:
Good morning Mr. Chair and committee members.
I would like to begin by thanking you for inviting the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada to appear before the committee during its study of the 150th anniversary celebrations of Canadian Confederation in 2017. I am always happy to have the opportunity to speak to you.
According to the latest information from the 2011 Census, I am here today on behalf of not 2.5 million, but 2.6 million French-speaking citizens living in nine provinces and three territories. I will share some ideas about how we can make this celebration an event that defines a generation.
This is the second time this year that we have had the privilege of discussing this issue with parliamentarians. The FCFA appeared before your colleagues on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage earlier this year during its study of the 150th anniversary celebrations. We have reviewed that committee's recommendations, and I will come back to them later in my presentation.
By way of introduction, let me read you a quote:
...Canada is the country it is today because we have learned to accept our differences, to celebrate them, to gain strength from them, but also sometimes to see past them, to our shared values and our common aspirations, freedom, democracy, justice for all individuals and for all communities.
These words were spoken by the Prime Minister of Canada during a speech in Beaubassin on August 29.
Those words distill the essence of the FCFA's vision for the 150th anniversary celebrations: a vision of sharing, exchange and dialogue that highlights the importance of seizing every opportunity to strengthen ties between all of Canada's constituent parts.
Indeed, while linguistic duality and cultural diversity are now widely recognized by the government and Canadians as values that define our nation and society, opportunities for dialogue and exchange between the various communities remain limited. It often seems that Canadian society consists of groups that, owing to distance or different backgrounds, do not have the chance to talk to each other and understand each other.
Consider the media coverage and public debate about last week's publication of linguistic data from the 2011 Census. Canadians may recognize the value of linguistic duality, but their interpretations of it differ considerably. Some claim that the new bilingualism is English plus one of the many languages spoken by immigrants to Canada. Others believe that French is for Quebec and English is for everywhere else, period. It is easy for them to overlook the 2.6 million francophones living in nine provinces and three territories.
We believe that one of the goals of the 150th anniversary celebrations must be to restore Canadians’ desire to learn about each other and to move forward together. We want to be able to say in 2017 that all segments of Canadian society took the time to learn about each other, talk to each other and recognize each other as fellow Canadians while respecting their respective differences. This is not just a desirable outcome; it is of tremendous value for the growth and development of a country like ours.
For Francophone and Acadian communities, this would mean finally being seen as more than just minorities and instead being seen as distinct Canadian communities. This would mean that people would understand once and for all that French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians have equal language rights and that this equality benefits all of Canada.
Those are the key principles. Now let us look at how to put them into practice.
Dialogue and exchange initiatives that target youth have a particularly significant impact. Our communities know something about this: we need only look at the success stories of the Acadian Games, Jeux de la francophonie canadienne or youth parliaments organized by the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française. We recommended to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage that these initiatives be used as models for establishing large-scale events that would enable youth from francophone, anglophone, aboriginal and ethnocultural communities to meet and experience Canada’s defining values together. Today, we are reiterating that recommendation.
Another way to help young people discover their country would be to foster greater mobility among post-secondary students through joint federal-provincial and territorial initiatives. We are not the first to have noticed that it can be easier for an Ontario university student to study abroad than in Quebec, and vice versa. Initiatives that foster student mobility would be launched during the 2016-17 school year and continue in future years, becoming a tangible legacy of the 150th anniversary celebrations. Not only would these initiatives enable young people to learn about how other Canadians live, they would also support second language acquisition and an understanding of the value of Canada's linguistic duality.
More generally, as the 150th anniversary of Confederation approaches, the Government of Canada could make it easier for more Canadians to learn a second official language by investing more in immersion programs, which, as we know, are struggling to meet ever-growing demand. A government that wants to highlight the entire history of Canada should make it a priority to celebrate the pact between its two founding peoples and two founding languages by striving to work with the provinces and territories to eliminate waiting lists for those who wish to learn one of these two languages.
In addition, the FCFA notes that your colleagues on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage included in their report a recommendation to increase co-operation among local museums to create and promote exhibits about Canada’s 150th anniversary. We recommend that this increased co-operation extend beyond museums to heritage and historical organizations, enabling them to forge links and work on joint projects that involve all communities. Such co-operation would promote intergenerational interaction, for example, giving seniors and youth the chance to share their thoughts on what it means to be Canadian.
