Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Official Languages
Issue No. 12 - Evidence - Meeting of May 1, 2017
OTTAWA, Monday, May 1, 2017
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages met this day at 5:03 p.m. to study and report on Canadians' views about modernizing the Official Languages Act.
Senator Claudette Tardif (Chair) in the chair.
[Translation]
The Chair: Good evening. My name is Claudette Tardif and I am from Alberta. I have the pleasure of chairing this evening's meeting. Before I give the floor to the witnesses, I would like to invite the members of the committee to please introduce themselves, starting on my right.
Senator McIntyre: Good evening. Paul McIntyre from New Brunswick.
Senator Bovey: Pat Bovey from Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Senator Gagné: Raymonde Gagné from Manitoba.
Senator Moncion: Lucie Moncion from Ontario.
Senator Fraser: Joan Fraser from Quebec.
Senator Cormier: René Cormier from New Brunswick.
Senator Maltais: Ghislain Maltais from Quebec. Good evening.
The Chair: This evening, our committee begins a new study, which will be divided into five parts. It will deal with Canadians' views about modernizing the Official Languages Act. The aim of the study is to gather comments and recommendations from various segments of Canadian society, specifically young Canadians, those who experienced the evolution of the Official Languages Act, official language minority communities, the justice sector, and federal institutions.
The Senate committee will first consider the viewpoint of young Canadians, specifically with regard to the promotion of the two official languages, the identity issues that result, in terms of their own languages and cultures, their motivations in learning the other official language, employment and future prospects for young Canadians, and their recommendations on modernizing the act.
In our first group, it is our great pleasure to welcome, from the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, the president, Justin Johnson, and the executive director, Josée Vaillancourt. Welcome. You are our first witnesses for this study and we are very pleased to have you with us. Please share your comments with us, after which, the senators will ask you questions.
Justin Johnson, President, Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française: Thank you very much. Good evening, ladies and gentlemen of the committee.
First, as the president of an organization that is the voice of young French-speaking Canadians in minority situations, I would like to thank you so much for inviting the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française (FJCF) to come before you this evening to discuss the views of young Canadians about modernizing the Official Languages Act.
Since 1974, we have been living by the principle of action by and for young Canadians. The FJCF feels that it is our duty to ensure that young Canadians provide their testimony at events like this. That is why I am here. It is also why we conducted surveys with young Canadians in order to gain their perspectives on various questions about linguistic duality and official languages. What you will hear this evening are the opinions of young, French-speaking Canadians from across Canada.
Our first mandate is to represent the interests of young, French-speaking Canadians in minority situations. Our role is also to create a range of alternatives so that those young people can have enriching experience in French, nationally and locally. We do this through our 11 members, youth organizations in nine provinces and two territories.
As the study on Canadians' views about modernizing the Official Languages Act gets under way, the FJCF expresses the desire that all federal institutions recognize that it is important to champion and value both official languages across the entire country. Canadians are also expressing a desire for the Official Languages Act to adequately address the current issues that those young people see as important to them, such as francophone minority communities, employability, education and second-language learning, linguistic security and promoting linguistic duality.
Young Canadians are looking for a francophonie in Canada in which their identity is defined, not by opposition and exclusion, but by openness and diversity. That is why the FJCF wholeheartedly supports any attempts to modernize the Official Languages Act that involves the idea of communications and services of equal quality, to improve the tests to determine whether there is significant demand, and to clarify the provisions for prior consultation in the application of Part IV of the act. We believe that it is vital for the Government of Canada to review the definition of a francophone in order to achieve a more inclusive definition of the francophonie, as the Government of Ontario has already done.
Young Canadians dream of living, and want to live, in a Canada that respects linguistic duality, that celebrates linguistic duality, that values our regional francophone accents and that brings the language communities of the country together.
All the young respondents in one of our recent surveys spoke both French and English. Those whose first language is French and who live in minority situations often learn English from a very early age. We often even say that we "catch'' English. They learn English in social situations or at school. One young respondent told us: "I have a hard time seeing how you can have a particular attachment to a vehicular language that is as widespread as English. You take it for granted because it is everywhere. You develop an attachment to something when it is difficult, when it is complex, and when you have few opportunities to use it. That is where my attachment to French comes from.''
Part of our reality is the co-existence of French and English. We cannot get away from it. Almost all young French- speakers who were asked last year — 91.3 per cent of them — recognize bilingualism as a very important component of Canadian identity, even as the very foundation of Canadian culture. However, they point to a lack of promotion of bilingualism, a lack of value placed on it, and, above all, a lack of recognition of, and pride in, language and linguistic duality in the country.
Canada is a bilingual country. However, the promotion of the two official languages is sometimes less than ideal. In our opinion, our country's linguistic duality is one of its greatest assets. Young Canadians believe that the Government of Canada should actively promote this duality as a cultural and economic advantage. To educate Canadians about the importance of celebrating our country's linguistic duality, of promoting regional accents, and of bringing together the country's language communities, the FJCF, in its brief in connection with the next official languages action plan, has recommended that the Government of Canada launch a nation-wide awareness campaign to promote Canada's official languages and linguistic duality. It is important to ensure that Canada's different French accents are known and valued, and to build bridges between the country's linguistic communities.
A major challenge for these young French-speakers who live in minority situations is to find opportunities to fully live in French outside school. One young respondent told us: "The best opportunity to live in French where I live is to participate in school events and events like the Jeux de l'Acadie or the provincial youth council.''
In the current sociolinguistic context, in which the number of francophones in Canada is increasing but their percentage of the population is decreasing, we believe that it is critical to give priority to the vitality of francophone communities in minority situations. We must strengthen the capacity of organizations that work to allow youth to thrive and to organize events and activities that bring together young French-speakers in the same place at the same time, thereby helping to make their respective communities more dynamic. As one of the young respondents to our most recent survey said: "Although my family helped me to develop my affinity for francophone culture to some degree, the time spent in youth organizations was really when I was able to find my place.''
As the face of the francophonie in the country changes, the FJCF notes that many Canadians, including young francophones, do not feel comfortable speaking French for various reasons. Some believe that they are not good enough, that they will be judged, or that their accent is worse than in other regions or in the media. As a result, many young people prefer to use English, although they are able to communicate in French. This feeling of intimidation, or "linguistic insecurity'', as we call it, can be observed across the country, affecting all age groups. Each region has its own unique linguistic features, features that can become a source of richness and pride once they are discovered and valued. The FJCF believes that differences in expression should not be an obstacle to the affirmation of the French language and that the francophonie should be celebrated in all its forms.
In addition to the direct promotion of official languages, one aspect raised by young people is the lack of linguistic diversity and the lack of original French-Canadian content in the media, be it on the radio, on television or on the web. Attachment to francophone culture first requires access to that culture, and the distribution of content produced by and for the francophonie across the country. The diversity of dialects and the multitude of accents from the various Canadian regions are often missing from the media. Canada's French is much more than the French spoken and heard in Quebec. It is important that francophones from all across Canada see, hear and recognize themselves in the media across the country.
