LANG Committee Report

Dissenting recommendations in response to the Committee’s report on the economic situation of Canada’s minority linguistic communities

Preamble

There are minority francophone communities in all of Canada’s provinces and territories. The historical significance of these communities is still important today, despite the high assimilation rates[1] in many of these communities. The Official Languages Act has increased French-language development opportunities in relatively large minority communities located in urban areas, but, socio-economic development opportunities are rare for francophones in rural areas. We remain concerned about the government’s reluctance to commit to addressing the historic injustices that have led to the assimilation of francophones across the country.

We are stunned by how little the population knows about the French contribution to Canadian democracy: most Canadians do not understand how foundational the legal, political and social traditions of francophones were in building our society. Once again, we find ourselves fighting for funding for community organizations in minority settings, when these same communities are hanging by a thread and watching their social structures break down at an accelerated rate. Intercommunity marriages, a lack of educational resources, the inability to work in French and the lack of community structures all contribute to the assimilation of francophones in Canada. Furthermore, the allure of English, made brighter by new information technologies, cannot be counteracted unless the government makes a firm and coherent commitment to encourage residents across Canada to learn and use French.

As long as we remain unaware of the significance of La Francophonie and its historical role in maintaining our political, social, economic and judicial equilibrium, we will remain powerless observers as francophone communities slowly lose their fight to withstand the pressures they are facing from all directions.

We believe that the communities that have lost thousands of members in this struggle against assimilation could become valuable contributors once again to the common good of the country. Together, we can mitigate the threats to the linguistic and cultural survival of French Canadians by making reparation for the wrongs committed against them by investing recurrently in modern social infrastructure. We think of the thousands of francophone Métis in the prairies and regret that their fight continues before the courts. Judicial remedy cannot completely erase the negligence of the successive governments in power since French culture in Canada was first given a death sentence. Today, we are calling for a coherent investment policy from the federal government to spark francophone culture in this country!

Introduction to the Recommendations:

The pillars of a vibrant, modern and forward-looking francophone community are intrinsically linked to adequate funding for community and social structures in francophone communities across Canada;

Canada today has greatly benefited from the cultural duality that formed the basis of its institutions. Canada would not be a nation envied by the world without the contribution of francophones, anglophones and Aboriginal people. The cohesion of our institutions has set us apart in the free world because our three major cultures all coexist, leading us to come up with new ways to consider laws, to live together and to prosper in the understanding that we share in contributing to the common good. Our prosperity will be matched only by our generosity;

Like many of the witnesses who appeared before the House of Commons Committee on Official languages, we believe that we must implement generous and coherent language policies. Developing a language policy for minority francophone communities will require a firm commitment from the federal government to breathe new life into the communities that spoke before the Committee about their lack of resources, the oppressive weight of history and the lack of social and economic structures that meet their cultural needs.

1. The federal government must agree to make material reparations for the historical mistakes and wrongs that unraveled the cultural fabric of so many francophone communities in Canada by reinvesting in community structures recurrently in order to establish a solid foundation for socio-economic development in these communities;
2. The federal government must invest in Canadian Francophonie by decentralizing services for Canadian communities in the regions and by creating public service positions that require the knowledge and use of French;
3. The federal government must, through its economic development agencies, agree to implement a policy to award recurrent subsidies to small and medium-sized francophone businesses in Canada;
4. Francophone corporations need financial assurances with regard to community, economic and educational infrastructure development with a view to establishing long-term partnerships with provincial and territorial governments;
5. The federal government must agree to provide adequate material and financial support for legal challenges relating to minority language rights;
6. The federal government must agree to a radio and television policy for the public broadcaster, CBC/Radio-Canada, that takes into account the interests and needs of francophone communities across the country. The policy must ensure that CBC/Radio-Canada receives sufficient funding to fulfill its role in contributing to the cultural, social and economic development of francophone communities in the country;
7. The federal government must institute remedial measures for federal departments and agencies that fail to meet their obligations under the Official Languages Act;