PART I

A. Scope of study and structure of report

In the fall of 2011, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages (the Committee) undertook a study on the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality 2008-2013: Acting for the Future (the Roadmap). The Committee’s objective was to gather evidence[1] from federal partners and organizations and institutions in official language minority communities (OLMC) in order to evaluate the work that has been done since the Roadmap was implemented in 2008 and make a series of recommendations to guide the government in devising a future federal strategy for official languages. This report gives an account of the evidence heard and the knowledge acquired during the Committee’s public hearings and tries to highlight the points that were common to all the witnesses.

This report is divided into three parts. The first part presents the Roadmap and the initial findings of the study. The second part deals with Roadmap initiatives and investments. The 32 initiatives that make up the Roadmap are divided into groups by theme: health, immigration, community development, economic development, education (early childhood education, support for minority-language education, literacy, postsecondary education, and support for second-language instruction), linguistic duality, arts and culture, media, justice and research. Each initiative is described based on the information presented by the departments and agencies that appeared before the Committee. The descriptions are followed by a summary and analysis of the comments and recommendations made by the witnesses regarding the initiatives.

The third part of the report takes an analytical look at the issues raised by governance of the Roadmap, that is, the consultation process, interdepartmental coordination, intergovernmental cooperation, accountability mechanisms and evaluation mechanisms. Similar to the first part, the third comprises a description of the measures taken followed by an analysis of the recommendations made by the witnesses.

The Committee’s recommendations draw on the evidence given by OLMC; the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, Graham Fraser; federal institutions that are partners in the Roadmap; and a number of experts. They also take into account the briefs submitted to the Committee by the various witnesses. The implementation of a strategy like the Roadmap requires the cooperation of provinces and territories. However, the scope of all the recommendations in this report falls under federal jurisdiction. This scope is conditional on the respect of provincial and territorial jurisdictions and does not unilaterally amend existing federal-provincial agreements.

B. Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality 2008-2013: Acting for the Future

A five-year plan that followed on the Government of Canada’s 2003-2008 Action Plan for Official Languages,[2] the Roadmap gives substance to the federal government’s commitment to promote “the participation of all Canadians in linguistic duality, and the support for official-language minority communities.”[3] These two objectives are rooted in Part VII of the Official Languages Act.[4]

On June 1, 2007, during the summit of Francophone and Acadian communities, former Minister of Canadian Heritage, Status of Women and Official Languages, the Honourable Josée Verner, announced, “within a year, we will have set out a clear Roadmap, a Roadmap developed with and for all the communities.”[5] She also undertook to hold “broad consultations on the overall vision of the government with regard to official languages and linguistic duality.”[6] In the Throne Speech read on October 16, 2007, the government reiterated its commitment to develop “a strategy for the next phase of the Action Plan for Official Languages.”[7]

The consultations got under way on December 3, 2007. The same day, the Honourable Bernard Lord, former premier of New Brunswick, was appointed Special Advisor to the Minister. According to Mr. Lord’s report, 300 individuals and groups were consulted at regional events and the wrap-up event. Other meetings were held with the official languages commissioners of Canada and New Brunswick and with certain provincial ministers responsible for the Canadian Francophonie.[8] The final report on the consultations was submitted to the Minister on February 29, 2008, and released to the public on March 20. The report laid the groundwork for the Roadmap.

The Roadmap was accompanied by a $1.1-billion investment to enhance and expand “action across the Government of Canada to increase the benefits of linguistic duality and extend them to all Canadians.”[9] It is a supplemental strategy that augments the regular programs of 15 participating federal institutions. The strategy targets
five areas for government action:

• Emphasizing the value of linguistic duality among all Canadians;
• Building the future by investing in youth;
• Improving access to services for OLMC, with special emphasis on five priority sectors:
• Health;
• Justice;
• Immigration;
• Economic development; and
• Arts and culture;
• Capitalizing on economic benefits; and
• Ensuring efficient governance to better serve Canadians.[10]

C. Initial observations

The evidence shows that the witnesses representing OLMC, both Anglophone and Francophone, want a firm commitment from the federal government regarding the implementation of and compliance with the Official Languages Act, Part VII in particular. It also identifies community development and support for OLMC organizations and institutions as priorities. The witnesses also called for a closer tie-in between their priorities and federal government action.

Many representatives of Francophone minority communities voiced support for the Community Strategic Plan adopted by the Leaders’ Forum that emerged from the June 2007 summit of Francophone and Acadian communities. The plan sets out a vision: “[translation] In 2017, the members of Canada’s Francophone and Acadian communities live and thrive in French. They have the collective ability to act in all areas of their development and thus help make Canada a better place.”[11] This vision is actualized in five areas or priorities. As far as Francophone minority communities are concerned, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) believes that three of those areas — “our population, our space and our development” — must underlie a future horizontal official languages initiative.[12] This implies an increase in the proportion of Francophone minority communities in the total population, a lifelong continuum of services, and social and economic development of communities.

