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Planning and Reporting

Review on the Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act 2011-2012

Prepared by: Yannick Raymond

Status of Women Canada

Minister responsible:

The Honourable Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women

Senior official responsible for official languages (e.g. Official Languages Champion):

Sébastien Goupil, Director General, Policy and External Relations, and Official Languages Champion

Name of the national contact person responsible for the implementation of section 41 of the OLA:

Names of the regional contact persons for section 41 of the OLA (if applicable:

  • Exact titles:
    1. Nicole Bujold, Regional Director, Atlantic, 506-851-3970
    2. Jill Varley, Regional Director, Quebec, 514-283-8598
    3. Suzanne Lacroix, Regional Director, West, 780-495-5020

General Information

Context

In accordance with section 44 of the Official Languages Act (OLA), the Minister of Canadian Heritage must submit an annual report to Parliament on matters relating to its mandate. Therefore, the Minister must report on the implementation of section 41 (Part VII) of the OLA by federal institutions.

The information provided by your institution through this questionnaire will be used to write the Minister of Canadian Heritage's 2011-2012 Annual Report on Official Languages.

Open-ended questions are used to document your institution’s results that could be highlighted in this annual report.

Instructions

A hard copy of this document should be sent to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and to both Parliamentary Standing Committees on Official Languages. You will find their addresses below:

Mr. Graham Fraser
Commissioner of Official Languages
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Canada Building
344 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0T8

Mr. Simon Larouche
Clerk of the Committee
House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
House of Commons of Canada
131 Queen Street, 6th Floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Mrs. Danielle Labonté
Clerk
Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
Senate of Canada
Chambers Building, Room 1051
40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4

Development of official-language minority communities (OLMCs) and promotion of English and French in the Canadian society (section 41, part VII of the Official Languages Act)

Tangible results

  1. What key initiatives does your institution want to highlight in relation to the development of official-language minority communities (Francophones outside Quebec and Anglophones in Quebec)? What are the tangible impacts of these initiatives on/in the OLMCs? What is the determining success factor for these initiatives?

    YWCA Montreal: I'll be there

    The 36-month project was approved in 2011-2012 and focuses on various forms of violence facing girls transitioning from primary to secondary schools in Montréal. Project activities will take place in collaboration with both French and English-language schools in Montréal, and approximately half of the participating youth will be English-speaking.

    Between 120 and 150 English-speaking girls will reap tangible benefits from their involvement in this project, including strengthened abilities to recognize and respond to gendered violence and related issues during the transition to high school. Participants will also benefit from activities such as a high school-based mentorship and awareness-building workshops in selected schools.

    Targeted short-term results from the project include ensuring that participants aged 11 to 14 are equipped to make healthy decisions about their bodies and relationships and to counter violence in their lives. Another 10 to 15 English-speaking girls from 14 and 17 years of age will acquire leadership capacities through volunteering as researchers and as mentors to grade 7 girls. Medium-term goals include school personnel being able to identify and address, through gender-based analysis, issues of violence and inequity manifesting during girls' transition and adaptation to high school. Also, the girls aged 11 to 17 will be able to apply their learning in ways that make their environment safer for themselves and others. The final program will be available to all English schools in the province.

  2. What key initiatives does your institution want to highlight in relation to the promotion of English and French in Canadian society (do not confuse with obligations related to service to the public or language of work, e.g. bilingual Web site, language training for staff)? What are the tangible results of these initiatives in Canadian society? What is the determining success factor for these initiatives?

    The Program ensures that all necessary measures are put in place to support the development of official-language minority communities in Canada, as well as to promote the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society.

    Where a funding recipient’s activities address a public composed of both official language groups, or could have an impact on the bilingual character of Canada, the Program ensures that the funding agreement concluded with the recipient stipulates measures to be taken.

  3. What key achievements with a regional impact (success stories or results on/in the OLMCs or on the promotion of English and French in Canadian society) does your institution want to highlight?

    Status of Women Canada wishes to highlight the partnership between la Collectivité ingénieuse de la Péninsule acadienne (CIPA) in New Brunswick and the Fédération des femmes acadiennes de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FFANE) in Nova Scotia as a key initiative in relation to the development of official-language minority communities in 2011-2012.

    Both organizations contribute to the development of official-language minority communities by their work done within francophone communities in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

    Both organizations received project funding from Status of Women Canada to help address violence against women. The project outcomes achieved include access to French resources for women victim of violence and stakeholders in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.

    The determining success factor is the partnership established between the two projects, which lead to the development of a French Web site, www.parcelles.ca, offering help and resources for women from both provinces. For example, the Web site provides lists of organizations and programs offered in each province. The FFANE developed other tools as part of their project; these tools are related to the information found on the Web site. The Web site was originally developed by CIPA.