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April 06, 2009
The Governments of Canada and British Columbia Sign a Multi-Year Agreement on French-Language Services
VANCOUVER, April 6, 2009 - The Honourable James Moore, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, and the Honourable Joan McIntyre, British Columbia's Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations, today announced the signing of the Canada-British Columbia Agreement on Official Languages for 2009-2010 and 2010-2011. It supports practical measures to increase the province's capacity to offer services to the Francophone community. "This agreement demonstrates the commitment of both governments to Canada's linguistic duality. It marks the beginning of a new cycle of federal-provincial cooperation in French-language service delivery," said Minister Moore. "We are supporting Francophones and Francophiles across the province and increasing the availability of French-language services." "This agreement reaffirms British Columbia's commitment to Canada's official languages, which act as a unifying force across the country, as well as for the province's Francophone community," said Minister of State McIntyre. "With this agreement, the Government of British Columbia wishes to chart its course over the next two years for its collaboration with the federal government to increase our capacity to service our Francophone community, ensuring that it continues to be a thriving and dynamic force in the province. The governments of Canada and British Columbia are contributing equally to the two-year bilateral agreement, which is worth a total of $2.8 million. The Government of British Columbia will implement a strategic plan with two objectives: to strengthen the administration of British Columbia's Francophone Affairs Program and to support the development, planning, and implementation of services in the priority sectors of health, economic development, immigration, arts and culture, social services, justice, communications, information, and consultations. Part of the funding announced today is being provided under the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013: Acting for the Future, an unprecedented government-wide investment of $1.1 billion over five years. Support for this initiative reaffirms the commitment of the Government of Canada to linguistic duality and the vitality of Francophone and Anglophone minority communities. For more information on intergovernmental cooperation on services to official-language minority communities, visit the website of the Department of Canadian Heritage at www.canadianheritage.gc.ca. For more information on British Columbia's Francophone Affairs Program, visit www.gov.bc.ca/igrs/francophones.
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