One of the comments from our members that frequently comes up in connection with the challenges they face in their communities when they are living completely in French is the lack of a range of post-secondary institutions and programs in French. When asked, 32.5 per cent of the young French-speaking Canadians tell us that they have difficulty accessing quality post-secondary education in French in the areas and programs that interest them. Education is one of the pillars of self-actualization, through which young people acquire their history and identity as Canadians. Schools are therefore the ideal places for them to discover and understand the nature of thefrancophonie and its history and culture.
However, culture is not learned. It must be lived. It is troubling to find that almost one in three has either to pursue post-secondary education in a language not of their choosing, either because of linguistic insecurity or because programs in French are not available, or to leave their own areas to find their preferred course of study in French.
When asked by the FJCF, young francophones unanimously acknowledged the importance of a command of both official languages in terms of their employment prospects. However, they also point out how few and far between the French-language, or even bilingual, work environments are. The participants in our survey also raise the failure to promote bilingualism or linguistic duality in workplaces, with English often being preferred when working in-house and in interactions between employees. Young people aspire to find jobs in their language, in their field of study, with competitive wages and decent terms of employment, in their communities.
So we believe that the Government of Canada should make greater investments in job creation for young francophones. As a priority, funding should be increased for the summer jobs program called Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages. In addition, it should invest in high-quality paid internships for French-speaking students in the country's francophone minority communities through the Young Canada Works at Building Careers in English and French program.
In closing, we believe that the federal government must continue its investments in essential learning programs so that participants can improve their linguistic path with the goal of acquiring, or improving the use of, a second language. The federal government must also invest in programs to reduce linguistic insecurity among young Canadians and in all spheres of society.
Although we cannot neglect classroom teaching, we strongly believe that perfecting a second language is done through experience and that affiliation to a culture comes from grass-roots experience. Investment in gatherings, in cultural activities and in employment programs is therefore essential, allowing the language learned at school to be put to use. The FJCF supports the development of partnerships with organizations that are able to provide experiences of that kind.
In addition, we believe that it is important for the federal government to remind Canadians of the importance of the linguistic duality that was the cornerstone when our country was created. It should do so through a national promotion campaign to enhance the value of bilingualism in Canada. After all, linguistic duality is one of Canada's greatest blessings.
We invite you to consult the package of information we have provided for you so that you can find out more about the comments and suggestions made by young Canadians. There are a lot. We remain ready to support you in your research and your desire to meet young francophones from all corners of the country, so that you have a better understanding of their needs, of the issues they must grapple with, and of what motivates them to become committed citizens. We absolutely want to work with you; that is why we are here this evening. We are extremely grateful for your invitation and for this opportunity to have this discussion with you.
The Chair: Thank you very much for your excellent presentation, Mr. Johnson. I would like to recognize the presence of two senators who have joined the meeting: Senator Mégie from Quebec and Senator Mockler from New Brunswick. We have senators who would like to ask you questions.
Senator McIntyre: Thank you for your presentation, Mr. Johnson. Welcome also to Ms. Vaillancourt. I see that your federation was founded more than 43 years ago and that it represents young French-speaking Canadians between the ages of 14 and 25. I also see that you organize a number of major events. Among the national events coming up soon, there is the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne, which will be held in Moncton and Dieppe, in New Brunswick, my home province, from July 11 to July 15, 2017. There is also the Parlement jeunesse pancanadien, which will take place in Ottawa from January 10 to January 14, 2018, and the Forum jeunesse pancanadien, which will take place in the winter of 2019 in a location yet to be determined.
Speaking of the Forum jeunesse pancanadien, which is held every two years, I see that, in 2015, the federation identified five major issues in its platform, including the future of the Official Languages Act. You also mentioned, and I agree with you, that the Official Languages Act contains no specific provisions addressing young Canadians. Among the other issues, I also see setting the voting age at 16 and post-secondary education in French. Can you tell us more about those two issues?
Josée Vaillancourt, Executive Director, Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française: Thank you very much for the question. The five priorities were established by the participants at the 2015 Forum jeunesse pancanadienne, including voting at 16 and access to post-secondary education in French.
Let me start with education. Clearly, up to a point, we are spoiled. Our young people have wonderful institutions across the country. However, they often have to travel elsewhere in order to study in French, especially in areas of study that are sometimes not offered where they live. Although young people like to travel, studying comes with costs, and the costs of studying in French are high, particularly when travel is necessary. Access in French to post-secondary institutions in their communities would be ideal, as would be a greater availability of programs all across the country.
In terms of voting at 16, today's young people are engaged. They want to participate in democracy, they are interested in our country's future, and they want to have the right to speak in elections as early as age 16. This topic has actually created a lot of buzz in New Brunswick and across the country. Although there's no unanimity, people are starting to think about it more. Clearly, young people want to be more engaged and to have an opportunity to participate fully in Canadian democracy.
Senator McIntyre: Have young Canadians been surveyed about voting at 16?
Ms. Vaillancourt: There wasn't an extensive survey. The young people who participated in the Forum jeunesse pancanadien identified this issue as a priority. Clearly, they echoed the opinions of their colleagues on the ground, which goes back to the national level. However, no survey on the issue per se has been carried out yet.
Senator Cormier: Thank you for joining us. Since I am very familiar with your organization, allow me to congratulate you on the work you have been doing over the years. Your work is strongly and intensely rooted in the Canadian francophonie. You are doing an outstanding job thanks to your ability to bring young people together through mobilizing and engaging projects. You also have some cultural projects with your members.
Here's my question: Despite all those activities, we may feel that young people today don't identify with the official languages through arts and culture. You organize a lot of cultural activities. What is your view on that?
Mr. Johnson: Thank you very much for the question. Culture often came up in the discussions at the Forum jeunesse pancanadien held in Calgary a few months ago. We talked about living the culture, not just talking about it, but truly living it. This is the culture that helps us understand young people and encourage them in the arts. I know that's how a number of young artists across the country express themselves. We could have a debate on whether a work of art expresses the French language. I would say yes, if it was produced by a francophone. Arts and culture play a huge role in the development of the Canadian francophonie, and young people have a role to play in this area. Culture is a force that keeps moving forward, and we have to bear it in mind as part of modernizing the Official Languages Act.
Ms. Vaillancourt: It is no secret that young people are very attached to anything that's mobile: their smart phones, the Internet, and so on. In terms of the consumption of cultural products, those most readily available on social media or the Internet are not necessarily in French. That's our greatest challenge. In our brief, when we talk about creating more content by and for the Canadian francophonie, it means that young people need to recognize, see and hear themselves with their accents as well. Francophone cultural products must become more readily and promptly available on social media. That's the very nature of social media: instant and immediate. We must improve in this area so that our young francophones have access to cultural content in French that represents and interests them. So that's a challenge.
Mr. Johnson: To continue along the lines of what Ms. Vaillancourt said, for instance, on Twitter, which is a social media platform, we don't usually see conversations or tweets between francophones. There are no major francophone debates on social media. However, a number of our organizations are active on social media and that's where they share their news releases. We don't see real life in French on those platforms.
They want to talk about the major issues facing our institutions, but they also want to talk about arts in French. Have you gone to see that play? I thought it was fantastic. Have you seen that show? They want to talk about those sorts of things and, if we are increasingly able to make the presence of francophones, young francophones, visible on social media, our colleagues, our anglophone colleagues will be able to understand that we have a role and place in the Canadian francophonie. So I firmly believe that social media have a role to play in this debate and discussion.
