Speeches
On the Signing of the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Official Languages 2009-2010 - 2010-2011
Vancouver, British Columbia
April 6, 2009

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Minister of State McIntyre (Joan McIntyre, British Columbia Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations),
Ladies and gentlemen of the media,
Dear friends:

What a pleasure it is to be with you today! A month ago, I was in Coquitlam to announce funding for Maillardville's 20th Festival du Bois. Maillardville is a community I know well, and I was honoured to mark its centennial with local residents.

Just over five months ago, Prime Minister Stephen Harper entrusted me with the role of Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. This is a privilege for me, as I place a great deal of importance on Canada's linguistic duality and the growth and vitality of English- and French-speaking minority communities.

I am therefore pleased to be here today with Minister of State Joan McIntyre to announce the signing of the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Official Languages.

Under this two-year agreement, our Government will provide 1.4 million dollars to ensure the availability of services for Francophones.

The Agreement will take the form of closer cooperation between our governments and better access to a wide range of programs and services in French.

For example, British Columbia's Francophone Affairs Program will be able to provide the BC Health Guide in French. Francophone women will have access to counselling services, and newcomers will be able to take advantage of services adapted to their needs.

Part of this funding comes from our Government's Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality, an unprecedented government-wide investment of 1.1 billion dollars over five years.

Today's signing is further proof of how our Government is honouring its commitment to all Canadians by making good on the initiatives set forth in the Roadmap.

The agreement announced today is clear evidence of this, as are the National Translation Program for Book Publishing, which I had the pleasure of announcing in February, and the Cultural Development Fund, which I announced in March.

These are two programs announced under the Roadmap-two programs that are going to expand access to our culture in English and French, and strengthen the arts and heritage sector in our communities.

Having access to services in our own language, to a dynamic cultural scene, and to an enriching environment is essential for communities.

By working together, we can help bring about promising projects. Last Friday, I was at École Jules-Verne, the province's first autonomous Francophone high school, to officially inaugurate its new facilities.

Our Government was pleased to work on this project with the Conseil scolaire francophone and the British Columbia Ministry of Education. Our partners did excellent work, and we, for our part, supported the construction and enlargement of community spaces. We made a commitment to spend 4.5 million dollars so that the students of École Jules-Verne would have access to a modern theatre, gymnasium, and library.

Initiatives such as this contribute to the vitality of our communities, and that is an excellent thing. Because this year, British Columbia's Francophone community will be in the spotlight during the 2010 Winter Games-as will Canada's other Francophone communities.

Since work began on the task of organizing the Games, our Government has made respecting and promoting our two official languages a priority. The Games are a golden opportunity to highlight our linguistic duality, and we want these to be truly Canada's Games.

Before closing, I would like to thank Minister of State Joan McIntyre and the Government of British Columbia for working with us to promote French language and culture in the province.

Our Government is working together with all the provinces and territories to promote the development of Anglophone and Francophone minority communities.

The Agreement announced today is fully in line with this commitment. It is the first in a series of new agreements on French-language services between our Government and the provinces. It thus marks the beginning of a new cycle of federal-provincial cooperation.

In the 40th anniversary year of the Official Languages Act, I am proud to work with you so that British Columbia Francophones can flourish and participate fully in society. I wish much success to the projects that will benefit from the agreement.

Thank you.

© 2009 James Moore - All rights reserved
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