Issues in other jurisdictions and recent government actions towards the Provinces and Territories

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• Background
  • 1. What is the federal government doing to ensure that other levels of government take official languages into account in their communications?
  • 2. What actions have been taken to raise awareness in other jurisdictions of the challenges and impacts of the pandemic on official language minority communities?
  • 3. In the context of the Official Languages Act, what is the federal government's role vis-à-vis the provinces?

Background

In his report on the impact of emergencies on official languages, tabled in Parliament on October 29, 2020, the Commissioner of Official Languages expressed concern about several issues that arose during the pandemic and that fall under the purview of other jurisdictions.

1. What is the federal government doing to ensure that other levels of government take official languages into account in their communications?

• We have reviewed the report of the Commissioner of Official Languages and noted his concerns about issues that arose during the pandemic that fall under the jurisdiction of the provinces and territories (P/Ts).
• From the very beginning of the pandemic, when gaps arose, as Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages, I publicly intervened to remind people that using French in times of crisis is key to ensuring that the entire population has access to information, and follows public health instructions. It is a matter of security. The Commissioner commended my intervention in his report.
• P/Ts are key partners in ensuring communication to Canadians in both official languages. Rest assured that we encourage our counterparts to address official language minority communities in their language during public communications.
• The Official Languages Branch of Canadian Heritage supported me in this regard. Last spring, the Department wrote to the P/T counterparts at the Ministers’ Council on the Canadian Francophonie (formerly the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie) (MCCF) to reiterate the importance of measures and initiatives to enable citizens to receive, in the official language of their choice, updates, public notices, recommendations and messages issued by their respective departments and governments.
• In addition, during a videoconference of the MCCF held on December 4, 2020, my P/T ministerial colleagues recognized the importance of bilingual communications with Canadians, especially in the current pandemic context.
• Our Government is proud of its longstanding collaboration with P/Ts to ensure better services for official language minority communities, and we intend to continue in this spirit.
• We are providing $26.7 million per year, or $133.5 million over five years (2018-23) through bilateral service agreements with the provinces, to support the delivery of provincial and territorial services in the minority official language.

2. What actions have been taken to raise awareness in other jurisdictions of the challenges and impacts of the pandemic on official language minority communities?

• Education is one of the sectors that has been hardest hit by the pandemic and is of concern to official language minority communities.
• There is a risk of teacher shortages that could be exacerbated by the pandemic. At the post-secondary institution level, revenue losses are expected, due in part to the cancellation of recruitment campaigns for new students and low enrolment of international student.
• We are aware of the concerns expressed by educational institutions and education stakeholders across the country and are closely following provincial and territorial policies in this area. In fact, I wrote to my PT counterparts last September to recognize their unique challenges and to reiterate our government’s commitment to official languages in education.
• The Government of Canada supports official language education by providing $235.5 million annually to the provinces and territories ($149.1 million for minority-language education and $86.4 million for second-language instruction).
• Of this amount, an additional $15 million per year has been added from 2019-20 to 2022-23 to increase support for minority-language education.
• In addition, we are investing more than $62 million over four years to support the recruitment and retention of French-language teachers (i.e. minority-language, immersion and second-language teachers).
• Because post-secondary institutions contribute to the vitality and development of communities, I did not hesitate to intervene during the pandemic in order to protect Campus St-Jean, which provides Francophones and Francophiles in Alberta with access to post-secondary education in the minority language. We are continuing our discussions with our counterparts in the Government of Alberta to support this valuable Franco-Albertan institution.
• As for the Université de l’Ontario français (UOF) file, I am pleased that, this summer, our Government and the Ontario government established a joint administrative follow-up committee to monitor the implementation of the UOF. This new French-language postsecondary institution will enable more young Francophones from Ontario and across Canada to study and develop in their language.
• Also, last August, our Government announced an investment of up to $2 billion under the Safe Return to Class Fund to support provinces and territories in ensuring a safe back-to-school experience for students and staff in all communities.

3. In the context of the Official Languages Act, what is the federal government's role vis-à-vis the provinces?

• Under the Official Languages Act (OLA), the federal government is called upon to encourage and assist provincial and territorial governments to foster the development of official language minority communities and, in particular, to offer services and education to them in their language.
• For example, for over 50 years, the Government of Canada has provided funding to P/Ts to support minority-language education and second-language instruction. We also provide support for the delivery of provincial and territorial services to official language minority communities in their language.
• We respect the division of powers. Our actions are carried out within the framework of agreements between all parties. The OLA stipulates that the Minister may consult and negotiate agreements with provincial and territorial governments to ensure the greatest possible coordination of federal, provincial and municipal services in both official languages.