Question Period Note: 2018-2023 Action Plan for Official Languages: Status of Implementation

The 2022 Cross Canada Official Languages Consultations for the next Action Plan for Official Languages concluded with its closing Summit in Ottawa on August 25, 2022.

• We had the honour of meeting and hearing the Canadian population during the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages consultations that took place from May to August 2022 and during the Consultation Summit in Ottawa.
• The purpose of these consultations was to hear the priorities, recommendations and concerns of official language minority communities.
• We draw inspiration from these contributions to guide in developing the next Action Plan for Official Languages. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all Canadians who participated in these consultations.

• The 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations for the next Action Plan for Official Languages (Action Plan) concluded at the Official Languages Summit in Ottawa on August 25, 2022. Six consultation mechanisms were put into place since the consultations launched on May 24th. In total, there were 15 in-person forums that took place in each province and territory with over 300 stakeholders and community representatives. In parallel, 7 virtual sessions were organized and upwards of 650 people participated. At the close of the consultation process on August 31, the department had received more than 5,200 responses to the online survey and over 80 written submissions from the general public.
• On October 5, 2022, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) released a document in which it called for an additional $300 million in the next Action Plan for the survival of Francophone minority organizations that have been weakened by the pandemic and inflation. The FCFA states that without a major investment from the federal government, many organizations essential to Francophone minority communities will have to close their doors.
• On May 18, 2022, the Commissioner of Official Languages released a report on the implementation of the Action Plan 2018-2023 and presented his analysis and recommendations for the next five-year plan. The report details 14 recommendations (eight for targeted programs and six concerning common elements) for the federal institutions that are partners in the Action Plan, including Canadian Heritage (PCH). Overall, the Commissioner is satisfied with the implementation and indicates that the funds allocated appear to meet the needs of official language minority communities (OLMCs).
• The Action Plan 2018-2023: expires on March 31, 2023. It represents close to $500 million in new funds over five years and focuses on three pillars: Strengthening our Communities ($267 million); Strengthening Access to Services ($129 million); and Promoting a Bilingual Canada ($100 million). These funds are in addition to the ongoing program funds, notably those of the 2013 2018 Roadmap, for an unprecedented investment of $2.7 billion over five years.
• In December 2021, the summary report of the mid-term review was distributed to the stakeholders who participated in the exercise. It took stock of the first three years (2018-2020) of implementation of the measures stemming from the additional investment provided for in the Action Plan. The objectives of the exercise were to provide an overview of actual expenditures to date and identify adjustments required and best practices for the continued implementation of the federal strategy. Overall, stakeholders gave a positive review.
• On April 7, 2022, the Government of Canada introduced its Budget 2022, which reiterates the Government of Canada has committed to an additional investment of $408.3 million over three years, beginning in 2021-2022, to support official languages. Investments consist of, among many examples:
o $180.4 million to PCH to help students across the country achieve higher levels of bilingualism. This funding will be used to enhance French immersion and French second-language programs in schools and post-secondary institutions, to help provinces and territories meet the strong demand from students and parents for French immersion and French second-language spaces, to strengthen the existing strategy for the recruitment and retention of teachers, and to support the learning of French from early childhood.
o $121.3 million to PCH to provide high-quality post-secondary education in the minority language in Canada.
o $81.8 million, over two years, to PCH to support the construction, renovation and development of educational and community spaces that serve official language minority communities.
o $6.4 million to PCH and $2.3 million to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat over two years, starting in 2021-2022, to modernize the Official Languages Act.
o $16 million for Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Commissioner of Official Languages and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to support the implementation of the Bill to achieve substantive equality of English and French and strengthen the Official Languages Act, once it receives Royal Assent.
• These investments are in addition to the nearly $500 million in supplementary funding in the Action Plan 2018-2023. In total, some $908 million will be invested to support official languages in Canada from 2018 to 2023.

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