Senator Cormier: Has your organization participated in the consultation with Minister Joly on the digital shift?
Ms. Vaillancourt: No, unfortunately.
Senator Gagné: I will add my voice to those of Senators McIntyre and Cormier in expressing our admiration for your work. You are doing some fine things to engage young people, and that's the foundation for normalizing life in French in Canada.
I would like to go back to the question on the value of bilingualism. Mr. Johnson, in your brief, you mentioned that, ultimately, the vast majority of young people say they are bilingual. So this value is very important. I was wondering what motivates a young person to uphold this value of bilingualism. I'm interested in that answer, but also in the reason why young people would downplay the importance of continuing to live in French.
Mr. Johnson: You are asking a very good question, Senator Gagné. It is a big debate, a big discussion. This topic is often discussed at the Forum jeunesse pancanadien in terms of whether bilingualism, this linguistic duality, is just a value or something innate. Is it something related to identity that cannot simply be set aside and ignored? My understanding based on what I'm hearing is that it often has to do with saying that I'm bilingual and that's what I am. That's what it means to be Canadian. I simply live this linguistic duality. It is something innate, not something external to oneself. It's very personal and subjective.
It is difficult to live this life in a fully bilingual way without recognizing that the French language comes with a history and culture, and with that understanding, with pride. This means understanding that we can live and want to live our lives in French, strengthening our communities to be truly able to thrive in French.
However, young francophones in Canada are very aware that we must absolutely build bridges with our anglophone colleagues across the country. We share the same issues, including making the voting age 16, environmental protection, and social media. We share these issues with our anglophone colleagues, both young and not so young. We want to be able to work with them while respecting and celebrating what we are as francophones.
Ms. Vaillancourt: I would like to add that we see in today's younger generation the fruit of the labour of those who fought relentlessly for access to education in French. It's only recently in our history that francophones started to be able to manage their own institutions, but there was a time when francophones fought for those rights to be recognized and, today, young people are benefitting from those successes. So, although we are fighting for our francophonie, we still live in a society that can take certain gains for granted, which comes with challenges.
When young people say they are bilingual, it doesn't mean they are any less francophone. It is very important to understand that. Young people are just as proud to speak French, but their identity today is more bilingual. We are often scared when young people say that they are bilingual, as if our numbers would go down. No, we must recognize that bilingual anglophones and francophones are a great asset for our country. I think that's where we are at with modernizing the Official Languages Act.
It is all the more important to have recognition on both sides. Yes, we recognize the fact that we live in a society that speaks predominantly in English, but French is very present. The government must do more to ensure that anglophones understand the importance, vitality and richness of the francophonie with all its accents from coast to coast to coast.
Senator Maltais: I would like to take you back in time a bit, and quote the following line from our national anthem in French: "Nos foyers et nos droits,'' or "our homes and our rights.'' The national anthem tells us that the rights of francophones in North America have been hard won.
Congratulations on your work, which is truly outstanding, especially since you are pretty much the only organization that deals with young people.
You know, there is an old saying in the region I come from, the north shore of Quebec, where I have lived longer with Aboriginal people than with anglophones: "Language is learned and culture is shared.'' That's what I liked in your brief, when you say that we must not make enemies, but, on the contrary, we must include them, because being inclusive is already extraordinary.
Something intrigues me. What does Radio-Canada do for you?
Ms. Vaillancourt: What is it doing for us?
Senator Maltais: One evening at 11:30 p.m., on my way back from Chandler, I listened to a Radio-Canada program that talked about the influence of Asterix books in French on young Canadians. I listened to it, because I had no choice, there were no other stations available in the Matapédia Valley. After the show, I wondered what was in it for the people of Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador. Who listens to a show that's on at 11:30 p.m.? I wondered whether Radio-Canada voluntarily supports the francophone culture outside Quebec. Don't feel uneasy, because they sure let me know about it in British Columbia.
Ms. Vaillancourt: They talked about Radio-Canada at the Forum jeunesse pancanadien, and that's important. However, the content of Radio-Canada programming is not quite relevant to our youth. But they certainly recognize the value and the improvements that should be made to enable our public broadcaster to meet the needs of our young people.
Furthermore, and we mentioned this earlier in our remarks, we should be able to hear the different accents, instead of standardizing French so that the only French variety or accent that we hear is that from Montreal. Young people do not recognize themselves in it. So in terms of what Radio-Canada does for us, there are still some fine projects that often come from the regions, not necessarily from Montreal, such as the Jeunes reporters Acadie project, which allows young people to work with our public broadcaster's mentors. Those are good things. Can more be done? Yes, of course. Would young people be more captivated if the content spoke to them more? Sure they would.
Senator Maltais: You are absolutely right when you say that you do not recognize yourself in the language of Radio-Canada Montréal. The rest of Quebec does not recognize itself in it either and has heard no mention of it before. However, we would like to hear from you on Radio-Canada. We would like to know what you do on Friday and Saturday evenings.
I attended the Acadian Day celebrations three years ago, and American television was there. The people from Radio-Canada arrived three days later and the celebrations were over. They were looking for people to interview. I was in small regional positions and I had a lot of fun. The Radio-Canada people wanted to interview me and I refused, telling them they came too late and the celebrations were over. There was a whole line of trucks heading in the right direction, but they did not find the way and did not get to Edmundston in time. I very much regret that, because you deserve better.
Radio-Canada has a duty to fulfil and it is not doing so.
The Chair: As it happens, Senator Maltais, we published a study on CBC/Radio-Canada and its linguistic obligations.
Senator Maltais: But it is not respecting them.
Senator Bovey: I am going to put my question in English, if I may.
[English]
Congratulations and thank you for your presentation. I found it very stimulating, very exciting and very sad, to a degree. I admire your knowledge and passion. I guess my sadness comes from knowing how many anglophones in this country wish they were bilingual. So I applaud the level of bilingualism in the Francophonie.
My question stems from what you said about bilingualism enriching our country. I'm concerned. I'm really interested in what you say about social media and the lack of French content. I have to confess that I don't think I thought about that before, so I would be interested in more thoughts on that.
Adding to that, how could the federal government help francophone youth fully express their commitment to the two languages? Selfishly, I would like to see that commitment and exposure go both ways. For me, it's not just an issue within the francophone community; I would love to see bilingual anglophone youth. I think you could lead the way. What you have done is tremendous. So I would like your comments on what the government can do. Tell me more about social media.
Answer in French. I understand everything you have said.
[Translation]
Mr. Johnson: I would like to go back to the point made by the French-speaking young people of Canada, who recognize bilingualism and linguistic duality as a part of their identity. I am from Manitoba. I am a Métis from Rivière- Rouge. My story is different and expresses a certain diversity, as well as the diversity of the Canadian francophonie. But is a leap to say that I can express myself in the same way with my anglophone colleagues or friends. The cultural references, the expressions are different. It is almost as though Justin, one of my anglophone cousins, became a different person. Justin expresses himself in different ways. The same thing applies when I visit my uncle or my grandmother; my terms are different.
