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 Government of Canada recognize that the Charter of the French Language is essential to protect, promote and secure the future of French in Quebec.

Recommendation 2

That the Government of Canada work with the provinces and territories to provide francophone schools, from early childhood to postsecondary, with stable funding, rather than one-time funding per existing project, to build and renovate schools and institutions in order to meet demand, and to hire and retain teachers.

Recommendation 3

That the funding envelope that supports the postsecondary sector in francophone minority communities allow postsecondary institutions to increase their core funding to truly stabilize the postsecondary sector.

Recommendation 4

That the Government of Canada increase funding for programs supporting official language minority association and institutional networks as part of the new Action Plan for Official Languages.

Recommendation 5

That the Government of Canada take on a leadership role with respect to official languages by providing better support to francophone communities and school systems outside Quebec.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada adopt new regulations to strengthen the requirements of Part VII of the Official Languages Act as soon as possible.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada adopt a francophone immigration policy designed to restore and increase the demographic weight of minority francophones by adopting a catch-up target and providing the resources to achieve it.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada pursue and strengthen the Francophone immigration strategy to repair, preserve and increase the demographic weight of Francophones.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada take the necessary steps to further encourage the immigration of families with children in the federal immigration process, which will encourage and promote the learning of French at a younger age.

Recommendation 10

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada stop using the possibility of remaining in Canada after graduation as a reason for rejecting immigrant students’ applications.

Recommendation 11

That the Government of Canada help address the shortage of French teachers by supporting francophone teacher training and by adopting a francophone immigration policy that includes attracting newcomers able to teach in French.

Recommendation 12

That the Government of Canada formally recognize that French is in decline in Canada and in Quebec, particularly in urban areas including the metropolitan region of Montreal and that it take steps to reverse this alarming trend.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada ask Statistics Canada to conduct a detailed study to come up with an accurate picture of the situation of French:

• a)    by considering indicators other than the two indicators traditionally used (mother tongue and language spoken most often at home), by including the language of work and services in Quebec, the language used in the public sphere, the language of instruction, the language used on signage, or the first official language used at home or in the public sphere;
• b)   by determining which indicators are the most useful for providing an accurate picture of the status of French in Quebec and which ones are not as useful;
• c)    by considering a variety of factors, such as population density, whether a community is within a rural or urban area, and the region of the country; and
• d)   by focusing on the various linguistic practices, including issues surrounding the transmission of French to children, the ability of French second language learners to retain their proficiency, barriers to growth, the integration and inclusion of francophone immigrants, and the barriers and opportunities in French-language educational paths from early childhood to post-secondary education.

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada ask Statistics Canada to provide more precise data to better understand the complexity of the use of language transmission to allow the government to adopt strategies better adapted to reality.

Recommendation 15

That the operation of federal institutions in Quebec aims a general use of French in all levels of services, including a good knowledge of French by the management group.