Like Francophone communities, English-speaking communities in Quebec have a strategic community development plan. In March 2012, the members of the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) gathered in Montréal for the Strategic Priorities Forum to prepare their next plan. By the end of the meeting, six strategic priorities had been identified: access to services in English; community building; economic prosperity; identity and renewal; leadership and representation; and strong institutions. The QCGN hopes these priorities will be reflected in the Government of Canada’s future horizontal official languages initiative.

Finally, the OLMC witnesses called for more effective governance of the Roadmap and official languages in general within the federal government, particularly in terms of consultation, accountability and program evaluation.

With the exception of the above, there are major differences in the legal and social contexts in which Anglophone and Francophone minority communities evolve. Both linguistic groups are concerned about the vitality and future of their communities, but they do not look at language issues the same way.

Francophones focus on the transmission and retention of French. Language is the primary defining element in French Canada. Communities strive to expand their current spaces and create new ones — physical, cultural and even virtual — so that people are able to live in French. They have fought for years to ensure that their rights are guaranteed and enshrined in law. Significant progress has been made at the federal level since the late 1960s. The Government of Canada recognizes the important contribution of Francophone communities in building a rich, prosperous society that celebrates linguistic duality.

Francophone minority communities have a long and vibrant history in every province and territory. Thereby, every Francophone community has to deal with its provincial or territorial government and its vision of official bilingualism. Much has been accomplished on that front, but the federal government’s leadership is still needed, in the context of bilateral or tripartite agreements, to maintain Francophones’ acquired rights and enable Francophones to obtain services of equal quality in the language of their choice at the provincial, territorial and municipal levels.

D. Challenges facing English-speaking communities in Quebec

Anglophone communities in Quebec have a different relationship with language. English-speaking Quebeckers do not fear for the future of the English language in the province. They focus on preserving and ensuring the vitality of their institutions and creating a sense of belonging in communities. The purpose of the following considerations is to profile the unique challenges and issues facing Quebec’s Anglophone minority.

1. Limited access to the Roadmap

Access to Roadmap programming and funding is a problem for Anglophone communities in Quebec. Six federal partners among the 15 participating institutions have received funding and developed projects targeting Anglophone communities in Quebec:

… many of the programs being evaluated have little or no equivalent in Quebec. For example, $20 million through a recruitment and integration of immigrants program —that's from CIC [Citizenship and Immigration Canada] — $13.5 million for the child care special project; $12.5 million placed in the youth programs initiative. There are no equivalents in the Roadmap for the English-speaking community…

These are not abstract problems. Canadians living in the English-speaking community of Quebec do not have access to some programs and services contained in the Roadmap or consideration in the policy and program design of the millions of dollars that support official languages in regular funding streams. This community needs to be reassured that the Roadmap's replacement strategy will contain more targeted efforts by the federal government and its partners in supporting the development and vitality of our community.[13]

The evidence above confirms that Anglophone communities in Quebec have not received Roadmap support in the areas of early childhood, literacy, immigration and employability. However, these are priority areas at the very core of the development and vitality of English-speaking communities in the province.

The Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) believes that the problem centres on two main axes. First is the sharing of jurisdiction between the Government of Canada and the Government of Quebec, which makes it hard for federal institutions to honour their commitments under Part VII of the Official Languages Act, particularly in areas of provincial or shared jurisdiction, specifically health, education and immigration. Second, the QCGN told the Committee that the current design of federal programs does not always recognize the uniqueness of Quebec’s Anglophone communities.

2. Commitments under Part VII of the Official Languages Act and respect for provincial jurisdiction

Subsection 41(2) of the Official Languages Act states that federal institutions have a duty to ensure that positive measures are taken to promote the official languages and enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities. It also states, “For greater certainty, this implementation shall be carried out while respecting the jurisdiction and powers of the provinces.” According to the QCGN, this limitation has significant consequences for Quebec’s Anglophone minority given that the
provincial government “does not recognize the existence of an English-speaking minority community:”[14]

In some cases, the relationship between Ottawa and Quebec cuts off federal programs from our community completely. For example, programs within the current federal strategy, the Roadmap, in areas of immigration, manpower development, and early childhood development are for all intents and purposes not accessible to our community, although some recent progress has been made in a very limited way.[15]

It seems that the Government of Canada’s future horizontal official languages initiative will require a great deal of intergovernmental cooperation:

The discussion must begin when you plan the follow-on to the Roadmap. If you're talking about our community, the discussion must be had with Quebec: what are we going to do together for the English-speaking community of Quebec? If that is not done, we will wind up again with a Roadmap that does not give our community access to programs, for example, in immigration, childhood, manpower, etc.

