:
Good morning. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
[English]
Mr. Chair and members of the standing committee, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for inviting both General Gosselin and me here today.
As you've heard, I am the chief of military personnel and the champion for official languages for the Canadian Forces.
[Translation]
Today, as I said, I'm accompanied by Major-General Daniel Gosselin, Commander of the Canadian Defence Academy, who reports to me. He is also responsible for CFB Borden.
[English]
I would like to first address some strategic issues, then I will ask Major General Gosselin to speak to the Borden situation.
Unlike other federal departments, National Defence is a hybrid of two institutions, the Canadian Forces and the Department of National Defence.
[Translation]
At National Defence, we decided that, to do things right and to comply with the Official Languages Act more fully, we had to make better use of our skills in the other official language and, as a result, to facilitate the establishment of an environment conducive to the use of both official languages. We must also be able to do that while performing our everyday duties, in particular leadership, the provision of services and instruction.
[English]
To achieve such results we had to define a new vision that could bring about a significant change in the way we lead, train, administer, and support our members of both official language groups. That vision and its approach are described in the National Defence official languages program transformation model 2007 to 2012. The work started as planned on April 1 of this year.
The transformation model is intended to address the shortcomings that we have marked in our official languages performance. Indeed, these shortcomings have led the Canadian Forces to move away from a positional to a functional approach for official languages purposes.
The goal of the transformation model is to ensure that National Defence personnel are led, trained, administered, and supported in their official language of choice. This focus positions the department and the Canadian Forces to more effectively support domestic and foreign operations, while better meeting their legal official language obligations. It also sets out a practical vision of an integrated military and civilian official languages program.
The transformation model has three aims.
[Translation]
First, to ensure that National Defence's linguistically qualified military and civilian personnel are assigned to the right place at the right time in order to provide effective support for Canadian Forces operations and to comply with the Official Languages Act.
[English]
Second, to establish an enhanced Official Languages Act awareness and education program that ensures that civilian and Canadian Forces personnel are fully cognizant of their linguistic rights and obligations.
[Translation]
Third, to establish a performance measurement system that will make it possible to accurately evaluate the ability of National Defence military and civilian personnel to provide, in a coherent and standard manner, leadership, instruction and bilingual services when and where provided for under the Official Languages Act.
[English]
The implementation of the functional approach is pivotal to the successful realization of the transformation model. Allow me to explain. Military personnel do not “fill” positions, as sailors, soldiers, and air force personnel are liable to move away from their home, overseas and at home in operations, to serve anywhere at any time and to pay the ultimate sacrifice. They are rotated through various tasks within units to which they are assigned to meet specific and often changing training and operational requirements. This makes for a very mobile and dynamic force manned by very busy people.
Because personnel are often away from home, they do not and cannot, like others, secure a regular presence at any one post. So you can see why the public service positional approach for ensuring bilingual capacity--that is, filling static positions with linguistically qualified incumbents who usually remain in one position until they choose to move to another--cannot work for the Canadian Forces.
[Translation]
That does not mean that the Canadian Forces are not taking any measures to guarantee competency in both official languages, as required by the Official Languages Act. They are doing so, and have been for many years now. They transfer bilingual personnel in order to guarantee that bilingual services and functions are ensured when and where necessary.
[English]
This approach is in fact that the National Defence Act requires unit commanding officers to employ their resources, including their personnel, to the best of their ability to perform the missions assigned to them. In the military, the functional approach alone can ensure that personnel are led, trained, administered, and supported in their official language of choice. But first, we must ensure that our work environments themselves are in compliance with the Official Languages Act. To that end, the language of work of every unit of the Canadian Forces is accurately identified as bilingual, English, or French. We then identify what functions need to be conducted in both official languages and in what unit.
[Translation]
The transformation model is an optimistic plan for solving the problems it is important to solve. It is a plan that may last five years. We cannot solve all the problems at the same time.
[English]
I believe we're on the right track, however. With the profound and fundamental changes we've undertaken under the transformation model, I must say that the situation today, despite some anomalies, is much different from what it was a few years ago. We have and will continue to make progress.
