ACTUELLEMENT AFFNO OCTOBRE 2017

The HORIZONS report — recommendations
from the Canadian Senate

Canadians living in British Columbia face major challenges in accessing Francophone schools and French

immersion programs.

Page 11

In this report, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages chose to focus on accessing French
first-language and French second-language education in British Columbia because the province is a typical
case in which francophone schools and French immersion programs face significant challenges.

Here are some of the recommendations from that report. If you wish to read the entire report and all of the
recommendations, Visit the website:

Attps://www.sencanada.ca/content/sen/committee/421/OLL O/Reports/Report_OLL O_2017-03-29_E.pdf

Recommendation 1

That the Minister of Public
Services and Procurement:

1. (a) intervene with
Canada Lands Company Ltd.,
engaging with British Colum-
bia’s Ministry of Education
and the City of Vancouver to
advocate for the need of the
Conseil scolaire francophone
de la Colombie-Britannique
in Vancouver, west of Main
Street, to promptly acquire
lands that are currently 50%
owned by Canada Lands Com-
pany Ltd. to build two schools
that will meet the needs of
Vancouver’s francophone com-
munity; and

2.(b) adopt regulations
requiring federal institutions to
take into account the interests
and needs of official language
minority schools in the sale or
transfer of real and personal
property, by 2018.

Recommendation 2
That the Minister of
Canadian Heritage, in nego-
tiating the new Protocol for
Agreements on Education and
the next multi-year official
languages plan, conclude a

special agreement with Brit-
ish Columbia’s Ministry of
Education to respond to the
pressing infrastructure needs
of the francophone community
and guarantee the recognition
of its rights under section 23 of
the Canadian Charter of Rights
and Freedoms and Part VII of
the Official Languages Act.

Recommendation 4

That the Minister of Cana-
dian Heritage take steps to sup-
port the education continuum
as regards:

(a) support for linguistic
and cultural identity building
for francophone students; and

(b) retention of students in
the francophone school system,
throughout their education.

Recommendation 7

That the federal govern-
ment, in consultation with
official language minority
communities:

1. (a) strongly encour-
age Statistics Canada to design
and test new questions on
school attendance in prepara-
tion for the 2021 census which
would allow for the full
implementation of minority

language educational rights
guaranteed

in section 23 of the Cana-
dian Charter of Rights and
Freedoms; and

2. (b) provide the neces-
sary resources to Statistics
Canada to conduct a new sur-
vey on the vitality of official-
language minorities as part
of its next multi-year official
languages plan.

Recommendation 9
That the Minister of Cana-

dian Heritage launch, by 2018,
a public national awareness
and promotion campaign on
the merits of bilingualism that
builds on the full respect of
obligations in Part VII of the
Official Languages Act.

Recommendation 11

That the Minister of Cana-
dian Heritage, in collabora-
tion with British Columbia’s
Ministry of Education:

(a) ensure access every-
where and for everyone to
French immersion programs in
British Columbia;

(b) commit to increased and
sustained funding for these
programs; and

(c) meet growing demand
by retaining students, through-
out their education.

Recommendation 12

1. 12.1 That the Minis-
ter of Canadian Heritage and
the Minister of Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship in
collaboration with British Co-
lumbia’s Minister of Education
ensure that French-speaking
immigrants are well informed
on the opportunities to access
French-language education in
the province.

2. 12.2 That the Minis-
ter of Canadian Heritage and
the Minister of Immigration,
Refugees and Citizenship take
similar steps with correspond-
ing ministries in all provinces
and territories with similar
situations.

Recommendation 13
That the Minister of Cana-
dian Heritage, in negotiating
the next Protocol for Agree-
ments on Education, enter into
a separate tripartite protocol on
minority-language education
that:
See “Senate’s recommendations” on
page 13.

LE RAPPORT DU SENAT (de la page 10)

avec le secteur communautaire, notam-

1. (a) de l’appui aux infrastructures
scolaires et au transport scolaire dans les
écoles francophones.

2. (b) du soutien aux établissements
postsecondaires pour assurer la forma-
tion de base et la formation continue des
enseignants de francais.

3. (c) des échanges linguistiques
et culturels et des expériences authen-
tiques pour les éléves inscrits dans les

programmes d’enseignement du francais
langue premiére et du francais langue
seconde, ainsi que pour les enseignants.

Recommandation 16
Que la ministre du Patrimoine cana-
dien, dans le cadre du prochain plan pluri-
annuel en matiére de langues officielles :
1. (a) s’engage a bonifier
l’enveloppe destinée a la Collaboration

ment a |’égard de l’appui aux espaces
communautaires en frangais.

2. (b) consulte la communauté
francophone de la Colombie-Britannique,
incluant les organismes représentant la
petite enfance et la jeunesse francophone,
pour déterminer si des changements aux
ententes de collaboration sont nécessaires,
afin qu’elles répondent a ses besoins.