Ottawa, March 2, 2000
Equality, the Focus of our Concerns!
Address Delivered at the Forum on Femmes francophones du 3e millénaire
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
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Dear activists, stakeholders and colleagues,
It was with great pleasure that I accepted your invitation to take part in the round table launching the "Femmes francophones du 3e millénaire" forum. I feel that I am surrounded by family here. For me, women's issues have always been a cornerstone in both my personal and professional life. I am pleased to be able to say a few words to you today mindful of the fact that equality is at the centre of your concerns. It goes without saying that I will talk to you about linguistic equality, not only as the Commissioner of Official Languages but also as a woman who has been involved in the women's movement.
This evening I will focus on one of the tools that is available to help you assert your language rights and your cultural rights, namely Part VII of the Official Languages Act. I will also touch on the importance of your vigilance and commitment for ensuring that the National Children's Agenda is able to meet the needs and aspirations of our communities.
In Canada, the Official Languages Act states that English and French are the country's two official languages and that both have equal status, rights and privileges in federal institutions. Three government agencies are responsible for enforcing this Act.
First, the Treasury Board administers the Official Languages Program and oversees its implementation within federal institutions. Next, the Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for ensuring a coordinated approach of the federal government's efforts to advance English and French throughout Canadian society and to foster the development of Anglophone and Francophone minorities in Canada. It is also this Department which signs agreements with the provincial and territorial governments in the areas of official languages, as well as the various Canada-community agreements. As Commissioner of Official Languages, in addition to ensuring compliance with the Act, I carry out the role of an ombudsman; that is, I protect the language and cultural interests of the public in its dealings with federal institutions. Finally, all federal institutions are required to incorporate the Official Languages Act into their activities.
Part VII of the Act and its basis
On the occasion of this forum, I invite you to explore the possibility of using Part VII of the Official Languages Act as a tool to promote your language rights. The broad objective of this Part of the Act is
". . . to preserve the two official languages of Canada and the cultures they represent and to promote the vitality of each of these languages, as far as possible, in the provinces where it is not spoken by the majority of the population, by enhancing the vitality of the communities that transmit it. . . . . Moreover, Part VII is an extension of . . . the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states that 'English and French are the official languages of Canada."1
Examples of what Part VII has made possible
The projects or programs from which Francophones living in minority situations benefit often stem from Part VII of the Act. I have selected the following examples to illustrate my point.
Some of you are no doubt familiar with the RDÉEs, the "Co-ordinating groups on economic development and employability," being organized in most of the provinces. The Franco-Manitobans among you will be happy to learn that the birth of the RDÉEs is due in large measure to the achievements of the EDCM, the Economic Development Council of Manitoba. By providing funding for the EDCM, the Department of Western Economic Diversification enabled it to become a pilot project for the country as a whole. Moreover, the EDCM administers a program of micro-loans to help Manitoba's Francophones create jobs for themselves or launch businesses. The National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resource Development, which consists of representatives from the communities and nine federal institutions, supports the RDÉEs in the preparation of economic development strategies for the communities in their provinces.
Programs such as Volnet and Francommunautés virtuelles, from Industry Canada, are other examples of initiatives that gave birth to networks such as Francofemmes, Francoculture, and so forth. Our challenge is to multiply these successes, including economic prospects.
As you can see, Part VII of the Act has a considerable impact on the official-language communities.
Making a commitment in French for our children
Part VII of the Official Languages Act could also be used as a tool to support our claims in a struggle that is of great concern to us as women, mothers and stakeholders -- the struggle to ensure the well-being of our children. The quality of life in our communities often depends on us since, as women, we are the primary intermediaries between our families and the health and social service systems.2 If the Francophonie would opt to invest in its young children, up to the age of six, considerable savings could be made and our communities would be all the stronger for it.
Between the time of birth and six years of age, children go through the most critical stage of their development as human beings. A large body of research has shown that the potential for correcting social problems is greatly reduced after the age of six.
It is also a known fact that the healthy and balanced development of a child can be put at risk when, for example, the parents are unemployed or are low-income earners, when they have little education or are physically or mentally frail, when they abuse drugs or alcohol, when they live in a rural or isolated community, when they have limited parenting skills or when a child is raised in a single-parent environment.
As you are aware, many factors play a key role in determining the level of people's health and the vitality of their community. As Francophones, we must also be vigilant to ensure that our children's development takes place in a context which respects our linguistic and cultural rights.