These are some ideas that would make the 150th anniversary of Confederation an excellent opportunity to celebrate our shared values, including linguistic duality.
Finally, I would like to comment on the practical aspect, the mechanisms that will be implemented for the celebrations in 2017. The FCFA is delighted that the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage recommended that the government consult with all the different groups in society, including representatives of aboriginal peoples, ethnocultural communities and official language minority communities, regarding the future framework for the celebrations. It would be appropriate and helpful for the Standing Committee on Official Languages to formally endorse this recommendation.
The Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage also recommended that the government create an independent agency or corporation to plan, organize and implement the 150th anniversary celebrations. We believe it is essential that this entity be bilingual and that it include representatives of francophone and Acadian communities. From the very beginning, when the government unveils its plans for the 2017 celebrations, it must send a message that everything created, implemented, built or presented for or to the public will be bilingual. This includes museum exhibits, family activities, official ceremonies during events paid for by the Government of Canada and any tangible legacies of the 150th anniversary, such as monuments and buildings.
I would like to end my presentation with a somewhat more philosophical but nevertheless important recommendation. Many Canadians who experienced the celebrations of the centennial of Confederation in 1967 remember them still. I still have my little passport, in fact. I was very young then, but I still have my passport. This shows how successful these initiatives were; they touched people and brought them together. That is how high the bar has been set for 2017.
I recommend that this committee think big while preparing its report at the conclusion of this study. It is important to talk about the mechanisms and processes that should be in place, and I am sure that some of your recommendations will touch on that. However, the how must not obscure the why. We want to celebrate the 150th anniversary of Confederation because we want to rally Canadians around our common values and restore their desire to talk to and learn about each other, from one end of this vast country to the other. I hope that you—I hope that we—conceive of celebrations that can attain this goal.
Thank you. I am ready to take your questions.
:
Good morning, Mr. Chong, Monsieur Godin, Monsieur Dion, Monsieur Gourde, and members of the committee. It is a pleasure for the QCGN to be back before this committee today.
We are especially pleased to be joined today by Lorraine O'Donnell, the coordinator-researcher of Quebec English-Speaking Communities Research Network, QUESCREN, a joint initiative of the Canadian Institute for Research on Linguistic Minorities, CIRLM, and Concordia University's School of Extended Learning.
QUESCREN is a dynamic alliance of researchers, community members, and institutions dedicated to developing research capacity related to Quebec's English-speaking communities. Significant community energy has been invested in creating and supporting QUESCREN, and there is no doubt that investment is paying off. Dr. O'Donnell has worked tirelessly to create an academic environment that is welcoming of research related to our community. Equally important, she has done so in a manner that includes the community sector. QUESCREN is allowing us to develop an organic capacity to generate research, creating an evidence base of value to practitioners and policy leaders.
The QCGN was pleased to see this committee undertake a separate study on preparations for our 150th anniversary of Confederation. A significant part of our history before, during, and since Confederation is rooted in the struggles, triumphs, and compromises of and between Canada's two official languages. Linguistic duality is not an add-on to our national story; it is the story.
We have reviewed the report of October 11, 2012, by your colleagues on the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. The recommendations contained therein are arranged by activities: planning, legacies, participation, and museums. We will base our comments and recommendations to you in the same order.
On planning: if the Government of Canada creates an independent agency or corporation to plan, organize, and implement Canada's 150th anniversary of Confederation, the QCGN hopes that such an organization would include representation from Canada's English and French linguistic minority communities. Canada's official language minority communities are living proof of linguistic duality, with Canadians living in both of our official national languages from coast to coast to coast. The QCGN often helps our public partners identify key community leaders suitable for similar undertakings, and we would certainly offer our assistance in this matter.
On legacies: English-speaking Quebec is blessed with a vibrant arts scene that is well organized and connected to the vitality of our community. We draw the committee's attention in particular to the English-Language Arts Network, a leading arts and culture sector community organization. ELAN works in six key areas that fit very well with the legacy recommendations of the heritage committee's report. We would urge the committee to remember that the arts and culture of English-speaking Quebec are unique, reflecting our special history as a linguistic minority. The stories of both Canada's French and English linguistic minority communities deserve equal consideration and equitable exposure during the anniversary's legacy projects.