But when I think about it, I see so much richness and opportunities in these different Justins to strengthen our country. We are in a position to interact with a variety of people. We are in a position to understand others in the way in which they wish to be understood, and to say that the other is a part of our country. With your skills, you can make this country better, no matter where you come from, regardless of whether you speak English or French.
I'd like to hear some open and honest discussions about this. I would like us to develop that perspective and to say: "Yes, I want to be an active part of this society, and I want to understand others in the way they want to be understood''. If tools like social media can make these discussions happen in both languages, all the better.
That is my vision of things. Let's not build castles in the air, let's tear down walls, open our doors and tell others that the francophonie is rich. Come and celebrate it with us. We want you to get to know it, and to make it a part of your culture, your identity and your way of doing things, while respecting the fact that our history is rich and has been marked by some major debates. We must not forget those debates, and what we have achieved.
Ms. Vaillancourt: What young people and the francophonie would like to see from our elected representatives is more recognition of minority francophone communities. When people speak about French, unfortunately, they are often referring to Quebec, sometimes to Acadia, but we have to celebrate our true wealth and diversity more. Often, official languages are perceived as a big burden, but that is not the case. They are in fact an attribute that enriches our country, and our elected representatives have to be as proud of that as we are.
As for social media, there is a linguistic safety issue. The majority of interactions take place in English. Certain young francophone say that they do not dare write anything in French on Twitter or Facebook, because they don't want the quality of their French to be criticized, or to be told that they are not up to standard. It's a problem. Youngsters use English because they aren't judged, but when they use French, they have to be careful of their grammar. That is a fact. The francophonie has this requirement for constant perfection. I am not saying that we should speak French poorly. We have to encourage youngsters to feel more comfortable and to speak French in all forums.
Our documents contain quotes from young people and examples of things they suggest people do. One of those suggestions is to set money aside to create digital content in French on social media. They suggest young people be allowed to create virtual, streaming content on social networks so that they may hear, see and understand themselves among francophones. However, they have neither the resources nor the context to do so currently. That is something that needs to be developed.
Senator Bovey: Culture is very important. That is true in all of the regions of our country. You are doing good work, and I thank you.
Senator Fraser: I'd like to get back to CBC/Radio-Canada. Budgetary cuts have been among the biggest challenges faced by CBC/Radio-Canada in the past few years. They had to make cuts. They had no choice. A large part of what they had to cut involved regional programming. This affected us as well. The francophonie was not alone in feeling this.
I strongly urge you to lobby in favour of a considerable increase in Radio-Canada's budget. It is very boring to have to talk about money, but without money, we will never be able to do what needs to be done.
As for the matter of identity, it's great to hear what you have to say; it's like a breath of fresh air. With all due respect to my colleagues, I realize that we are all from another generation, and some of us are two generations away. You are speaking to us from the perspective of a new and very important generation.
Mr. Johnson, you are bilingual, and that is a part of your identity. However, you are a bilingual francophone. That is quite evident. You will never be deprived of your essential francophone nature, but together with your francophone identity, you also have a bilingual identity, and you are not alone. We who went through the wars were sometimes so marked by them that we forget that it was to create people like you that we fought. Congratulations!
That does not mean that everything is perfect. You spoke of the need to create bridges among the various regions and francophone communities throughout the country. I hate to reveal my ignorance, but to what extent can you use social media to create networks, rather than having to have physical, face-to-face exchanges? Are there programs that exist? Does the future look promising to you?
Ms. Vaillancourt: Certainly. I'll give you the example of the Parlement jeunesse pancanadien and the Forum jeunesse pancanadien. We always create a discussion group on social networks with those young people so that they can get to know each other before, during and after the event, in order to stay in touch. The country is enormous. Creating bridges between a young British Columbia francophone and a young Nova Scotia francophone poses certain challenges. They can't always travel, it's impossible. At least we have social media to try to keep the dialogue going and the contacts active. It isn't easy, but we try to do it anyway.
Senator Fraser: It seems to me that those media will be more important in the next 5, 10, 15 or 20 years than traditional media.
Ms. Vaillancourt: There is no doubt about that, particularly for young people's groups. That is why we think creating digital content in French for and by young people is important. It is a good thing when the federation publishes a press release or when our colleagues from the Canadian francophonie publish something in French. I don't mean the short videos that appear on the Facebook newsfeed and that are pure entertainment. The content we see in French sometimes contains recriminations. There is no pure entertainment content in French for our young francophones. The French content that does exist often originates in Quebec, which is fine, but it is not enough to engage our young people.
Senator Moncion: I'd like to discuss three points you raised. You said that there was no French-language content on social media. Perhaps you are not familiar with the TFO site? TFO makes enormous efforts to include a lot of French content, for young people or teenagers. They really do a lot of work on that. You do not know it?
Ms. Vaillancourt: Yes, we know it very well in Ontario. However, that is not always the case for young people outside of Ontario. TFO makes efforts to make its presence better known throughout the Canadian francophonie, but it is still very new. It does indeed have some very good content. Over the past few years, however, TFO has put a lot of energy into producing content for very young children. The content produced for our age group is less well known, but, yes, we are aware of that platform. Nevertheless, good things could be done elsewhere in Canada.
Senator Moncion: I used to sit on the board of directors of TFO, so I could tell you about a lot of projects it put forward precisely to create content for young people. That was my first brief comment.
You spoke about the quality of the language and said that to us perfection is important, as is grammar and the way people speak. I notice that people use a lot of anglicisms when they speak French. More and more English expressions are being used. It has almost become a disease, I think, in certain provinces. People no longer talk about a "stationnement'' but rather about parking, and they talk about a bulldozer, and use all sorts of expressions like that.
Senator Fraser: That is also happening in France.
Senator Moncion: Indeed. What we are seeing is the contamination of the language, to some degree. I would like to know what you think. Not so long ago, Boucar Diouf said that for French to work, you have to buckle down and force things a bit. I would like to know what you think of that statement.
M. Johnson: I appreciate your raising that point. When I was speaking to someone from France not so long ago, I asked him if he felt that using English expressions contaminated or tainted the language. He replied that it did not. These are just ways of doing things.
And so I don't see this in a negative light. I also say this as a young Métis. I may speak a different French, which was considered for several decades to be an inferior, improper French, as it was spoken by the Métis, people who have both an Aboriginal culture and a francophone culture. We are talking about a marriage of those two languages. I do not consider the mix of two languages as something inferior or less pure. Rather, I see this as a way for people to understand each other.
The language spoken by the Métis in the Canadian west, Michif, is very practical, and allows two people to understand each other and work together. Yes, we use English words in our everyday French language. It is not necessarily something that hinders our identity or the building of a more united country. Let's not forget that Canada will be celebrating its 150th anniversary this year.
Senator Moncion: I like this nuance you made. It makes me want to ask you, though, if you were speaking German or Chinese or Spanish, if you would mix those different languages? But I understand very well, and I appreciate the nuance you made.
My last question concerns the Young Canada Works program. I know this program very well, because I used to sit on the board of the Conseil de la coopération de l'Ontario, which has sponsored the project for several years. You seem to say that not enough money is being invested in the program, and that there are not enough jobs or access for young people. I would like you to explain where the deficiencies are in the program, so that we can improve things.
