LANG Committee Report

Supplementary Opinion of the New Democratic Party (NDP) of Canada

Submitted by NDP MPs Yvon Godin (Acadie–Bathurst), Official Languages Critic, Tyrone Benskin (Jeanne-Le Ber), Official Languages Deputy Critic, Pierre Dionne Labelle (Rivière-du-Nord), Francophonie Critic, and Élaine Michaud (Portneuf–Jacques-Cartier).

Introduction

The NDP members of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages wish to thank every individual who contributed to this study on the evaluation of the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality 2008–2013.

The NDP endorses the Committee report with certain reservations. The following comments are designed to address specific omissions, inaccuracies or shortcomings within the scope of the Committee recommendations. They are not intended as a comprehensive analysis of the issues related to the Roadmap.

Given its nature and scope, the Roadmap requires significant federal-provincial/territorial cooperation (FPT). The NDP wishes to point out that this cooperation must continue in any future federal official languages initiative. The areas of jurisdiction of each level of government and existing FPT agreements must therefore be respected.

New horizontal initiative

The NDP would of course like to see an initiative put in place to ensure the continuity of the Roadmap’s achievements once it expires. However, unlike what the Committee has put forward, the New Democrats believe that this initiative should come with financial resources that are at least equivalent to or greater than those of the Roadmap.

The NDP believes that the government should clarify the nature of a “future horizontal initiative,” specifically, whether this initiative truly represents additional one-time funding, as government MPs have maintained. At the moment, the funding received by Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) through the Roadmap tends to indicate the contrary.

According to evidence heard by the Committee, TBS receives funding through the Roadmap which is used to fulfil its core obligations and responsibilities under the Official Languages Act (OLA).

This contradiction creates confusion among federal institutions, where some institutions that are not subject to the Roadmap act as if they had no obligations.

It should be made clear to all federal institutions that they must only use their own budget to meet their OLA obligations, regardless of any supplementary allocation they may receive through any additional one-time initiative.

The New Democrats believe that as part of a future official languages initiative, the Government of Canada should ensure that federal institutions can distinguish between their participation in such an initiative and their OLA obligations, particularly with respect to Part VII.

It is essential for federal institutions to fully understand their obligations, particularly when they are reducing their budgets. They must thoroughly evaluate the impacts of budget cuts on official language minority communities (OLMCs) and take remedial action to address negative repercussions.

Lastly, in order to better align government strategies with OLMC priorities in a future initiative, the NDP recommends that the government make better use of the overall development plans and community strategic plans prepared by OLMCs.

Accountability

There was no horizontal management and accountability framework (HMAF) developed when the Roadmap was launched. The NDP asks that the Department of Canadian Heritage avoid making the same mistake by making provision for a framework that would address the shortcomings identified in the Roadmap’s HMAF, particularly with regard to the Department’s own role. The Department must also be given the necessary resources to properly perform its role as coordinator.

Several witnesses claimed that federal funds were not used for the purposes originally intended. These are serious allegations. As a result, the NDP recommends that the federal government immediately introduce improved accountability mechanisms that will increase financial transparency. It is a question of managing taxpayers’ money properly. It is also important for the public to have access to clear and complete financial information regarding the programs contained in a future horizontal initiative.

Witnesses also reminded the Committee that signatories to federal agreements must rigorously apply any language clauses or provisions contained in those agreements. The NDP recommends that the government review its practices in this regard and share its findings with the Committee by 1 June 2013.

In addition, New Democrats are concerned by the lack of planning at the Department of Canadian Heritage. It seems insufficient for the Department to start consultations as required by the OLA less than one year before the Roadmap comes to an end. Preparations of this kind usually take place over several months. The participants’ comments lead the NDP to wonder whether these consultations are effective. To ensure a similar situation does not occur in future, Canadian Heritage should schedule consultations well before the end of the next initiative.

This lack of planning poses certain risks for OLMCs. As we have seen in the past, federal institutions may not be able to spend their allocations under the Roadmap within the established time frame.

Participating institutions

During its study, the Committee discussed the list of federal institutions covered by the Roadmap. The NDP calls on the Government of Canada to review this list to ensure it meets the current needs of OLMCs. Based on the evidence received, the NDP strongly recommends that Statistics Canada be added for a future initiative. This organization obviously plays an essential role in clarifying official languages issues in Canada and should be allocated the necessary budget to carry out its wide-ranging responsibilities effectively.