The ESCQ is also very interested in benefiting from legacy projects to digitize Canada's documentary heritage as part of Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations of Confederation. This is an excellent way to enhance a community's vitality.
On participation: the English-speaking community of Quebec has established social media networks that could augment efforts to encourage participation in the 150th anniversary. We would also remind the committee of our network of community newspapers, many of which have online and web 2.0 channels.
Tourism is an important economic activity and employer in many English-speaking communities outside of the Montreal CMA, the census metropolitan area. Regions such as the Lower North Shore, the Gaspé, central Quebec, the Eastern Townships, and western Quebec are not only historically important to the story of Confederation but could directly benefit from tourism marketing initiatives focused on the anniversary. On the same principle, incentives to encourage Canadians to explore their country during 2017 can certainly be designed to steer people to the heritage of their French and English linguistic minority communities.
On museums: the Quebec Anglophone Heritage Network, QAHN, is an umbrella organization engaged with its members in promoting preservation of the built, cultural, and natural heritage of Quebec. QAHN aims to advance knowledge of the history of Quebec's English-speaking communities by informing, inspiring, and connecting people through its activities. English-speaking Quebec should at once see and be seen in travelling exhibits and participate in museum projects, and our historical institutions should benefit from special marketing measures undertaken in support of the anniversary.
Linguistic duality has been a core Canadian value and must therefore be an integral part of our nation's 150th celebrations of Confederation. This is far beyond conforming to a law; it is about honestly representing our collective history.
The English-speaking community of Quebec is one of Canada's two linguistic minority communities. Our history predates Confederation by more than a century, and our story is an important and integral part of the history of Canada. We hope this committee's recommendations reflect this reality and lead to an anniversary that truly celebrates the heritage of both our official languages.
Thank you.
Hello everyone.
Before I begin I want to apologize in advance to the interpreters. I hope I will not have to be stopped three times for speaking too fast like the last time. The other thing that is different this time from my last appearance is that I will not get the chance to skip my university classes since the university has so generously given us the week off. I am taking advantage of my time off to be here.
Above all, I want to thank you for inviting me to be here with you today. We believe—and I personally believe—that young people represent the diversity that our country has built and has welcomed over the past 150 years. It is with great pride that we represent Canada's French-speaking youth before you today.
For almost 40 years, our federation has been representing the interests of French-speaking youth and helping them to achieve their full potential by coordinating innovative activities and initiatives with associate members in nine provinces and two territories.
We provide opportunities for our youth to use French outside the classroom by providing employment and placement programs or organizing gatherings. Among our national events, we have the Parlement jeunesse pancanadien, which was held in the Senate chamber in January, the Forum jeunesse pancanadien, which will be held here in Ottawa and in Charlottetown in February, and the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne, as someone mentioned earlier, which brings together a thousand or so young French-speaking Canadians from across the country.
Our core value is the initiatives taken by and for our youth. That is where we want to begin our presentation here today. We are here above all to encourage the active participation of youth representatives in the planning process of the 150th anniversary of Confederation. We believe that it is important to give youth a place by allowing youth representatives, such as young leaders who were elected or appointed by their peers, to contribute to all of the planning stages for the 2017 celebrations. These young people have to be involved in the process to ensure that the youth-related events are a true reflection of today's youth.
The contribution of these young people is often very relevant and even surprising in every aspect in which they are included. These young people play a key role in promoting Canada's core values. Among other things, they will have to adhere to the principles of linguistic duality by sharing the vision of a country that values both its official languages. If I may—and pardon the expression—I think it is important to include young people not as tokens of youth, but as valid participants who have an active role to play and some decision-making power.