At this time I'd like to give Major General Gosselin the opportunity to address the members of this committee on the situation at Canadian Forces Base Borden. There are many reasons why the situation in Borden was not addressed in a timely manner. In the end, I make no excuses in front of this committee as to why the situation was not addressed; it should have been. For that, I accept the full responsibility as the current chief of military personnel. Nevertheless, I know full well that the plans that are in place right now will see us realize what we need to do to ensure that the Canadian Forces has the leadership and is compliant with the Official Languages Act.
:
Mr. Chairman, members of the Standing Committee, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for this opportunity to update you this morning on the situation at the CFB Borden with regard to instruction and services in French.
[English]
As was stated, I've commanded the Canadian Defence Academy since July of this summer. That includes, in this capacity, the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, the Canadian Forces College in Toronto, Canadian Forces Base Borden, and a number of schools throughout the Canadian Forces.
[Translation]
Allow me to mention, first of all, that I welcome the involvement of the Canadian Forces' ombudsman in this case, since it is in our common interest to improve the services provided to Canadian Forces personnel training and on duty at Borden. So we're taking these findings seriously. A force that promotes the vitality of its linguistic groups and an understanding of diversity is a more seasoned force that has more resources.
[English]
We fully appreciate, as well, that for the recruits this initial period of training will influence how they view the Canadian Forces as an institution. We also recognize their rights to have the instruction and services in the language of their choice. We are working very hard to address the issues raised by the ombudsman.
Let me briefly outline some of those, and I can expand on any in the question period, if you are interested.
[Translation]
In August of this year, the commander of CFC Borden proclaimed the Canadian Forces Base Borden Official Languages Strategic Plan for 2007 to 2010. The plan also states the resources required for its implementation. I am working with General Semianiw to ensure that the highest priority is given to the necessary resources for the plan's implementation. We have a few initiatives, in particular the selection of a senior officer as official languages champion for CFB Borden, the introduction of an awareness campaign including articles in newspapers, postal missions and improvements to our Borden Web site.
We also hosted a open house style activity in October, receiving more than 25 organizations from the regional Francophone community. I personally visited CFB Borden on two occasions. I met with the base's officers and senior non-commissioned officers in order to emphasize the importance of the Canadian Forces' Base Borden Official Languages Strategic Plan. I also met with more than 300 Francophone recruits to discuss their concerns. Last month, I visited the base again and held information sessions with personnel and a number of students taking courses in French. I also sent two teams from my staff to assist the base commander.
[English]
In order to maintain this momentum, we've also begun implementing a number of initiatives to ensure that the provision of training, education, and services continues to improve, especially for francophone recruits. We are providing all new staff and students arriving at CFB Borden with information on their linguistic rights and responsibilities and we are seeking their feedback when they leave the base. We are enhancing our cadre of linguistically qualified instructors, educators, and service providers. We have invested additional resources to translate course material into French. We have begun working with civilian education and training providers to improve our instructional and support capability, and we are continuing to enhance education awareness on official languages.
[Translation]
To sum up, we recognize the need to protect the rights of all members of the Canadian Forces. The ombudsman has identified deficiencies at CFB Borden, and will correct them vigorously and energetically.
Significant progress has been achieved since his visit. However, despite the initiatives and additional resources invested, a sustained effort over a number of years appears to be required in order to improve the official languages situation at Borden to a satisfactory level. We nevertheless remain committed to building on recent progress in order to achieve that goal.
Thank you very much.
:
I have 10 minutes; thank you very much. You got me there. I simply wanted to know the origin of your name and to be nice in my introduction.
We met Mr. O'Connor, who was Minister of National Defence at the time, and we heard about the plan and so on. I would like to help find some solutions to this problem.