Ms. Vaillancourt: I will answer that question quickly. The Conseil de la coopération de l'Ontario manages projects for the Province of Ontario. The federation manages the national dimension of Young Canada Works, and has been doing so for over 20 years. So we too are quite familiar with that program.
The Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages program allows young people to work in their second official language and perfect that second language during the time they spend at their summer job. However, since its creation, the program has lost half of the total number of jobs that were created originally. In the beginning of the 2000s, about 1,400 jobs were created in the YCW-BOL section of the program at Canadian Heritage. Today, only 700 are being created.
Would it be possible to create the same number of jobs as there were in the beginning of the 2000s? That would, of course, be ideal. We also mentioned that the program has a section known as Young Canada Works that aims to assist the development of careers in French and in English. That section is different because it involves longer work placements of 6 to 12 months.
Currently the objective of the Young Canada Works program is to create work placements throughout Canada. However, zero dollars have been invested so far into achieving that objective. So it would be helpful if investments were made to allow young graduates to have work experiences in their language, in their field of study and in their community. It would also be helpful for the communities, and for the businesses and enterprises in those communities. Those are two improvements that could be made to that program.
The Chair: Thank you very much, Josée. If you have any other information on this, you could send it to the committee through our clerk.
Ms. Vaillancourt: Certainly. There are some more details in the kit, but I could send you some additional information.
Senator Mockler: First, I want to congratulate you on your leadership, and on the leadership your association has always provided.
You spoke about topics that are dear to my heart, such as New Brunswick; consider the fact that in the history of our country, New Brunswick is known as the province that has elected the youngest premiers. I remember the time when Mr. Frank McKenna was at the helm. Just as an anecdote, I could mention that in 1982, we were the two youngest members elected to the Legislative Assembly.
Senator Maltais: I thought it was in 1962.
Senator Mockler: And then there was Bernard Lord, who worked in the modern world of Canadian democracy.
That said, concerning the percentage of young people who voted and to whom you alluded earlier, Senator McIntyre said that the voting age should be set at 16 rather than 18. I would like more information on this. Approximately 40 per cent of young people voted in the 2011 election. In the 2015 election, 60 per cent of them voted. People of 25 to 34 years of age made up approximately 46 per cent of those who voted in 2011, and in 2015, that figure was about 60 per cent. In a survey conducted by the University of Montreal, the researcher said this: "The arrival of the current Prime Minister, Mr. Justin Trudeau, on the Canadian political landscape, may explain young people's increased interest in the electoral process.'' They went a bit further, and that is why I would like to hear your thoughts on this. They were looking for the reasons why. According to that same survey, young people found it easier to identify with the Prime Minister because of his personality, his youth, the fact that he boxes, that he takes selfies and speaks the same language as they do. That is also why my children refused to tell me whom they would be voting for.
The Chair: Quickly, please, Senator Mockler. Although your question concerns youth, I'm not sure that it relates to the topic of our study.
Senator Mockler: Have you identified other factors that could encourage young people to participate and could increase their interest in the government process?
Mr. Johnson: You need to speak about issues that affect them and that matter to them. Among other things, you have to speak about protecting the environment, and reconciliation with Aboriginal peoples. These are issues that interest them, and they are not of concern to young francophones only.
We want those who run for political office to talk about these issues and to be open to discussing them with young people. However — and this answers your question indirectly — consultation must continue. It is important to continue consulting young people on all issues, all topics, and to maintain that connection. The Government of Canada must ensure consultation with young people specifically. It could provide a wealth of opinions, not only in the short term, but also in the long term. We always hear that young people are the future, but they are also the present, and they are able to work and strengthen our communities today. We also have this vision of the future, because we will be in the future, as will you.
The Chair: I will do a quick round, because our next guests are waiting to come in. Senators McIntyre, Gagné and Cormier, please, one minute each.
Senator McIntyre: In my previous question, I mentioned the large-scale events your federation organizes nationally, such as the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne — the Canadian Francophone Games — the Parlement jeunesse pancanadien and the Forum jeunesse pancanadien. I imagine that there is a lot of excitement in the air as you wait for these events. Could you tell us about them briefly?
Ms. Vaillancourt: Quickly, our biggest event will take place in three years, the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne. This year they will be held from July 11 to July 15, in Moncton and Dieppe, and those two cities are cooperating to organize a major event. It is really the flagship event for our francophone young people, as close to 1,300 young people will be participating, which is a 25 per cent increase as compared to the previous games. The interest is there, it is palpable, and we are really proud to be able to organize this event with substantial support from the Government of Canada.
The Parlement jeunesse pancanadien, the pancanadian youth parliament, is a parliamentary simulation that takes place in the Senate every two years. One year, the Parlement jeunesse pancanadien is held, and the next year the Forum jeunesse pancanadien, the pancanadian youth forum, takes place. For the forum, young people decide on the theme of the discussions. This year the event was held in Calgary, in February, and the theme was "Tomorrow's Canada Imagined by Today's Youth.'' In 2015, the theme was "The Role and Place of Young People in a Democracy.''
So the topic is always chosen by the young people, and is an issue they want to discuss openly in order to look for solutions. We noticed that one of the positive effects was the creation of the Par et pour les jeunes platform, a platform for youth voices.
The Chair: If I understand correctly, young immersion program graduates may also participate?
Ms. Vaillancourt: Certainly. This is a development vector. As we were saying earlier, culture is something one experiences in one's life, isn't it? If we could have some funds to improve the capacity of youth organizations, if we could also reach young people who are learning French in immersion programs and allow them to experience their francophonie outside of school, this would increase their pride. For some of these young people, francophonie is only experienced in the classroom. We have to get them out of the schools and allow them to take part in extracurricular French-language activities.
Senator Gagné: Is the Official Languages Act important to you? What can the Official Languages Act do to provide for your development? It is 48 years old and I would rather not wait another 50 years to update it again. What do you need in the act to normalize your life in French?
Mr. Johnson: The answer is yes, the Official Languages Act is important to the FJCF and to young people. It was also part of Par et pour les jeunes en 2015, a platform by and for youth that was created in the run-up to the federal election. One of the points of this platform was adding provisions to give the act greater force in order to send the clear message that the act must be respected. We need an institution to reassure us that the act will be respected. If we want to build and develop a bilingual society that celebrates its linguistic duality and that includes youth, it is clear that we have to respect the act and implement provisions to move forward on this agenda.
Senator Cormier: There has always been a generation gap. That is still the case today with respect to the official languages and language quality. For a number of years, we have heard the slogan "by and for young people'', and it often seems that someone from another generation does not have access to this new approach and way of thinking.
Our committee is just starting its process of reflection and consultation about the relationship between youth and the official languages. Is there a specific event, time or place in the coming months that would be a good opportunity for us to meet with young people in order to see them at work and observe the way they think together about the issues that affect them?