This linguistic duality we are talking about has to be promoted in every community, anglophone and francophone alike. Our two official languages have contributed significantly to shaping Canada as we know it today. They define who we are as Canadians in our daily lives. They are an integral part of who we are, of our history, and this must transcend the actions surrounding the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
To do this, a number of things can and must be done. For example, linguistic duality can be given a place in the educational programs that might be used in the schools, or official language communities can be involved in the preparations as well as the festivities. In planning this major celebration, it should be only natural to include linguistic duality. Actions speak louder than words. It is these actions that will remain etched into the memory of Canadians when the celebration is over.
Another essential component of what we are advocating is the possibility of offering French-speaking youth from francophone communities across the country to leave the school setting and attend community celebrations.
Our definition of French-speaking youth is simple. If a young person can speak French, he or she is invited to the federation and is welcome to join our activities. We are becoming a rallying point between the communities. Our experience shows that young people choose to speak French when they are in the right environment to do so. We must not underestimate the importance of environment on young people's linguistic choices.
In that context, it becomes essential to provide opportunities to celebrate in this language. We have to focus on programs or gatherings at schools, but also outside the classroom, in order to amplify the positive impact on youth. The 150th anniversary can become a tool for building a community's identity and for bringing communities closer together. These get-togethers can be physical or virtual.
As you know—it is a growing reality—young people are very active and engaged on the web. We have to use this reality to our advantage and provide them with a platform for virtual gatherings. This is an opportunity to open dialogues between the different Canadian communities. This platform could be used in conjunction with the various activities that are organized for the celebration. This web space must bring young people together in order to make Canada's 150th anniversary resonate with them.
To support this web world, it will be essential to use it together with the other communications tools 2.0 that young people are already accustomed to using and which they use all the time. For this idea to work, the content has to resonate with them. The best way to achieve that is to ask young people to work on this, by challenging a group of young people to lead discussions, add content or share accomplishments achieved by young people, for example.
We have to go to where the young people are and not try to bring them elsewhere. This idea can be taken even further by training young people across the country and assigning them the task of promoting the 150th anniversary among their peers in various ways, for example, by running events, organizing discussions or by meeting young people in the communities. The impact of the event will be unequivocal and this mission will give young people across the country the most rewarding, unforgettable and valuable experience.
Let us not forget that the communities have already planned activities for 2017. We have to consider the efforts being made and improve them or pair them up with new initiatives. We believe there is room to be proactive on this and that there are countless opportunities to promote linguistic duality.
For example, at the federation we are currently planning the sixth Jeux de la francophonie canadienne, which will be held in Gatineau in 2014. In 2014, we will ready to announce the host city for the 2017 Jeux de la francophonie canadienne. These games are the largest gathering of French-speaking youth in Canada and involve the participation of young people from every province, every territory and every linguistic background. This initiative perfectly reflects FJCF's values of inclusion. It represents opportunities to exchange ideas that will have a lasting impact and will promote a sense of Canadian pride.
The 150th anniversary celebration is an opportunity to promote Canada's rich diversity, but it also has a role to play in promoting existing initiatives by Canada's anglophones, francophones, Métis, first nations, as well as new Canadians and ethnic communities. In that sense, we believe we must build on these activities and on what will be accomplished by 2017 in order to prepare the communities for their role in the festivities.
We think that the 150th anniversary is a good opportunity to promote bringing Canada's French-speaking communities together. It is an opportunity to remind everyone that Canada's francophonie is alive and well, very active and very dynamic in every province and territory of our great country.
We think that involving young francophones in organizing the 150th anniversary celebration is key to bringing people closer together. It reinforces a sense of belonging to the country. Ultimately, these gatherings encourage an understanding of the different realities that we live in from coast to coast to coast.
French-speaking youth in minority communities identify first with their province or territory. They do not hesitate to say they are Franco-Albertans or Acadians, but they also strongly identify themselves as Canadians. We see the same pride among youth from Quebec when they attend our national events. The opportunity to build bridges to bring Canadians closer together is at our feet and to do that we must build on inclusive Canadian initiatives.
In closing, I would like to say that the essential thing in all of this for the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, is without a doubt the importance of including young people through initiatives set up by and for young people. If we want to succeed then we have to establish winning conditions at the initial planning stages.
We are very pleased to have had the opportunity to speak to you today. We thank you again for this invitation. We want to remind you that the 150th anniversary is the ideal time to cement our gains and work together to bring every community even closer together.