There must be talks; there must be a bilateral understanding between the federal and provincial governments before support to our community is considered.[16]

The Committee is of the opinion that intergovernmental cooperation is a key factor in the success of a horizontal initiative like the Roadmap. Ideally, there would be dialogue between Ottawa and Quebec so that the two governments find common ground enabling the federal government to offer a full range of programs to English-speaking communities in Quebec and at the same time respect the provincial government’s jurisdiction.

3. Design of federal programs

The under-representation of Quebec Anglophones in the Roadmap can be attributed in part to the current design of federal programs. The QCGN told the Committee that not all of the federal partners in the Roadmap have set up programs that are flexible and tailored to the needs of Quebec’s Anglophone communities:

In contrast, however, most departments have not been able to successfully take on the design of national policy and programs that are flexible enough to work in Quebec as well as across Canada. That has meant fewer initiatives for the English-speaking community.

From a policy-maker's perspective, the reality of the English-speaking community of Quebec presents a particular challenge. We know that. In fact, it questions the core of collective thinking about Canadian official language minority communities. The tradition that informs the beliefs and the structure of a response to official languages is based on the Francophone experience, and the foundation of that experience is a minority language that has been fiercely protected and proudly fostered for four centuries in Canada. But for English Quebec, the protection of the language is not a concern. For the English-speaking minority of Quebec, the fundamental aim is to preserve our institutions and the communities they serve.[17]

The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada also gave a broad description of this design flaw when he appeared before the Committee:

In some cases, Roadmap initiatives have been launched in response to the specific realities of French-speaking minority communities. The government and the departments then tried, as best they could, to adapt these initiatives to the needs of Anglophone communities, something with which they do not necessarily have much experience.[18]

Federal institutions have to be able to adapt their initiatives to the reality of English-speaking Quebec in all its complexity. “Often, it is difficult to implement a Canada-wide initiative in Quebec. It is because of the jurisdictional issues. So we are wondering how community initiatives under the Roadmap can be offered on the ground.”[19]

4. Possible solutions

The QCGN hopes that English-speaking communities in Quebec will be equitably represented in the Government of Canada’s future horizontal official languages initiative:

To conclude, although we feel largely absent from the Roadmap, we of course still believe it possible that English-speaking Quebec can be given equal national consideration and equitable resources in developing its successor, the planning of which we understand is already under way.[20]

The goal is not to attain perfect symmetry. Anglophone and Francophone minority communities have different needs. This principle was reaffirmed at the QCGN’s Strategic Priorities Forum in March 2012. However, the witnesses representing Quebec’s Anglophone communities are looking for equitable support from the federal government to foster the growth of English institutions in the province and thus stimulate community development. The QCGN is counting on three main elements to give English-language communities better access to the programs and funding that will be part of a future official languages initiative: consultation, research, and the development of innovative thinking.

Consultation is essential to a better understanding of the needs of Quebec’s English-speaking communities because it makes it possible to identify the communities’ needs. The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada explained the importance of working with Anglophone communities in the province when federal programs are being designed and of fostering dialogue throughout their implementation:

It’s important that, right from the outset, initiatives reflect the specific realities of a community and meet real needs. There must then be a sustained dialogue as the initiative is implemented, and if necessary, tailored to their circumstances.[21]

On the subject of research, the QCGN would like Anglophone organizations and institutions in Quebec’s English-speaking communities to get the support they need to conduct professional research and obtain conclusive data that can guide communities and governments in their planning and decision making:

The English-speaking community of Quebec cannot continue to rely only on a half-century of research and capacity building, as provided to Canada's Francophone minority. Evidence-based policy by definition relies on evidence. To ensure our vitality, the English-speaking minority needs more resources directed towards research.[22]

The Quebec English-speaking Communities Research Network at Concordia University is trying to meet this need.

Implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act requires innovative thinking and determination on the part of federal institutions.

For the Roadmap to be truly effective for our community, investments in Quebec will require a high level of commit by the politicians and the policy and program architects — champions, really — because decision-makers will need to be innovative and convincing.[23]

The structural challenges in government programming, such as the Roadmap, can be mitigated by innovative thinking and dedicated effort. For example, immigration is the subject of a Canada-Quebec accord to which the current Roadmap is subordinate.[24]

To achieve that goal, the QCGN has proposed to the Minister of Canadian Heritage that a comprehensive evaluation methodology be created to ensure that all departments take the priorities of Quebec’s English-speaking communities[25] into account in developing and delivering their programs. This requires a commitment, a thorough understanding of Anglophone communities in Quebec and innovative thinking.