Ms. Vaillancourt: That is an excellent question. Three major events organized by the FJCF have been mentioned. We have 11 members on the ground who are planning a truly outstanding program. In your kit, you have a list of the some of the many events and activities planned for the coming year. You could go meet young people on the ground in Manitoba or Alberta or elsewhere in Canada. As a national federation, that is our message for you today. We can partner with you, put you in touch with the right people and arrange for you to meet some young people. If you want to have the greatest impact and meet as many people as possible, the Jeux de la francophonie canadienne is of course our largest event, and I think it is the ideal opportunity for you to reach young people with a very wide range of interests. There will be athletes, young artists, and young leaders. They are truly representative of a diaspora of francophone youth across the country.
Senator Cormier: Thank you very much for your marvellous work.
Senator Mockler: I would also like to congratulate you. I do not have a question actually, but I would like to say, it being Canada's 150th anniversary this year, that you should take this opportunity to give us suggestions and to inspire us further.
The Chair: On behalf of my colleagues, my very sincere thanks and congratulations. You have been excellent witnesses. You have inspired us. Our study is starting off on the right foot. Once again, I would like to salute your excellent work. My colleagues have already said so, but you play a very strong leading role. You inspire our youth and work with them, and we are very proud of you. Thank you very much.
We are now pleased to welcome three representatives from the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité, the RDÉE: Jean-Guy Bigeau, the chief executive officer of this economic and employment skills development network, as well as Simon Méthot, youth project officer, and Sébastien Benedict, government and community relations manager.
On behalf of the committee members, thank you for accepting our invitation. As you know, we are beginning our study on modernizing the Official Languages Act, the youth component. We know that your areas of strategic focus include a youth component. We are very keen to hear what you have to say so I will immediately give the floor to Mr. Bigeau. The senators can then ask their questions.
Jean-Guy Bigeau, Chief Executive Officer, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité: Thank you for the invitation. I began my duties as chief executive officer in September 2015. I am an ardent supporter of Canada's youth and, for 13 years, had the pleasure of serving as executive director of Katimavik. Katimavik is a national youth voluntary service program dedicated to youth development and fostering citizenship and national belonging.
For those we have not met before, we are a network of 13 non-profit organizations with a presence in all provinces and territories except Quebec; our mandate is to foster economic and employment skills development in French- language minority communities. RDÉE Canada coordinates and provides national representation of this entire network, which has more than 160 employees and experts. We are in fact celebrating our 20th anniversary this year. Our activities are in five key areas, including services to businesses, tourism, immigration, the green economy, and of course the youth economy.
What specifically do we do to mobilize francophone youth to utilize their full potential? First, we help them choose their career path; we promote francophone cultural identity in the business world; we establish a national youth strategy building on the added value of bilingualism and technologies; we encourage the next generation of entrepreneurs; and we run French-language programs specifically designed for young workers.
Our network includes a youth working group that is made up of 10 experts who meet regularly to establish strategies and innovative projects to support the youth economy. Simon Méthot, beside me, is our youth project officer and the coordinator of this working group. In a few minutes, he will give you an overview of our expertise in working with youth. We will then be very pleased to answer your questions.
Simon Méthot, Youth Project Officer, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité: Hello. I began in my position less than a year ago and, less than two years ago, the youth working group once again become a priority for RDÉE Canada.
The first thing we did was list all of our projects: we have a total of 54 projects across Canada in the areas of employment skills and youth entrepreneurship. These projects are led by our members in the provinces and territories.
I would like to talk very quickly about a brief that we prepared for the new official languages plan and submitted last August, during consultations held by the Department of Canadian Heritage. We focused on three key areas that the working group is looking at. The first is skills acquisition, which includes language skills, employment experience and the abilities needed to transition to the labour market. The second area is youth migration. How can we encourage people to permanently settle in the regions? How can we fight the rural exodus and sustain our communities that are not necessarily urban? The third area is one of the most interesting: encouraging youth entrepreneurship. This can include developing the abilities of our young people, starting up companies, and encouraging young people to revitalize companies.
In the brief we prepared last August, we recommended developing national projects that focus on providing a range of support to youth in the three areas mentioned. That is the objective of our working group. The 54 projects focus on these three areas.
I can give you some specific examples of projects if you are interested, along with the results and the things we have done in which bilingualism is key. The JA Manitoba program, for example, helps young people in the areas of job preparation, financial literacy, entrepreneurship and awakening the entrepreneurial spirit. We talk to 10-year-olds, kids who are in grade 5.
Our member in Manitoba, the Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, the economic development council for bilingual municipalities, seeks to mobilize the business world to get business people to talk to young people. More and more young people are enrolled in French-language programs, whether they are francophiles or anglophones who learn to speak French very well at school. We try to support the work of teachers and schools, who are increasingly working with members of the business community. That is our role in this area. So far, under the first agreement, we are aiming to reach 2,000 young people in Manitoba per year or 6,000 young people over three years. This project will also be renewed for a second three-year term; it is a great project.
Another example is Premier choix, or first choice, also in Manitoba. I am from Manitoba so I have a lot of experience with this province. It is an employment skills program that helps more than 100 young people. In this case, the situation is reversed: most of the clients for this project are newcomers, people who have just obtained their permanent resident status. They very quickly discover that being bilingual is essential. Most of them speak French, but they want to learn English so they can get a job. Jobs are the common link and being bilingual, being able to speak both languages, is what young people need to get a job.
The third project is migration, specifically a project called Place aux jeunes. To sum it up quickly, when trying to attract young professionals to settle in regions outside Winnipeg, we asked the following question: "As a physician, would you like to settle in Saint-Pierre-Jolys, a francophone village?'' The person answered, in English, "I don't speak French.''
When we asked the next question, "Would you like your children to speak French?'' they changed their tune and said yes. In order for a child to learn French, they need a community, resources, schools and services. There has to be a place for bilingualism to exist. Then people are suddenly more interested because they could offer the next generation something more.
These are just three of the 54 projects I could mention. These projects are designed to help young people integrate into the economy. The working group tries above all to choose the right projects, the ones that work well, and to pass them on from one province to another or from one territory to another in order to support the development of young people and help them integrate more quickly into the economy. We are available if you have any questions for us.
The Chair: Thank you. We will now move on to the senators' questions.
Senator Cormier: Thank you for your presentation.
We heard earlier from representatives of the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française, who talked a lot about issues related to new media, social media, and the use of new media. We know that the labour market is going through a major change, and that more and more jobs are being created through new media. What are your thoughts on that? Do you have any examples or strategies in that regard with respect to the official languages and official-language communities? Are young people interested in working in new media in your communities and do you have a role to play in promoting the official languages in this regard?
Mr. Méthot: Some young people have for instance started up new media companies. There is Lily Levac, for example, who at the Juno gala in Winnipeg promoted events happening in Winnipeg using an electronic bulletin board that showed who was attending the gala and allowed people to make a selection.
Another example is Denis Devigne, who launched Vidday, an application that allows people to use their cell phone to wish someone living in Germany a happy birthday, and all that person's friends can do the same. Vidday puts it all together and creates a video that is posted on YouTube. On the person's birthday, the video is posted on Facebook. It is quite touching.
Senator Cormier: Are these bilingual projects?
Mr. Méthot: They are multilingual projects.
Senator Cormier: Multilingual?
Mr. Méthot: Yes, absolutely. In the case of Lily Levac, it is just in English and French because of the region, but Denis Devigne's project attracts clients who have friends all over the world, so he receives a lot of messages he cannot understand because he does not know those languages. What is interesting is the reach of his project and how he could market to those regions. So language skills are also important in order to reach out internationally.