Thank you.
I want to welcome our witnesses.
I want to begin by putting things into perspective. At the Standing Committee on Official Languages, we were wondering whether to do this study on the celebration for the 150th anniversary of Canada's Confederation. My team and I thought it was too soon on the heels of the study by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage.
I would like our committee to add something different to what was done at the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage. If not, I wonder what the point is of our study.
Look at the study that was done on the Vancouver Olympic Games. VANOC, the team and the organizations were already in place. There was already talk of a budget. There were questions to be asked. We could have asked whether the organizations had the means to serve the linguistic communities if need be.
In this case, preparations for the 150th anniversary are just starting. The study conducted by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage took a year. What is the difference between them and us? We are the Standing Committee on Official Languages, and as such, our mandate is to ensure that the official languages are respected.
Mr. Thompson, you said that everything should be planned to make everything equal for anglophones and francophones.
[English]
You're saying that French and English have to be equal in all those celebrations. I want you to be more clear on it. Are you saying that if they're going to celebrate in Alberta, they should make sure that francophones are as equal as anglophones, for example, to make sure they understand the two peoples, les deux peuples? Is it the same thing for home, in Quebec? Would we do the same? I'd like to hear more, at the same time keeping in mind that I'd like to have your view on it.
I saw the heritage meeting, and the QCGN had not.... When were you invited?
I'm in agreement with Madame Kenny. I work with English-speaking communities and research, but my own background is as a historian. I've had the wonderful fortune of working on several community-based history projects with different ethnocultural groups making up the English-speaking communities of Quebec. I've worked on a history of the Irish community, the Jewish community, and the different communities in Quebec City.
In answer to your question, the English-speaking communities are already very interested in the question of history, and have developed a really good infrastructure of local history groups, heritage organizations, and arts and culture organizations over the years. We're very well positioned, I would say, to work in cooperation with the committee or with Canadian Heritage to support the bigger picture throughout the province of Quebec. We definitely have the track record and the structures.
Also, on the research side, interestingly, a growing number of historians are not only English speakers, but French speakers studying English-speaking Quebec, who I think would have a lot to offer as well.
I believe we have knowledge to contribute, but we also have contacts on the ground across the province to support the bigger picture at the local level and to get information at the local level up to the big picture.
Thank you to our guests.
I am trying to be very practical and determine what recommendations will come out of your presentations. Most important is what will be retained. I believe that there is a consensus in French and in English for an independent structure responsible for organizing the celebrations for the Confederation anniversary. If that is correct, please confirm this for me and tell me why you prefer that option, rather than the department or minister being responsible for organizing the celebrations.
You want to be part of this organization. Who else will be included? The structure will not be efficient if it is too unwieldy.
Finally, I will summarize what I retained because as, Ms. Bateman mentioned, we do not have copies of the presentations. We are not blaming anyone; those are the facts. Perhaps it was overlooked.
In the three presentations, there was a great deal of interest in the mobilization of students, waiting lists for immersion schools, museums, history, monuments, tourism, all forms of artistic and cultural expression, training youth so they can serve as facilitators at all these events, and considering the events that you are planning for 2017 to see how they could complement these celebrations.
[English]
That was my summary. If I forgot something, I would like to know.
[Translation]
Thank you.
We could perhaps start with Ms. Kenny.
:
First of all, I believe that it is important to create an independent organization. Canadian Heritage is currently doing an excellent job. However, I am not sure that it has the resources required to continue fulfilling its current mandate while doing this additional work. Perhaps more resources should be allocated.
Even if Canadian Heritage were to organize the celebrations, there should nevertheless be an advisory committee within the department to represent different groups in society, such as francophones inside and outside Quebec, youth, anglophones inside and outside Quebec, the First Nations, the Métis, and ethnocultural communities.
If we want to have this major celebration, three people—whether from a department or an independent committee—will not meet the needs of the entire population.
Earlier, in addition to telling me that I am old, Mr. Couture spoke about initiatives created by and for young people. That is what we need to discuss and do for all groups in Canadian society, in addition to the two official languages.
:
I don't think you did, sir.
