline. Now it's time to adopt policies to implement the act. We feel that one of the important things is the federal government should provide services to the communit

Official Languages committee  I don't have the numbers with me.

Official Languages committee  Not everywhere, but it's certainly possible in the departments we work with more frequently. However, people in the Saint‑Pierre‑Jolys community would say that it's harder to be served in French.

Official Languages committee  One of these challenges is the sustainability of our community organizations. Many of these organizations rely on project-based funding, but it's very difficult to focus on your main mandates when you're always presenting projects and chasing funding. Labour is another challenge

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I'd also like to thank you for telling us about your Franco‑Manitoban roots and connections. This shows the richness of our Francophonie. We can see the future there. We work very closely with the Franco‑Métis community. We're building bridges for r

Official Languages committee  First of all, I don't want to celebrate this growth of Manitoba's francophone community too much, because we're still vulnerable, and more and more people are turning to English because of a lack of services in French. This is particularly true for newcomers, who often speak neit

Official Languages committee  I know that there are a number of programs for bilingual municipalities and that they've expressed their need for services and resources. Again, I'd like to emphasize the importance of investments in education within the departments and public agencies that provide these services

Official Languages committee  I would just add that these language rights are fundamental. In our view, no matter where you are, access to federal government services in both official languages is a right. We're working in a very concerted way to count bilingual municipalities and find ways to offer a wider r

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. It's always a battle, but we work very hard to ensure the sustainability of our community. Today's growth is more due to immigration. So that's a very important element for us. We have several bilingual municipalities, as well as a francophone school

Official Languages committee  ... and I'd like to add that there are a lot of people who are enrolled in immersion programs, which contributes to the vitality of the community.

Official Languages committee  Good afternoon. I would first like to thank the committee for inviting me to appear today. My name is Angela Cassie and I am the president of the Société de la francophonie manitobaine, the SFM. I'm also a former federal public servant. As you know, the SFM is the voice of Man

Official Languages committee  That, in fact, is the reason why we have cultural institutions like the Centre culturel franco-manitobain, Théâtre Cercle Molière, and other similar organizations. We established them so that people could live in French when the work day is done. And then there are the courses a

Official Languages committee  I'll give a brief overview, and then let Mr. Boucher handle the details. As a francophile, I believe that the definition of the term “francophone” is a very important aspect of our identity. It strengthens the vitality of our community. I believe that the definition of the term