E. The Government of Canada’s future horizontal official languages initiative

All of the witnesses spoke in favour of renewing the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality or implementing a new horizontal initiative for official languages. The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada, Graham Fraser, confirmed the importance of developing a new five-year plan to preserve what has already been accomplished in terms of promoting linguistic duality and supporting OLMC:

I have said it before and I will say it again: I strongly encourage the government to renew the Roadmap and implement a fresh five-year plan. We must protect our assets and the initiatives that are already under way in the 2008-2013 Roadmap.[26]

Regarding the protection of gains, the Société Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin (SSTA), the organization that represents Acadians and Francophones in Prince Edward Island, talked about the positive impact the Roadmap has had on community development and the need to continue that work in a future initiative:

So far, the Roadmap has enabled us to organize ourselves and, today, it is allowing us to grow. Tomorrow, it will enable us to live in French. The idea of a Roadmap like the one currently in place is absolutely essential to ensure the spread of linguistic duality.
We cannot say enough just how important it is that the Roadmap be renewed in 2013 by the federal government.[27]

Despite the economic woes Canada is currently experiencing, it is clear from the evidence the Committee heard that the complementary funding provided by the Roadmap must be renewed. The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada commented on the potential adverse effects of a decrease in spending on the development of OLMC: “Some official language communities are so fragile that major cuts in certain programs could seriously compromise their vitality.”[28]

The Commissioner has also reminded the Government of Canada of the importance of renewing the Roadmap from the standpoint of respect for the Official Languages Act, in particular Part VII. In this regard, several federal institutions would like the Roadmap to be renewed so that they can continue the work they have been doing for a decade. The witnesses from the Department of Justice told the Committee that the initial funding from the 2003-2008 Action Plan, followed by funding from the Roadmap, enabled them to build official languages capability. They are of the opinion that if these efforts are to succeed and have a lasting defect, these investments must be maintained:

We have been working in it for 10 years. We had to establish our capabilities and bring in other stakeholders to work with us. We are particularly pleased with our achievements funded under the Roadmap. We also think we should go a little further for those investments to be sustainable. For the moment, based on our results and our partnerships, we can say that the actions our department has taken have nevertheless helped improve matters.[29]

The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) also gave the Committee an account of how much work has been done in the past 10 years on development of technologies and the language industry in Canada:

… over the last 10 years we have built a world-class team… NRC's role in the program might be different from other programs because we are a research and technology organization. I can't stress enough how long it takes to build a team such as we have. We are very proud of what we've done over the last 10 years. We started with virtually nothing and in 10 years have built a team that has been able to develop technologies that are really, truly world class, and in some cases best in the world.[30]

The Committee is aware that the Roadmap has provided leverage to help federal institutions meet their commitments under Part VII of the Official Languages Act. It is also of the opinion that it would be ill advised to withdraw or reduce drastically its support when so much effort has been made over the past decade to assist in enhancing the vitality of OLMC and promoting linguistic duality. In that regard, the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada reminded the Committee that in the past, disproportionate cuts to official languages programs had an impact on the vitality of OLMC and the government had to spend a great deal of money to get things back on an even keel. To realize a return on past investments, official languages must remain a priority area of investment for the federal government.

Consequently, the Committee recommends:

Recommendation 1

That the Government of Canada put in place a horizontal initiative for official languages to follow the Roadmap when it ends on March 31, 2013, and that it include funding equivalent to that for the 2008-2013 Roadmap.

F. The Roadmap: A complementary strategy

The Committee recognizes that the Roadmap enhances, even complements, the regular programs used by federal institutions to promote the official languages and contribute to the development of OLMC. The Roadmap is a subset of federal government investments in official languages:

In reality, the federal government's investment in official languages is much larger than the Roadmap. All departments are subject to the Official Languages Act. …In particular, I'm thinking of the active measures to promote English and French and of the vitality of official language minority communities.

So the Roadmap is a hard core, if you will, of particularly relevant government activities that have been put together to create a coherent whole. However, this doesn't represent all the federal government's investments in official languages.[31]

Despite this statement by the Department of Canadian Heritage, OLMC have concerns which they shared with the Committee. According to the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA), the Roadmap has led some federal institutions to disengage from their responsibilities toward OLMC. The FCFA believes this is the result of a governance problem:

This coordination deficiency has highlighted a harmful effect of the Roadmap. Largely left to their own devices, certain federal institutions that receive funding have stopped investing their own resources in support of the official language communities. That was definitely not the effect sought by the government.[32]

It is important that the Government of Canada’s future horizontal official languages initiative remains a bonus:

In our minds, the objective of the Roadmap is to improve existing programs, and in that sense this has to remain an improvement, not a transfer of funds to another budget. It really has to involve additional funding.[33]

Consequently, the Committee recommends:

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage undertake to ensure that federal institutions understand their duties and responsibilities under Part VII of the Official Languages Act and the nature and purpose of the Government of Canada’s future horizontal initiative for official languages, which must improve on existing programs.