In 1867, it was the Dominion of Canada. The Canadian Armed Forces did not really take shape until World War I. We know the history. I find it unfortunate to see the position that French Canadians and Acadians, as they were called at the time, occupied in the Canadian Forces. Today they're referred to as Quebeckers and minority Francophones, even though Quebeckers form the majority in their province. However, it appears that their position in the Canadian Forces is something second class and of little interest: official languages in a nutshell.
When Mr. Côté came here, I wasn't here. I wasn't the Bloc Québécois representative at that time; I wasn't available. I read the transcript and minutes of the meeting, as well as the articles. They state that everything is in English and that managers aren't aware enough of this issue. They also say there is a lack of training manuals and that the quality of the instructors' French is very poor. They even tell people to choose another course, when documents aren't available in French for a given occupation.
Trivial things become complicated as a result of poor knowledge of the language. The quality of life of people whose first language is French or who do not speak English as a second language becomes complicated. You say there's a plan now. I'm willing to believe that, but the situation has existed for such a long time that it's becoming difficult.
My father was a Franco-Ontarian. When he left Hawkesbury, Ontario, to join the Canadian Armed Forces during World War II, he was sent to Cornwall. Since he had trouble understanding English, they said he was a slow learner. They sent him to Petawawa, which didn't improve matters. Lastly, he wound up in Quebec City, at Valcartier, where he became a sergeant, instructor and so on. The same thing happened to his two brothers, Georges and Maurice, who are my uncles.
It's very insulting for someone to read on the soldier's transcript that he's a slow learner. The slow ones are the Canadian Armed Forces. I don't understand why the situation is still the same in 2007 or why you're telling me today that there is a plan. In fact, the situation has regressed, and that's utterly unacceptable.
As parliamentarians, we need documents, and we need access to the translations of those documents. How is it that you can't even translate training manuals? That's incomprehensible. You tell me that the introduction of services is limited by available funding. As far as I know, these are the “Canadian” Armed Forces, and they represent two nations, Quebec and Canada, which together form a single body that goes into combat. They should have these instruments.
You say that, on the base, Mr. Bouchard is a resource for soldiers who are having trouble. I hope that's not the solution and that it's only to provide help.
How can you guarantee me that you can find a quick solution to problems that seem systemic and correct the obvious lack of will that has existed since the inception of the Canadian Armed Forces and that still persists in 2007?
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Welcome. General Semianiw, I know you say you don't want to focus on the past, but on the future, but we also have to look at the present. Personally, I've been sitting on the Standing Committee on Official Languages since 1999, and we've been talking about this since then, not to mention the fact that it was talked about before that.
I read a newspaper article about you, Major-General Daniel Gosselin. According to that article, Major-General Daniel Gosselin, a Francophone with 33 years' seniority in the Armed Forces, said that the problem is not as serious as Mr. Côté seems to believe.
Just before that, it states that Mr. Côté met with approximately 40 young recruits at a meeting last year and that the ombudsman's investigators spoke with many other recruits during a visit to the base in June. Mr. Côté added that he found it unfortunate that every new member of the Armed Forces, Anglophone and Francophone, winds up in a training environment where he or she is spoken to in a language that person does not understand and that there's no way to raise the issue. In his view, they suffer as a result and their morale is low.
I find that serious. It's unacceptable.
The government defended itself by saying that we were at war in Afghanistan, that we were spending a lot of money and that there were problems. They raised the fact that even the receptionist wasn't bilingual. Is it that costly to hire a bilingual receptionist? That's a problem.
Earlier my colleague Mr. Nadeau talked about slow learners. As we speak here, it is the Canadian Forces that are the problem; this is the second official language, or one of the official languages. In New Brunswick, for example, Anglophone nurse practitioners have all passed their exams, and four of the five Francophones failed them. Are we that slow? No, that's not the problem. The Francophones have translated manuals and they can't follow them. So there are deficiencies.
Now, sending Francophones to the Borden base to make them mechanics or chefs when the instructors aren't bilingual puts them at a complete disadvantage. Even today—I'm talking about the present, not the past—in the December 2 edition of the newspaper, they talk about a unilingual Anglophone on a naval reserve. This is a person who has just been appointed. A woman will be leading the naval reserve, but in English only: she's a unilingual Anglophone.
