RECOMMENDATION 1

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, maintain the funding allocated for the 2013–2014 to 2017–2018 Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction and subsequent bilateral agreements.

RECOMMENDATION 2

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, improve the reporting mechanisms in the 2013–2014 to 2017–2018  Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction and subsequent bilateral agreements. That it publish on its website the annual financial statements prepared by the provinces and territories and that they be easily accessible to the public.

RECOMMENDATION 3

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, improve the performance measures in the 2013–2014 to 2017–2018  Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction and subsequent bilateral agreements in order to have more reliable data on the progress and success of French second-language education programs across Canada.

RECOMMENDATION 4

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, focus on student retention and achievement in core French programs in Canada with a view to improving these programs.

RECOMMENDATION 5

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, develop an information and promotion strategy to inform parents, school administrators and the general public about the French second-language education programs offered in Canada, and that this strategy be designed in consultation with the provinces and territories.

RECOMMENDATION 6

That, as part of the 2013–2014 to 2017–2018  Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction and subsequent bilateral agreements, the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, maintain its support for language and cultural exchange programs for students at the secondary and post-secondary levels, and that the Department maintain its support for authentic language and cultural experiences for elementary school students. The Committee encourages the Department to continue to include francophone minority communities in these programs.

RECOMMENDATION 7

That the Department of Canadian Heritage take on a leadership role within CMEC so that a common national framework of reference for language learning can be adopted across the country.

RECOMMENDATION 8

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, together with all the provinces and territories and through CMEC, develop and implement an information campaign at Canadian post-secondary institutions in order to promote French second-language instruction as a profession.

RECOMMENDATION 9

That the Department of Canadian Heritage, through CMEC, encourage all the provinces and territories to create interprovincial language and cultural exchange programs for French second-language teachers and that these programs encourage francophone minority communities, among others, to promote and raise awareness of the Canadian Francophonie.

RECOMMENDATION 10

That the Government of Canada continue to fund research projects in the acquisition and maintenance of French second-language skills, instruction and French second-language assessment in order to improve educational methods and resources and obtain reliable data on the evolution of bilingualism in Canada.