LANG Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion of the New Democratic Party of Canada

We extend our sincere thanks to each and every witness who appeared before our Committee during its study on Linguistic Duality during the 150^th Anniversary Celebrations of Canadian Confederation in 2017. Their contributions to our understanding of the challenges and opportunities of these celebrations were invaluable.

We regret the fact that most of the Committee’s recommendations do not reflect the testimony given by witnesses and that the Committee has not retained many of their key recommendations.

We particularly object to the third recommendation – “That Canadian Heritage encourage all departments and groups involved in the next version of the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality to refocus their projects and planning toward preparations for celebrating the 150^th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017” – as this recommendation would be extremely detrimental to those organizations and communities that benefit from the Roadmap. The 150^th anniversary is not the raison d’être of the departments and groups that receive funding from the Roadmap. In the context of budget cuts, such a reorientation could affect their ability to fulfill their primary official languages commitments if they must draw on their already limited resources. This is why we believe that funding for the 150^th anniversary celebrations must be separate from and additional to other ongoing or one-time official languages funding.

Based on witness testimony, we encourage the Government or any authorized group to organize the 150^th anniversary celebrations by engaging in real and constructive dialogue with linguistic duality stakeholders to establish a strategic plan. A mechanism is required for the full consultation and participation of stakeholders, particularly official language minority communities, in the preparation of the celebrations. Furthermore, we urge the Minister or the group authorized to organize the celebrations to update the Standing Committee on Official Languages as soon as they start working on an official languages plan, in order to ensure transparency. This plan should include clear guidance with respect to language clauses so that the federal government and all other parties understand their responsibilities and obligations.

As indicated in the Canadian Heritage Committee’s report on the 150^th anniversary celebrations of Confederation, the witnesses who appeared before us further stressed the importance of what the 150^th anniversary of Confederation represents and the vital opportunity it offers arts and culture groups to contribute to the celebrations. From CBC/Radio-Canada and the NFB/ONF to cultural groups within the official language minority communities, it is essential that arts groups and key federal cultural institutions receive appropriate funding to contribute their expertise to these celebrations.

Finally, we also support the view held by witnesses that the participation of federal institutions and certain sectors—in particular, Parks Canada, the Canadian Tourism Commission and groups that promote youth and language exchanges—is key to ensuring that linguistic duality is recognized, supported and promoted during the 150^th anniversary celebrations. We strongly recommend integrating these institutions and groups in order to promote linguistic duality leading up to and during the 150^th anniversary celebrations.

We invite everyone involved to be a leader with respect to official languages so as to make the celebrations of the 150^th anniversary of Canadian Confederation a real success.

Yvon Godin (Acadie–Bathurst), Official Languages Critic

Tyrone Benskin (Jeanne-Le Ber), Deputy Official Languages Critic

Pierre Dionne Labelle (Rivière-du-Nord), La Francophonie Critic

Élaine Michaud (Portneuf–Jacques-Cartier)