At Borden, are there any instructors who only speak French, not English? Are there any generals who only speak French and not English? Does this problem exist in the other direction? I've been here since 1999, and I've never heard of the reverse problem. I think that this is insulting, that it isn't fair and that it isn't right. National Defence is like the RCMP: you represent our country; you represent the laws of our country, and they're being broken.
I'd like to hear your comments.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I don't think there are any quick solutions. Something has to be done, but it's not a matter of money. I was a member of the Armed Forces for 20 years. My colleagues know it, but perhaps not you.
[English]
And I'd like to remind the committee that our military has been in decline for over 20 years. When I joined the military
[Translation]
in 1980, 85,000 persons belonged to the Canadian Forces. When I retired in 2000, there were 63,000. So we're talking about a significant decline in human resources. We note that the rate is high, perhaps because of Afghanistan, our NATO commitments or our training commitments.
[English]
These are very real commitments.
My concern is that the Canadian Forces, right now—the soldiers we're talking about—are stretched very thin. They're asked to do a lot with very few resources. So I see the first challenge as being with resources. As I have said, when I speak of resources I'm not talking about money, because money will not fix this problem. I'm talking about having trained, qualified personnel.
When we come to instructors, Monsieur Godin might say, just throw a mechanical instructor in there, for heaven sakes. But we're talking about military equipment, and military equipment is different from civilian equipment. You can't find very many weapons technician instructors in the civilian sector, not ones who are fully conversant with military weapons systems or with fire control systems. Not only do you have to have someone who is capable of instructing in French; you have to have someone who is qualified on military equipment, and it's very specific military equipment. I see that as being one challenge.
The second challenge is bilingual training.
[Translation]
As our commissioner said, bilingualism training in the Canadian Forces has been a real failure in the past. I was part of that system.
Given that situation, the Canadian Forces are presenting a new program designed to improve bilingualism. The fact remains that, for the moment, we're living with the consequences of a failure. There aren't enough bilingual individuals who qualify to take training in both official languages.
[English]
I look forward to seeing positive results with respect to the new bilingualism policy. But I want to be clear: the situation in Borden has to improve, and we have heard some of the initiatives that have been taken to improve it.
I'd like to ask a couple of questions. One of them is with respect to bilingual instructors. As you know, we've asked the Canadian Forces to focus on recruiting and to increase the number of people who join the forces. My understanding from contacts I have is that at CFB Saint-Jean, where recruit training—the basic training—is done,
[Translation]
the capability to train recruits in a Francophone environment has increased. There has always been training in French at Saint-Jean. That's why I would like to know whether you are able to transfer bilingual or Francophone personnel from Saint-Jean to Borden.
[English]
I ask the question because my understanding is that Saint-Jean has been able to accelerate its training. They've been able to graduate many recruits, but not to do the follow-on training. The follow-on training is where there are still choke points. It might be possible to decrease some of the training resources at Saint-Jean and increase some of the training resources at other institutions.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
We've done a lot of work. I think we've already moved forward in a number of areas. In other areas we'll see results in the coming months.
For instance, to free up francophone instructors, bilingual instructors, we've now contracted courses out of Borden and other areas so that we have more francophone instructors available. One specific example--and there are a number of them--is that we contracted out a course for firefighters, for instance, to one of the community colleges in an anglophone province. So we can run a francophone course earlier and we'll have the instructor. That's a specific example.
We've also done a significant awareness campaign. Next summer we are moving more francophone people to Borden. We're finishing the assessment. We will transfer more people.
I should mention, as was raised before, that from a statistics point of view we have 1,763 military personnel in Borden. And out of those--in Borden, in that anglophone community--we have 850 people who have declared French as their first official language. It's a significant proportion, considering the area on the base.
So we have a number, but we have areas that we're trying to solve. Obviously the base services are another area we're putting a lot of focus on, especially for the recruits who need initial services when they arrive. So the base hospital and pay services were getting special attention.