Various data illustrate how children have become more vulnerable over the last 10 years. In Canada, the number of poor children has increased by 49% since 1989,3 and today one out of five children lives in poverty.4 In the month of March 1999 alone, 322,460 Canadian children had to resort to a food bank.5
Even today, it is difficult to give an accurate figure for the number of children who are victims of violence, since the data are based solely on cases reported to the police. It is established, nevertheless, that one out of five children is mistreated.6 In 1998 it was reported that, in Canada, a quarter of the female victims of sexual assault whose cases were reported to the police were less than 12 years of age.7
Furthermore, 90% of Canadian children do not have places in day-care centres8 and 90% of those who do are in unregulated centres.9 It is a fact that the small number of places that are available in day-care centres are prohibitively expensive. Some parents have to pay up to $850 per month for high-quality day care in Ottawa and Toronto.10
National Children's Agenda
In the last Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada announced the development of a National Children's Agenda. This Agenda is a long term, far-reaching action plan that will make it possible to co-ordinate and move forward a wide variety of child related issues. The purpose of the Agenda is to improve the lives and promote the welfare of children.
During the past year, the federal government consulted the provincial and territorial governments, community and occupational groups, businesses and services on the vision, values and objectives which could be endorsed by the National Children's Agenda.
The Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA of Canada) co-ordinated the consultation process among the communities with the support of, among others, three national women's organizations: the Fédération nationale des femmes canadiennes-françaises, the Réseau national d'action-éducation femmes and the Guides franco-canadiennes.
The Agenda has already determined that it will seek to attain its objectives through the following means:
- by supporting the role of parents and strengthening families;
- by improving families' income security;
- by creating suitable, safe communities, free from violence;
- by providing early and continuing learning experiences;
- by improving early childhood development; and
- by promoting the development of teenagers.
It is essential that the initiatives for implementing the Agenda take into account the special needs of Francophone children living in minority communities.
The consultations have already been carried out and the federal government is compiling the comments received. A report on the consultations will be made public in the near future.
The time thus seems to be particularly favourable for minority Francophone women to consult with one another and join forces in monitoring implementation of this Agenda in order to ensure that the needs of Francophone children are recognized and that these needs form an integral part of the National Children's Agenda.
For example, the Team Francophonie11 emphasized how urgent it is to acquire a better understanding of the needs of the children and young people of Canada's Francophone and Acadian communities, and to put in place services that meet the needs thus identified. That is why it is important to ensure that the centres of excellence for children's welfare, soon to be established by Health Canada, focus their attention on minority Francophone children and families.
As women, we have extensive knowledge about the conditions that are favourable to the development and welfare of our children. For too long, however, our activity has been restricted to the confines of the family. As recalled by the Supreme Court of Canada in the Beaulac decision, language rights "can only be enjoyed if the means are provided."12 The Government of Canada therefore has an obligation to provide communities with the resources which they need in order to take full advantage of their language rights.
Consequently, given that our children contribute to the current vitality of our culture and that they will be its future strength, it is time for women's groups to obtain the essential resources that will enable them to shape a better future for their children and communities.
Notes
1 A Blueprint for Action - Implementing Part VII of the Official Languages Act, 1988, Commissioner of Official Languages, Ottawa, 1996, p. 82.
2 Conditions de possibilité des services de santé et des services sociaux en français en Ontario : un enjeu pour les femmes, Table féministe francophone de concertation provinciale de l'Ontario, Ottawa, 1997.
3 Campaign 2000, Report Card on Child Poverty in Canada 1989-1999, Toronto, 1999.
4 Statistics Canada, Income Distribution by Size in Canada, 1997.
5 Hunger Count, 1999 - A Growing Hunger for Change, Canada's Annual Survey of Emergency Food Programs, Toronto, September 1999.
6 Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA), Dominique à l'âge de la minorité : Données statistiques et réflexions sur la situation des jeunes Canadiens français en milieu minoritaire, Ottawa, (s.d), p. 14.
7 Violence sexuelle, Feuillet d'information de la Marche des femmes de l'an 2000, Action ontarienne contre la violence faite aux femmes, Ottawa, January 2000.
9 Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, op. cit., p. 11.
10 National Council of Welfare, Preschool Children: Promises to Keep, Ottawa, Spring 1999.
11 Team Francophonie is made up of the leaders of national associations and of provincial and territorial community associations. The Team was set up for a second consecutive year at the end of November by the FCFA of Canada to sensitize federal government leaders, especially members of Parliament, to the communities' specific needs. This time it focussed primarily on the National Children's Agenda.