I'd just like to support what Madame Kenny said. Is this a governmental function or is this a function that government can lead? I would suggest that it may be a function that government can lead.
When you think about Confederation itself, it's the start line for Canadian government as we know it today. It's not the whole story, but it's the zero hour, the start line for who we are now. For our government, it's who we are now.
Is it the government's function to run that one department within government, or would they be the ones to bring together the stakeholders in an independent body that could make this an expression of how Canadians feel about Confederation, free of the day-to-day friction of politics in Ottawa and free of interdepartmental friction? We want to raise the committee's work above that, above the fray.
At 3,000 feet, when you're a pilot, the air becomes calm. You're out of the ground effect of air turbulence. You want a committee or that independent body to be able to work above 3,000 feet, where the air is calmer.
Certainly academics would be stakeholders. As for a private partner, there is economic benefit to be gained from this arrangement, but there's also an enormous contribution that the private partner can contribute in terms of sponsorship, and of course, it's the role that the private partner played in Confederation, in what led up to Confederation, in the raison d'être of Confederation.
The official languages community would certainly have a role, but there are other players within the public partner that Madame Kenny mentioned, first nations certainly being very important.
I see this being a committee that is not governmental in nature, and I think that's why it should probably be an independent not-for-profit organization.
I would like to thank our guests for being here.
I am happy to see you again. We see each other so often now that we could be on a first-name basis.
Welcome to those who are here for the first time. I will still address you formally.
As my colleague, Mr. Gourde, said we are here to listen to you. We have four years to plan this major celebration. We do not want to redo the work that has been done by the Department of Canadian Heritage, but we want to discuss the planning to ensure that the celebration promotes linguistic duality as a cornerstone of Canadianism and our country.
We want a lot of people to participate in the preparations for the celebration, as you mentioned in your comments. I think that this is a very important objective.
We also want to focus on creativity. How can we create a structure that promotes creativity? We do not want the celebration to be something that is imposed by government. How can we get Canadians to share their creative ideas with us? I would like to hear your comments on this.
In 1967, I was two years old, but I know that the celebration was creative. I remember the song by Bobby Gimby, Ca-na-da. It was striking.
Given the new technologies we have and Canada's new strengths, what can we do in 2017? What can we do to promote creativity so that people remember 2017 for a long time?
Perhaps we will begin with Mr. Couture because, when we think about creativity and new ideas, we often think about young people.
:
Thank you for your question.
Creativity and youth do go hand in hand. It is a positive stereotype. However, I work in the legal field so creativity is not really my area of expertise.
For the past little while, we have been talking about an independent organization. I believe that such an organization should have the mandate to define the vision of the celebration. When we at least have a framework or a certain context within which to work, then different partners at different levels can determine how the experience is delivered and how to participate. The important thing is that, when it comes to implementing the ideas on the ground, the things that will directly affect Canadians, we do not ask an officer from Canadian Heritage to come to our communities and emcee a banquet. This would not be very well received, unless it was a truly exceptional officer. We must therefore rely on our communities, institutions and organizations that are already working on the ground.
Furthermore, as you mentioned, the new technologies will allow us to communicate and share ideas much more quickly than 50 years ago. I have a hard time imagining what it will be like 50 years from now.
In this context, we must create the opportunity using certain resources. We can use material freely and then change it, adapt it, reinterpret it and disseminate it. It will be interesting to see the sharing and communication portals, for example. Forums are already outdated. This tool does not even really exist any more. We are now on Twitter and social media sites where we can initiate and direct discussions.
Finally, we should not hesitate to think big in terms of creativity. I think that one of the most interesting ideas in terms of creativity is to bring people together who do not know each other and who do not necessarily have a common understanding, and tell them to have fun.
It is easy to imagine a first nations representative from Alberta talking to someone of Scottish descent from Cape Breton and creating an artistic or cultural project together. I think that initiatives like this could produce extraordinary results for a low cost.
You are probably familiar with the Grand-Pré national historic site, which was designated a UNESCO world heritage site this summer. A few years ago a large landmark tree at Grand-Pré fell. Three artists used the wood to create a 360 degree, three-dimensional sculpture. Part of the sculpture was carved by an anglophone artist from the region, another by an Acadian artist and another by a first nations artist. The merging of these three cultures created something phenomenal and unimaginable. I think that we could create something similar for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.
