LANG Committee Meeting

The Standing Committee on Official Languages met in camera at 3:30 p.m. this day, in Room 306, The Valour Building, the Chair, the Hon. Michael D. Chong, presiding.

The Committee resumed consideration of a draft report.

It was agreed, — That the draft report, as amended, be adopted.

It was agreed, — That the report be entitled: "The Economic Situation of Official Language Minority Communities: Building Sustainable and Growing Economies".

It was agreed, — That the Chair, Clerk and Analyst be authorized to make such grammatical and editorial changes as may be necessary without changing the substance of the report.

It was agreed, — That the Committee append to its report dissenting and/or supplementary opinions, immediately after the signature of the Chair, provided that they are no more than five (5) pages in length, Arial 12 point font, line spacing of one (1) and be submitted electronically, in both official languages, to the Clerk of the Committee, no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, March 6, 2015.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the Committee request that the Government table a comprehensive response to the report.

ORDERED, — That the Chair present the report to the House.

It was agreed, — That the analyst and the Clerk, in consultation with the Chair, prepare a news release for publication on the Committee's website and for distribution upon presentation of the report to the House.

It was agreed, — That the Committee undertake a study of the Government of Canada programs designed to promote francophone immigration into Canada’s official-language minority communities (OLMCs) in order to: inform the Committee members about the role francophone immigration plays in enhancing the vitality and supporting the cultural and economic development of OLMCs; study the impact of existing programs designed to: (1) Attract and integrate francophone immigrants into these communities; (2) Provide government services to newcomers in French; and (3) Inform newcomers about local labour market needs; and make recommendations to the government regarding ways it can better attract and integrate francophone immigrants into OLMCs; and report the Committee’s findings to the House.

It was agreed, — That the political parties have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday, March 4, 2015, to electronically provide the clerk with their suggested lists of witnesses for the study on the Department of Citizenship and Immigration's commitment to promoting Canada's linguistic duality and the development of official language minority communities.

At 4:13 p.m., the Committee adjourned to the call of the Chair.