QUESTION PERIOD — Canadian Heritage
National Child Care Program--Official Languages
December 15, 2021
Honourable senators, my question has to do with francophone affairs. Today, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada and the Commission nationale des parents francophones said they were:
. . . aghast to learn that there are hardly any measures for the Francophonie in most of the agreements signed with the provinces and territories for the national child care program.
If that is the case, can the Government of Canada guarantee that the new version of the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act will include key provisions to promote the inclusion of strong language clauses in federal-provincial agreements?
Thank you for the question. The government is working with its provincial and territorial partners to support the vitality of official language minority communities, while respecting their areas of jurisdiction. That is why every Canada-wide bilateral agreement signed so far with the provinces and territories, apart from Quebec, includes provisions to protect and respect the rights of official language minority communities based on the specific priorities and context of each jurisdiction.
I am told that the government is aware of the issue of linguistic provisions. It is working closely with its partners and OLMCs in order to ensure that the bill to be tabled in this Parliament meets their needs.