:
We are going to take a break, but before that, I have a few questions.
Clearly, federal institutions—departments, agencies, crown corporations, commissions or others—will comply with the Official Languages Act in the context of the 150th anniversary.
[English]
I think it's clear that if an independent commission were to be set up, obviously it too would have to abide by the Official Languages Act and respect the two official languages.
What about third party organizations? What about independent groups across the country that receive federal government funding for the 150th anniversary? Should they be required to conduct their 150th anniversary celebrations in the two official languages?
The reason I ask is that there are two models for this. In some grant and contribution agreements with the Government of Canada, there is a bilingualism clause. In most grant and contribution agreements, there is not.
For example, the Government of Canada hands out about $150 million a year to independent sport organizations throughout Canada. Each and every one of those agreements, to my knowledge, has a bilingualism clause. That's why Hockey Canada and the Canadian Ski Council operate in both official languages. However, most other grant and contribution agreements in Canada don't have a bilingualism clause, because those groups don't operate in both languages.
If we do give money to third party independent organizations to celebrate the 150th, should those grant and contribution agreements contain this bilingualism clause, which obviously will cost more money? That's something I think the committee might be interested in hearing about from you.
:
Okay, but with all due respect, maybe I would like to come at it from a different perspective.
Quite frankly, I was born a francophone. I had to learn to speak English as an adult. I'm forever learning, trying to perfect my French. What really helps me is being in a francophone milieu or a bilingual milieu, like the House of Commons or like this committee, because I hear a lot of French, and that helps me to perfect and absorb more French. I know it's difficult, but using that example of Chicoutimi, if the anglophones were there at that event, and they were listening to 50% French, they would, through osmosis, pick up some of the French, and vice versa. The francophone community, from the English community, would....
I think we have to go to two official languages. If the francophones are doing their event with some anglophone participation, and vice versa, I think.... It keeps us from advancing as quickly. Trying to become bilingual is a very onerous undertaking, as you well know, but I think we have to take every advantage.
If we ever want to get to the point where we're saying, "Let's be bilingual and celebrate both official languages", then we should do it in both official languages. That would be my take.
[Translation]
Mr. Couture, did you have something to add?
All of your presentations were wonderful. I always enjoy hearing from Madame Kenny because we have some common views.
When it comes to language, we haven't had a good talk, as a country, in a long time, and for me
[Translation]
the 150th anniversary celebrations represent the perfect opportunity to have this discussion, this conversation, and to share what is happening. For me, it is very risky to start talking about
[English]
bilingualism as an entity, as a commodity, as a thing that we have to have equal. It's about accessibility, as the very eloquent Mr. Couture has expressed.
I just learned something from you about Alberta: out there,
[Translation]
the first settlement or village was a francophone community. That is something that we need to know about our country. We need to know about this type of history.
[English]
Would you comment on the importance of accessibility? For me it doesn't mean it has to be equal French, equal English; it means that if it's a French community, the event or the project is in French, but it is accessible to those who don't speak French so that they understand where that community comes from, the history of the community, and celebrate the community without the community having to—for lack of a better term—water it down.
It's the same thing with the English community. Its celebration is in English in Quebec, with accessibility in French so that
[Translation]
when francophones arrive at that celebration, they will see that the English community understands the history of the French community.
[English]
May I ask for your comments or opinions on that philosophical statement?
:
I have a couple of comments on accessibility.
In terms of process, some really good ideas are coming up about developing projects in certain ways, ensuring that once they're complete they become available in both languages.
At the process level, I would point the committee to work by Benoit Côté of l'Université de Sherbrooke, who has developed an innovative program of bringing together French and English students in the province of Quebec called PÉLIQ-AN. There is good process work.
I would like to also underline content. At the break we were speaking with Monsieur Dion about what exactly is being celebrated, which isn't something we've discussed very much today. To the extent, for instance, that the focus is actually on Confederation as an act—the history of the meetings at Charlottetown and in Quebec City and so on—I think some very interesting accessibility issues will open up, because we will see that Confederation itself was, as Stephen and others were saying, an act of compromise and of working out very important issues between what were at the time conceived to be the two nations that were working together, the English and the French. I would emphasize that accessibility needs to be perceived at both the process and the content level, so that the understanding of what is being celebrated is innately inclusive and people see themselves recognized in the content as well.