:
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Colleagues and members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I am pleased to appear before you today as .
Since I took up this position, I have met representatives of English and French official-language communities and Canadians who care about our country's linguistic duality. I was impressed by the dynamism and determination of these men and women. The discussions that I have had with them have motivated me to work together with these Canadians.
We are making significant efforts not only to support these people in their work on official languages, but also to ensure that our linguistic duality helps us build bridges between various components of Canadian society. The data from the 2006 Census published by Statistics Canada on December 4 underscore the importance of the Government of Canada's programs and initiatives to promote official languages. The Canadian reality is enriched by an ever-increasing pluralism.
[English]
Since the beginning of its mandate, our government has redoubled its efforts to lay the foundations of a stronger, more prosperous, and more united Canada. In my opinion, we will reach this goal only when we allow all citizens to live and grow in French as well as in English. We can make this happen through the education of our young people.
Since my arrival, I have signed bilateral education agreements with every province and territory that will allow us to invest no less than $1 billion over four years, an unprecedented amount. In these agreements we touch on several different responses to the challenges of teaching in a minority setting in order to advance the goals that are important to our government and to communities, such as recruiting and retaining students, bridging the gaps between school and community, recruiting teachers, and improving access to post-secondary studies.
[Translation]
In accordance with our stated goal of making a better future for official-language communities, we have launched pilot projects on the advantages of offering enriched services in French to preschool-age children. I believe that this is an important first step not only for the development of these children, but also for the future of official-language communities.
With respect to second-language education, the provinces and territories are developing new second-language teaching approaches, improving primary and secondary students' language skills, and modernizing teaching methods. Like us, these governments believe it is important for young Canadians to know our two official languages to succeed in a world of global communication.
As we announced in the 2007 Budget, we will spend $30 million over two years to help Canadians use their language more on a daily basis. Over the next few months, I will be making a number of announcements about how this major investment will be shared across the country.
We have a simple yet worthwhile goal. We want all young Canadians to have the opportunity to appreciate our linguistic duality and to understand what a treasure this cultural heritage is for our country.
This year, the Department of Canadian Heritage, through its Official Languages Support Branch, will target youth activities that will give young people in official-language communities more opportunities to live life in their own language. In so doing, we hope to encourage their commitment to their community.
Supporting local projects by and for young people would seem to be the most relevant approach - such everyday activities as sports, cultural pursuits, and developing Web content. Young people become more attached to their language by regularly taking part in activities in their language. Leisure activities provide key opportunities for social interaction and building identity.
[English]
As you know, our government wants to involve not only young people from English and French minority language communities but all young Canadians. Learning their second official language is growing in popularity among our young people. The adults of tomorrow recognize the personal and professional potential that language learning can afford them.
It's therefore important to target youth activities that create opportunities for young Canadians to have linguistic and cultural experiences in their second official language.
To do this, we support extracurricular and cultural activities that promote use of the second language or exposure to the second language outside of school. From these experiences, young people can learn to better appreciate the culture that accompanies both languages while improving their language skills. For young anglophones, this type of experience makes the French language more relevant to their lives.
[Translation]
I would now like to speak briefly about how we are dealing with the changes that are happening in official-language communities.
The most recent census clearly indicates that these communities are undergoing a transformation. They are becoming more urban and more multicultural. We need to provide them with places adapted to their needs.
On the other hand, there are also dynamic and unified rural communities, firmly anchored in tradition.
To respond to the concerns of communities throughout the country, the cooperation that exists between the federal government and the provinces and territories is invaluable.
The construction and expansion of school-community centres across Canada are a wonderful example of this in the community and education sector.
In terms of health care, the construction and renovation of cultural and community spaces in the Saint Thomas Community Health Centre is often mentioned.
[English]
This fall I was honoured to take part in the latest federal-provincial-territorial ministers conference on la Francophonie in Canada. At this gathering we restated the importance of working with provincial and territorial governments to make sure our investments in official language minority communities have maximum effect.
