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 Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, given its coordination role under the Economic Development Initiative, and Canadian Heritage, as coordinator of the government-wide strategy on official languages, evaluate the Economic Development Initiative with a view to:

• reviewing how financial resources are allocated to the regional development agencies, particularly by adding a qualitative variable to gauge economic development and the needs of official language minority communities so as not to be limited solely to quntitative data;
• ensuring that the anglophone and francophone minority population calculations are as comprehensive as they are in the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations: “all persons, in a province in which an office or facilty of a federal institution is located, for whom the first language, or one of the first languages, learned at home in childhood and still understood, is the minority official language and those who speak the minority official language at home, as determined by Statistics Canada based on the published data from the most recent decennial census of population;” and
• indexing the funds allocated to the Economic Development Initiative to ensure they are adjusted to the current economic context.

Recommendation 2

That Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada create a tourism publication to be updated annually. Such an initiative would better promote tourism in francophone minority communities and enhance the visibility of local businesses while making these services more accessible to francophone tourists, both Canadian and international.

Recommendation 3

That the federal government continue to invest in programs that help tourism grow, knowing that this benefits the economic development of official language minority communities.

Recommendation 4

That the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages reiterate to his Cabinet colleagues the importance of official language minority communities when making grant decisions.

Recommendation 5

That Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada and regional development agencies review the funding application process stemming from the Economic Development Initiative and the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities in order to reduce administrative burden and improve accessibility for economic organizations and entrepreneurs.

Recommendation 6

That the Government of Canada recognize that collaborative economic development is one of the socioeconomic models best suited to the needs of Quebec’s English-speaking communities. That it take collaborative economic development into account when implementing positive measures targeting the socioeconomic development of these communities.

Recommendation 7

That the Government of Canada adopt an employment strategy for English-speaking Quebeckers that, while noting that this is an area of shared jurisdiction:

• prioritizes access to free and accessible French-language training programs;
• works toward forging a partnership between the participating federal institutions and Quebec’s English-speaking communities;
• works toward improving Canada–Quebec intergovernmental and interdepartmental coordination on the employability and economic development of Quebec’s English-speaking communities; and
• funds research into the employability and economic development of Quebec’s English-speaking communities.

Recommendation 8

That the Government of Canada request that Statistics Canada collect language data in its monthly Labour Force Survey in order to provide socioeconomic development stakeholders with an up-to-date picture of the national, provincial, territorial and regional employment and unemployment rates for official language minority communities.

Recommendation 9

That the Government of Canada consider the bilingual municipalities in the Canadian Prairies when developing regulations for designating regions with a strong francophone presence.

Recommendation 10

That Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada adopt a representative definition of Francophone businesses in minority situations. That this definition take into account, among other criteria, that a business where employees can function and work in French is a francophone business.

Recommendation 11

That under section 41(7)(a.1) of the Official Languages Act, Employment and Social Development Canada include provisions in the funding agreements with the provinces and territories that set out their obligations regarding the rights of official language minority communities. That the department require enhanced accountability from stakeholders, particularly with respect to funding for adult literacy and skills acquisition geared to official language minority communities.

Recommendation 12

That the government invest in making it easier for francophone and Acadian minority caregivers to access resources and services.

Recommendation 13

That the Government of Canada top up its investment to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence and earmark funding specifically for organizations representing francophone and Acadian women in minority communities.

Recommendation 14

That the Government of Canada inform stakeholders about, call their attention to and reiterate, the existence of a specific lens for official language minority communities designed to promote and encourage the creation of new businesses serving these communities.

Recommendation 15

That official language minority communities be identified in the High-speed Internet for all Canadians initiative as priority communities.

Recommendation 16

That the government act and take concrete action to resolve the labour shortage in the field of early childhood and francophone education, as it is an existential challenge to the survival of Francophone communities.

Recommendation 17

That the Government of Canada draw inspiration from the collaboration between Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency within the Atlantic Immigration Program and extend this model on a national scale to better meet the workforce needs of businesses in francophone minority communities.

Recommendation 18

That the Government of Canada conduct ongoing negotiations with the provinces and the territories in order to have them recognize foreign credentials, which would, specifically, help francophone newcomers integrate and contribute to the economic development of francophone minority communities.

Recommendation 19

That Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada recognize francophone international students as a priority cohort because of their contributions to the economic development of francophone communities and exempt them from the new national cap that limits the number of international students.

Recommendation 20

That the Government of Canada develop a socioeconomic development strategy for francophone minority communities (FMCs) with the revitalization of rural communities as its primary goal. The Committee recommends that this strategy:

• focus on building the capacities of FMCs, particularly with regard to the availability of services in French;
• take a regional approach that is sensitive to FMC organizations and structures;
• support research, including research conducted by FMC economic development agencies, and the sharing of evidence-based information;
• be informed by intersectional analysis reflecting the needs of women, immigrants, women immigrants, young people, retirees, and so forth.