:
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
I would like to thank the witnesses for their presentations. I will address you in English because my English is better than my French.
[English]
I think I'm the only person on this committee who was born outside the country—well, probably not—but I come from a trilingual country in which Hungarian, Romanian, and German are spoken, and I appreciate very much the bilingualism of Canada.
I can tell you also that it is one of my roles to promote the French language in my riding, which is divided between the cities of Pickering and Scarborough. In the city of Pickering, we have had the privilege of raising for the first time the Franco-Ontarian flag. In my riding we also have a French immersion school, which was just established. It is very important for me to see that the celebration of the 150th anniversary of Canada reflects this duality and these two languages of our country.
I'd like to ask you how we are involving the provincial and municipal levels, all three levels of government, in these celebrations. I know that at the federal level we have the Official Languages Act, which says that we must respect the French and English languages, but what are we doing with the provinces? The celebration of 150 years is not only a federal government celebration, but a celebration for all the country—all three levels of government—and it is an act that is very important for our country.
I'm asking you how you see, as an example from my point of view, the association of Franco-Ontarians being involved to promote all the events in the two official languages. This is a need.
In my riding, for example, people came from Quebec to the city of Pickering 40 or 50 years ago for various reasons, and they love the French language, despite the fact that they are anglophones or something else.
How do you see us being able to capitalize on the cooperation of all three levels of the government for this?
First, I would like to thank you for your presentations. They were all very interesting.
This seems to confirm something that we already knew and that was brought to light when representatives from the Department of Canadian Heritage appeared before the committee, and that is that you really want the community to be deeply involved in choosing the direction that the celebrations held in each part of Canada will take. I hope that your message will be heard.
I would like to come back to the issue of linguistic clauses because it concerns me a little.
You spoke about the importance of making events accessible to everyone. I would imagine that the goal is to try to encourage dialogue and a better understanding among the different founding nations. One of the communities in my riding is the community of Shannon, which, in the past, had a large Irish population. That is an important heritage to showcase.
However, I am wondering how we can provide access to all linguistic groups in every corner of the country without a mandatory linguistic clause. Earlier, it seemed to me that some of you were not certain that such a clause was necessary. I would like to know how you foresee achieving this type of accessibility if some sort of obligation is not imposed in this regard.
Mr. Thompson, you can start.
:
Good morning, everyone. Thank you for being here.
I will not hide the fact that I have mixed emotions this morning. This is something imposed by the government party. We obviously have no control over the committee's agenda. Furthermore, there is currently no budget allocated or planned for the 150th anniversary of Confederation. According to Heritage Canada representatives, there is no framework as of yet. There are few people working on it. So we found it premature to be talking to different organizations before we even had a full picture, especially since we had other concerns. I am thinking about the effects of the cuts to French-language services at the CBC. Support has also been cut for French-language weekly community newspapers and cuts have been made to Destination Canada, an initiative that helped promote francophone immigration outside of Quebec. I am also thinking about the planned closure of the Quebec City marine rescue sub-centre and the effects the merger of the embassies on the services that will be available in French. There is also the matter of stagnation. Last week, the stagnation of bilingualism outside of Quebec seemed particularly evident to me.
I would like to take this opportunity to say that we must be vigilant. The budget for the 100th anniversary of Confederation was $743 million. We do not know exactly what we will have. In addition, the department that will be in charge of this budget will also be in charge of the Roadmap. We do not know what the budget for the Roadmap will be. I am concerned, because in our evaluation of the Roadmap, we noted that we had a hard time determining which initiatives were the responsibility of different departments in protecting linguistic duality, and which responsibilities fell under the Roadmap.
And there is another thing. I am not sure if this is something you are concerned about. There will obviously be more money. However, the scope of the Roadmap could be limited in other ways, for example by assigning money from the 150th anniversary to the Roadmap. I am worried about this happening.
Ms. Kenny, what do you think about that?