[Translation]
Some provinces have added their voices to ours on the subject of Francophone immigration. A few months ago, we implemented a strategic plan on Francophone immigration in the provinces in partnership with the country's Francophone and Acadian communities.
The work that we have done over the past few months with the Government of Quebec has focused mostly on celebrations for the 400th anniversary of Quebec City. The cradle of French civilization in North America, the site of the earliest chapters of Canadian history, and an important player in the promotion of French today, Quebec is an important partner of the Government of Canada. We are particularly pleased to work with the Government. of Quebec and the Société du 400e to make 2008 a landmark year for all Quebeckers and all Canadians. Our Government is providing more than $110 million and offering valuable support in preparation for this anniversary, both for infrastructure and for the artistic and cultural programming.
In addition, the next Francophone Summit will take place in Quebec City in 2008. It is no accident that the heads of state and heads of government of Francophone countries have decided to hold their discussions in Canada. Our country is a beacon in its support of the French language. That is why we are investing $2.5 million to ensure that Francophones from all regions of Canada are represented at the activities that are part of the Summit.
Other important activities are planned in connection with the 400th anniversary, including the 13th Federal-Provincial-Territorial Ministers' Conference on La Francophonie in Canada.
As we mentioned in the most recent Speech from the Throne, our Government recognizes how important it is to promote our two official languages and support linguistic duality in Canada. We will confirm our support for our linguistic. duality through concrete actions in the coming months. This spring, we will propose a strategy to bring about the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages.
[English]
To date, the action plan has generated investments of close to $810 million in education, the federal public service, and the development of language industries and official language communities. This plan expires in March, providing an ideal opportunity to breath new life into our efforts to strengthen our linguistic duality.
We are currently reviewing all projects and the federal strategy on official languages. This will allow us to renew or perhaps even change government projects that deal with official languages. We may sometimes need to strengthen them and also to adjust and modernize them, to build on partnerships, and to raise interest among Canadians.
[Translation]
This week, we launched consultations aimed at taking the pulse of the population to see what this new strategy should focus on. These consultations will allow us to understand the viewpoints of all stakeholders. Such as key organizations in the area of linguistic duality, universities, and representatives of the volunteer and private sectors.
Bernard Lord will moderate the regional consultations that will be held in seven Canadian cities in the first two weeks of December. As former Premier of New Brunswick, Canada's only bilingual province, Mr. Lord is the ideal candidate to successfully lead these consultations. His extensive regional experience, as well as in the area of official languages, provides him with the necessary expertise to understand and moderate these consultations.
In our discussions about developing a new strategy, we will consider our ongoing dialogue with the provinces and territories, particularly the work of the Ministers' Conference on La Francophonie in Canada.
:
I have two pages left. I'm coming to the conclusion.
Of course, we will also take into account—and it’s important to say this—results of community gatherings like the Sommet des communautés francophones et acadienne, reports from the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, results of the 2006 Census and an important follow-up study on community vitality by Statistics Canada.
Of course, the important work of the House of Commons standing committees on official languages will be given careful consideration.
Conclusion.
[English]
As you can see, our record in the area of official languages is solid and diversified.
[Translation]
Our Government will continue to build on what we have already achieved to ensure that Canadians can benefit from the many advantages offered by our country's two official languages—a national cultural treasure that is unique in North America.
I am determined to work toward this, in the spirit of open federalism, and respectful of provincial and territorial fields of jurisdiction.
Thank you for inviting me and taking the time to listen.
Of course, I should have introduced my Deputy Minister, Judith LaRocque, whom everybody knows well, and Hubert Lussier, who is Director General.
:
I'd like to know why you chose to come here today. We asked you, by invitation, to talk about the Court Challenges Program. You know we are preparing a report. But you chose not to talk about it at all in your address, not at all.
Furthermore, the Standing Committee on Official Languages made 39 recommendations in May. In those recommendations, it asked what the Conservative government's position was on the Court Challenges Program. Once again, Minister, you chose not to answer our question at all.
Why has the Conservative government cancelled the Court Challenges Program? You say you're listening to the Canadian population.