Senator McIntyre: Thank you for your presentation. Listening to you and reading the documentation we received, I understand that you have created an economic development and employment skills network. I also know that it is a national network with organizations in every province and territory except Quebec. My first question is why Quebec is not part of this national network. Is that the way Quebec wanted it?
Mr. Bigeau: There are two reasons. First, we are funded by an official languages program known as OLMC, the official language minority communities program. Our funding is conditional on us working in French as much as possible and supporting francophone communities in Canada but not including Quebec. That is the basis for our funding.
We are, however, in constant discussion and in partnership with Quebec on a great many files. We develop business ties with Quebec, in tourism in particular. In addition, there is the promising project to create a national tourism and heritage corridor that includes Quebec. We have created a whole working group and we maintain business relationships with multiple tourism stakeholders in Quebec in order to include Quebec in the national tourism corridor. We also maintain ties with respect to immigration.
In addition, my colleagues Mr. Benedict and Mr. Méthot attended a gathering with young entrepreneurs in Montreal last week. We have business ties in Quebec, but since our core funding comes from the OLMC program, we have to support francophone economic development in Canada excluding Quebec.
Senator McIntyre: Mr. Bigeau, as you mentioned, your network focuses on a number of issues, including tourism and the green economy. Would you mind elaborating on those two issues?
Mr. Bigeau: Similar to our efforts around the youth issue, we have working groups that focus on each of our other issues, and all members are represented on each of those groups. Every provincial and territorial member designates a representative for each issue. We speak regularly, by phone, Skype or in person. Every year, we devise an action plan specific to each issue, to foster development in that area and ensure the implementation of a number of national projects.
In terms of the green economy, we worked with Manitoba and the Western provinces to establish the Eco-West program. On that front, we are also developing a set of issues that revolve around the green economy. In fact, we recently commissioned a study. We met with the national table of executive directors two weeks ago and agreed that the time had come to expand our green economy focus and to pursue a more specific plan of action for the next year. The green economy, then, is an issue we focus heavily on. Certainly, tourism has long been an area of focus for the network, and so has immigration. The green economy is an issue that emerged more recently, as did the youth issue.
Senator Mégie: Thank you for your presentation. In your document, you talk about the migration of young people from rural to urban areas. As you just mentioned in relation to social media, young people are turning towards entrepreneurship, but if they had the opportunity to start their own businesses using social media in their regions, would they stay in their communities rather than migrate?
Mr. Méthot: As far as migration is concerned, we have experience with projects like Prince Edward Island's PERCÉ program, which is part of our employability focus. The program is geared towards post-secondary students, giving them access to summer internships.
Around that, numerous considerations come into play when it comes to identifying the individual's desired employment, such as the needs of their spouse. Efforts are made to include and integrate them in the community through projects and outings. We provide support to get them involved in the community and help them develop a sense of belonging. These strategies were developed under Quebec's Place aux jeunes initiative, which was exported to Manitoba in 2008 and tailored to its realities.
It differs slightly in every province and territory, but very often, migration and employment go hand in hand. Is there a job for me here? That is the first question a young person will ask themselves. Is there a place for me to live? Housing is the second question. Does the area have services and amenities? That includes things like hospitals, schools, and community organizations. Volunteer participation is a factor. That gives you an idea as to how we approach migration projects to encourage young people to settle in the communities on a lasting and sustainable basis. The keyword is definitely sustainable when it comes to attracting people to the regions and keeping them there.
Sébastien Benedict, Manager, Government and Community Relations, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité: To Senator Cormier's point, it's important to keep in mind that the communities we help are minority language communities; we are talking about very small French-speaking communities across the country. Before we can even begin to discuss social media and entrepreneurship, we have to be mindful that many of these communities have little to no Internet service. So before we even get to the point of promoting them as great places to live, we have to ensure that the high-speed Internet service we have here is available in those regions.
That's a challenge, like the chicken and the egg, but it's something that has to be taken into account. It's all well and good to come up with these great projects and solutions here, but if the regions lack the infrastructure needed to implement them, they are pointless.
Senator Gagné: Thank you for your presentation. I'm pretty familiar with your programs. You have a great way of reaching out to college and university teaching staff and building partnerships to achieve progress and give young people hope for their future.
I would like you to take a step back, if you would, and talk to us about how young people see the situation and their prospects for the future. I don't mean what you or we think but, rather, how they view employability and economic development and what they see as the value of being bilingual in relation to those things.
Mr. Bigeau: I will answer first and, then, I'll turn the floor over to my colleagues.
In 2012-13, we commissioned a Conference Board of Canada study, which partly dealt with the value of bilingualism. It became clear that bilingualism adds value both to those in the job market and those pursuing entrepreneurship. Bilingualism would appear to be a tremendous boon for economic development.
Young people believe that, and many are not only bilingual, but also multilingual. They are fluent in a number of languages. They are more mobile, and they tend to travel more. We work to ensure the vitality of the French-speaking population in small communities. Encouraging young people to remain in their communities is a huge challenge; at the same time, however, there is no denying that young people are often searching for experiences that go beyond what their communities can offer.
We want to seduce young people and entice them back, and one way of doing that is to support their efforts to start small businesses. A lot of young people are very ambitious and eager to start their own small businesses. They seem to be looking for entrepreneurial support, and our network provides that assistance, thus helping to draw them back to their communities. We give examples of projects that are doing well in the area. We also work to ensure the communities are served in both official languages, meaning that the young people we work with recognize the importance of living in both languages. From an employment standpoint, then, the capacity to serve customers in both languages is seen as adding value.
Young people definitely see bilingualism as a benefit when it comes to employment and entrepreneurship.
Mr. Méthot: The best way I could help you get that youth perspective you are after would be to put you in contact with the young people I'm talking about. The network's programs support hundreds of young people, so that is one way we could be of use to you. As far as their input is concerned, it would be important to keep in mind that our dealings with them focused on employability, and so, in their minds, bilingualism was the key to landing their first job in Canada. We've seen a fair many cases like that.
Mr. Benedict: One of the major problems facing many minority language communities is the lack of French- language child care. Children start day care in English, so when they finish, they want to continue on in English to stay with the other children they attended day care with, and that carries over to elementary school and high school. Beyond the economic consideration, then, once young people embark on an English-language path early on in childhood, they build social ties and relationships with their peers in that language and attach value to it. The francophone population is declining because parents cannot find French-language child care. From the age of five, children attach social value to speaking English. Without realizing it, parents are indirectly steering their children down an academic path that revolves around the language spoken at day care. That is the underlying fact we have to pay attention to even before young people reach high school, pursue post-secondary education and so forth.
Senator Gagné: So, employability starts at birth?
Mr. Benedict: Exactly.
Mr. Bigeau: On that note, we established a business relationship, and we were approached by the Commission nationale des parents francophones to help them conduct a Canada-wide study to determine the most successful entrepreneurial models for early childhood. We'll also be meeting with the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne's strategic planning committee to establish a tripartite agreement for the second phase of the project. The goal is to promote the need to implement training programs in French across Canada to support the early childhood field. It's true that we represent the entrepreneurial aspect. However, the francophone community must have access to quality early childhood services in French. This fact is already well known, and we're trying to direct the next steps. It's true the need starts very early. The strategies must be implemented through programs and services starting in early childhood.