Funding

Based on the Committee’s findings, the NDP notes that the federal funding allocated to certain organizations in OLMCs has not been indexed in over 10 years. For some organizations, this situation actually jeopardizes their ability to deliver services, and in some instances, they are the only organizations providing the services. In fact, some witnesses said that they have seen a 30% decrease in their capacity. The NDP believes that the federal government should review this funding to ensure that it reflects the current cost of living.

In addition, federal institutions should consider granting multi-year funding to these organizations so that they can develop long term strategic plans and establish a long-lasting foundation on which to serve Canadians. The funding allocation process should take into account not only services and roles but also the available infrastructure, all of which support the development and vitality of OLMCs.

Community media

The minority-language press and community radio stations face significant challenges that are rooted in both structural issues and government decisions (for example, changes to the funding rules for the Canada Periodical Fund, reduced federal advertising and greater use of digital media). Yet community newspapers and radio stations are vital to OLMCs. The NDP believes that action should be taken to protect them and that a “community newspaper and radio” component should be included in a future initiative.

Language industry

The NDP MPs believe that the Government of Canada should take advantage of the opportunity presented by the development of a new initiative to review its support for the language industry and identify its impact on the promotion of linguistic duality and the vitality of OLMCs.

Health

Health Canada is recognized as an exemplary organization with regard to official languages. However, the NDP asks the Committee to exercise caution when stating that it is Health Canada’s responsibility to support health research in OLMCs.

While the NDP strongly encourages Health Canada to continue its support for this research, it is also essential for a future initiative to allocate funding to research, not only for health care but for other priority areas as well.

Immigration

The Committee learned that substantial budget cuts were made to Destination Canada, a program administered by Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC), which will affect the ability of OLMCs to recruit from overseas. While the Committee urged CIC to evaluate the impact of this decision, the NDP believes that this evaluation and measures to mitigate the negative impact on OLMCs should be made public.

In the opinion of the NDP, cross-cultural skills[1] are important to the introduction of programs that support the integration of immigrant students and their families. The NDP believes that under a future initiative, Canadian Heritage and CIC, in cooperation with the provinces, territories and OLMCs, should introduce activities that help stakeholders and youth develop cross-cultural skills in an educational environment.

CIC should also continue its work with Quebec’s English-speaking communities, in compliance with the OLA and the Canada-Quebec Accord.  

Intergovernmental cooperation

The New Democrats believe that a future initiative should continue to provide support to the provinces and territories to ensure the delivery of provincial and municipal services in both official languages. In addition, the Government of Canada should support the implementation of provincial and territorial legislation and policies that promote linguistic duality and the vitality of OLMCs. The NDP is disappointed that the Committee’s report makes no recommendations in this regard.

Education and early childhood

Many witnesses told the Committee that school boards in OLMCs have an urgent need for infrastructure support and specialists (psychologists, speech therapists, etc.) in this area. As part of the renewal of FPT agreements on minority-language education, the NDP recommends that the Government of Canada consider supporting infrastructure projects to create or renovate family and childhood centres in cooperation with OLMCs. The federal government should also consider measures to recruit specialists and meet the information technology needs described by communities.

According to the evidence received, few exogamous couples have the information they need to make an informed decision on the language of instruction for their children. As a result, many rights holders do not exercise their right to an education in the official language of their choice. The NDP is concerned by this situation and recommends that the federal government act in the public interest and work with the provinces and territories to address the problem.

Literacy

The evidence presented to the Committee shows that literacy must continue to be an area of activity in any future initiative. As a result, the NDP is asking the federal government to work with the provinces, territories and literacy stakeholders in OLMCs to develop a literacy strategy for French-speaking communities.

The NDP also calls on Human Resources and Skills Development Canada to consult literacy stakeholders serving Quebec’s English-speaking communities to identify the needs of English speakers, and to make the results of the consultations public.

Seniors

A future initiative must not overlook the needs of seniors. Based on the suggestions made by representatives of this sector of the population, the NDP asks the Government of Canada to consider developing employability and economic development programs for seniors living in OLMCs.

Second language

Giving Canadians the opportunity to learn a second official language is an important part of the federal language policy. The NDP wishes to add to the Committee’s recommendations on this subject by recommending that the Government of Canada:

• continue to support language exchanges;
• continue to support second-language learning through provincial and territorial transfers;
• initiate a discussion with the provinces and territories on difficulties regarding access to immersion programs and teacher training, particularly for newcomers to Canada, during talks to renew memorandums of understanding;
• continue to fund the development of a common framework of reference for languages in Canada.

Conclusion

The NDP members strongly support the implementation of a future horizontal initiative in order to build on the achievements of the Roadmap, and hope that the issues they have raised will contribute in this regard.