As a result of their deliberations, committees may make recommendations which they include in their reports for the consideration of the House of Commons or the Government. Recommendations related to this study are listed below.

Recommendation 1

That the Treasury Board Secretariat create a new policy instrument to require that all bilateral agreements, no matter the subject matter, include the following:

a)      initiatives and programs specific to official language minority communities (OLMCs) that deliver services equal in quality to those received by the majority;

b)      binding provisions that require the provinces and territories to hold official consultations with OLMCs;

c)       targets and performance measures tailored to OLMCs; and

d)      explicit accountability provisions that require the provinces and territories to disclose exactly how much funding is owed to OLMCs under the bilateral agreements.

Recommendation 2

That the Treasury Board Secretariat remind federal institutions about the Policy on Transfer Payments and, more specifically, paragraph 6.5.14 on an annual basis. This paragraph provides that deputy heads of federal institutions are responsible for the following:

Ensuring, when transfer payment programs support activities that benefit members of both official language communities, that their design and delivery respect the obligations of the Government of Canada as set out in Part VII of the Official Languages Act and that services and benefits are made available in both official languages in compliance with the Official Languages Act.

Recommendation 3

That the Treasury Board Secretariat require federal institutions to implement the principle of substantive equality and that it develop implementation and annual assessment tools for that principle. The Government of Canada describes substantive equality as follows:

Substantive equality is achieved when one takes into account, where necessary, the differences in characteristics and circumstances of minority communities and provides services with distinct content or using a different method of delivery to ensure that the minority receives services of the same quality as the majority. This approach is the norm in Canadian law.

Recommendation 4

That, after the current Multilateral Early Learning and Child Care Framework expires, in negotiating future agreements, the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, with his provincial and territorial counterparts, take the steps necessary to make official language minority communities a mandatory investment area.

Recommendation 5

That Canadian Heritage clearly define the concept of “additional costs” relative to core funding in the next Protocol for Agreements for Minority‐Language Education.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada amend the Official Languages Act to establish and specify an increased role for the federal government in the area of minority language education, including early childhood education.