Senator Maltais: Mr. Bigeau, am I right in saying that your service is composed of 160 people? Are they all in Ottawa?
Mr. Bigeau: No. Only 16 people are at the headquarters in Ottawa. All our members have an office in each province and territory, and each province and territory has a team. This adds up to about 160 employees.
Senator Maltais: Several groups, such as yours, have talked about social media and so on. The main issue faced by small francophone communities is the loss of young people. Why are they leaving? Because there's no work. We could invent all the programs in the world, but if they can't earn their crust or start a life with someone, they'll leave. Wouldn't it be better for an organization such as yours, which has a socioeconomic purpose, to focus on creating jobs in all these small communities? Not all young people attend university. Many enter the job market after high school. However, if they don't have any job prospects, their parents won't let them stick around doing nothing until they're 65 years old. Their parents will tell them to earn a living. Our parents told us the same thing, and it's still the case today.
You provide many services, including daycare. With all these services, isn't there a way to focus only on creating jobs in small francophone communities across Canada?
Mr. Bigeau: That's one of our priorities. Jobs are created by launching small and medium-sized enterprises. That's where we have the capacity to help youth, immigrants and other people who want to start a business.
Senator Maltais: Do you have any results? Does this create businesses anywhere that employ dozens of people?
Mr. Bigeau: Yes, that's what we're doing.
Senator Maltais: Give me the names of these businesses that employ 10 or 15 people in Saint-André or Prince Edward Island, for example.
Mr. Méthot: I can give the example of a business called Bold Innovation Group, which started in Île-des-Chênes, Manitoba. Four francophones launched a business. They provide all the support for Shopify. Unfortunately, they now have 115 employees and they moved to Winnipeg, because the infrastructure in the communities is insufficient.
The approach for rural areas has several components, including funding programs under the federal government's Youth Employment Strategy. It's not necessarily easy to find funding to cover travel costs and to ensure people can be placed in centres. We've tried this approach in the past, and we're pursuing it. There's no easy solution to this dilemma, but we're keeping this aspect among our targets.
Senator Maltais: The previous group told us that many youth had trouble receiving post-secondary job training in French. Are you doing something about this?
Mr. Bigeau: As I said regarding the early childhood field, we're in constant contact with the Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne. We promote programs to meet market needs. As is the case in most community colleges, we try to reflect market needs in French in small- and medium-sized communities across Canada.
Senator Mockler: You have an enormous amount of work, especially in francophone minority regions. I want more details. I haven't received the RDÉE's annual report this year.
Mr. Bigeau: We're finishing it.
Senator Mockler: I looked on your website to find the answer to a question. The witnesses before you told us what issues motivate and interest youth and help them move forward. These issues include the environment, quality of life, and consultations on subjects that affect them.
What percentage of francophone financial institutions use the RDÉE across the country? Can you explain mentoring's role in this process? In life, we learn in two ways. We learn through the experience of others, by making the most obvious choices, or through our own experience, which requires time and money. What role does mentoring play, especially in financial institutions? I know there have been developments in Northern Ontario, New Brunswick and, as Mr. Méthot said, Manitoba. They have also been developments in the francophone regions of British Columbia. Does your organization have mentoring? If so, can you provide examples?
Mr. Bigeau: Yes, we have mentoring in our network. All members mentor in their own way.
Another business relationship we have with Quebec is with the Fondation de l'entrepreneurship and Réseau M. We're adapting Quebec's Réseau M mentoring model in French Canada outside Quebec. We've even formed a partnership to adapt the model based on the critical mass, which is often lacking in some of our small communities. All our members can participate and establish a mentoring program inspired by Quebec's Réseau M model.
Some of our members already had mentoring programs. We're stepping up our efforts to increase the network's capacity to recruit mentors and attract other contributions that make the mentoring program work well. Mentoring is certainly an important component for us.
You asked a question about the network's business relationships, more specifically with financial institutions. We have agreements and partnerships with most Caisses Desjardins and with other cooperatives across Canada. They don't form the majority of our boards of directors in the provinces and territories, but the Caisses populaires Desjardins are always represented on our boards of directors.
Senator Mockler: Mr. Bigeau, I think it would be important for you to tell us more about this, using typical examples for each Canadian region. You can send the information to our clerk.
Mr. Bigeau: Gladly.
Senator Mockler: Canada's 150th birthday is a chance to highlight the role played by francophones, Acadians and Métis people, among others, across the country. Do you think the different levels of government consult you enough to help you?
Mr. Bigeau: Enough is one way to describe it. We're consulted and approached. We're asked to participate in discussions like this one in various contexts. This year, the official languages action plan is being renewed. We've submitted briefs and met with a number of committees across Canada. Members in each province have participated in meetings like this one.
We're approached. More and more emphasis is being placed on economic development to empower our francophone communities and encourage them to assume their role in employability. We want official languages to be part of economic development and our priorities in the same way as the other issues. The stakeholders seem to approach us adequately. We feel as though we're sought out and invited to participate in consultations with various levels of government.
A concrete example of an achievement and of consultations is the pan-Canadian tourism and heritage corridor project I mentioned earlier. There was funding from the federal government and a country-wide budget. The Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie also provided support. The provincial and territorial members of this conference's network participated to support the implementation of this type of project. The provincial and federal governments consulted each other a great deal regarding this initiative.
Senator Mockler: What role does the RDÉE play in the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie? The OIF also focuses on youth.
Mr. Bigeau: We've had good discussions with the OIF. We were asked to establish a business relationship to help them take action with regard to one of their priorities, namely, economic development and employability in French- speaking countries around the world. Given our network and expertise, we were asked whether we could establish a business relationship with them to guide them in implementing certain initiatives and to share some of our expertise to help them carry out projects.
The Chair: Before finishing, I want to ask you one last question.
We're conducting a study on potential recommendations for improving the implementation of the Official Languages Act. How could the Official Languages Act be implemented better to meet the needs of young workers and entrepreneurs who care about bilingualism?
Mr. Bigeau: We need to focus on employability and economic development, as well as youth involvement. I'm thinking of the place young people should have in the area of employability. This means that the new official languages plan should focus on youth from an economic standpoint. We must find ways to promote bilingualism in order to encourage youth to start businesses and to stay home, whenever possible.
At the same time, many resources are required to start a business. You need to have the means. Youth often have great plans, but small communities don't have access to the necessary resources. The youth must leave their communities and move to larger centres to access the resources needed to pursue a business venture.
The official languages plan must focus on small communities and official language minority communities, because francophone minorities are often found in small communities that lack resources. We must see how we could support economic development and the employability of youth in these small communities.
The Chair: Thank you. Since there are no more questions, I want to thank you for your participation. We greatly appreciate your work on boosting the economy, not only for the smaller communities, but also for Canada's francophonie. Thank you also for your interest in youth. We must seek out youth and retain them in our small communities. Thank you for your work. I declare the meeting adjourned.
(The committee adjourned.)