We did a national tour. We went from St. John's, Newfoundland to Vancouver. All the communities told us that that would affect the minority communities in Canada. We don't need Bernard Lord to tell us that, I can guarantee you. If there are French-language schools in Prince Edward Island, it's thanks to the Court Challenges Program. If there are French-language schools in Nova Scotia, it's thanks to the Court Challenges Program. If we were able to separate the school boards in New Brunswick and finally have French-language school boards, it's thanks to the Court Challenges Program. If we still have the Montfort Hospital and if a small amount of $75,000 was provided to finish the challenges, once again it's thanks to the Court Challenges Program.
And before a committee where you were asked to come and tell us about Court Challenges, you avoid the subject.
I would like some answers, Minister. I'll let you give the answers you want. If you still want to avoid the subject, I'll let you do that because you've been quite successful so far.
:
Mr. Chair, as there were a number of questions, I'll give a number of answers.
As regards the process, it is open. For operational questions and questions discussed with the various parties, there is a limited number of groups. They are invited, but the process is open. I would recall that online consultations are underway at the same time. Everyone has a right to speak out on these consultations which will lead us to the second part of the Action Plan for Official Languages.
You talked about the various suggestions, various viewpoints that were expressed during the committee's tour. I said that our thinking process would take into account all the reports that had been prepared by various committees and associations. We hope to conduct the broadest, most extensive consultation possible.
As regards the technical details of the negotiation with FCFA, I will forward that answer to you. I didn't negotiate, but I will ensure that someone from the department provides you with the answer.
As to your fourth question, or statement, no, there will not be a void after what you call the Dion Plan, which we call the Action Plan for Official Languages. Our government has made a firm commitment to promote linguistic duality. It acknowledges the importance of the various linguistic communities across the country, and no one, apart from the member, has understood that were abandoning the communities at the end of that plan.
I want to thank the witnesses for appearing in front of us today--Minister, Madam LaRocque, and Monsieur Lussier.
It's interesting that we're having this meeting right now, and you've made reference to this in your report, that we are increasingly living in a diverse country. The 2006 census highlights the increasing diversity of this country, a country that is one of the fastest growing in the world and one where one in five Canadians now is foreign-born, a number that is only going to increase in future years.
I commend you and your department for starting to tackle the challenge of diversity while, at the same time, trying to preserve our institutions and some of the values on which our nation has been founded, values like official bilingualism and linguistic duality. So I commend you in that work and I strongly encourage the department to continue tackling that challenge, because I think it will be one of the biggest challenges we face in the coming decades--how to accommodate that diversity while preserving some of these cherished institutions and cherished values on which our nation has been founded.
In that context, a very important part of maintaining some of these values, like bilingualism, has been the action plan for official languages, which we all know is expiring in March of next year. My questions for the minister and the deputy minister are these. Maybe you can describe to this committee what steps will be taken between now and April 1 of next year to renew the action plan for official languages. And when might we hear about the successor to the action plan for official languages?
To my short question, I'd like to have a long answer.
First, I would like to make a comment, since this is not the first time I've heard Ms. Verner talk to us this way. A little earlier, she told my colleague that the Bloc Québécois had voted against the Throne Speech, recalling a beautiful sentence contained in the speech, that is to say that the French fact was a founding aspect of our big beautiful country. As though we had to vote in favour of the Throne Speech because of a beautiful sentence it contained! I have trouble accepting that.
I'm a new member; I've been here for only a year. However, it's not because a beautiful sentence was slipped into a Throne Speech that you necessarily have to support the entire speech. In my opinion, it is dishonest to constantly remind us of that, as she has done in the House on a number of occasions. I think she does well when she does that because she doesn't answer the questions.
Furthermore, my colleague asked a good question on assimilation a little earlier. For years now, we've been fighting to preserve French, and the quality of the language, not only in Quebec, but across Canada as well. The government tosses out ideas, but absolutely nothing happens.
Could the minister tell us what assimilation represents for her?