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OTTAWA, ONTARIO, June 21, 2003 – Speaking at the 28^th Annual General Meeting of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, the Honourable Stéphane Dion, President of the Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, reflected on the first three months of the Action Plan for Official Languages and highlighted the measures the Government of Canada will be undertaking to ensure the Plan is implemented successfully. "We need to strike while the iron is hot, and build on the momentum we have created to make a good start on implementation," said the Minister, inviting those in attendance to "establish good contacts with each of the departments concerned, because they plan to act quickly."

The Minister described the measures for implementing the new Accountability and Coordination Framework, the role of which is to remind all federal institutions of their obligations. The Framework provides for annual consultations between the Government of Canada and communities, and the Minister announced that the major consultations for Year 1 of the Action Plan will be held in the fall.

On the education front, the Minister noted that the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the Honourable Sheila Copps, will undertake negotiations with the provinces, notably in the context of two new targeted funds: one for minority French- or English-language education ($209 million) and one for second-language instruction ($137 million). As the objective is to wrap up negotiations by next winter, the Minister urged participants not to: "delay in setting your own priorities and communicating them to your Ministry of Education."

On early childhood, the Minister reviewed new initiatives planned by the Department of Human Resources Development, allocating $7.4 million for French-language family literacy, $10.8 million for research on the influence of daycare services on young children’s cultural and linguistic development, and $3.8 million to support national advocacy organisations for minority official-language communities in the field of early childhood.

The Minister recalled that the health component of the Action Plan will consist of a total investment of $119 million over five years, divided among the following three priorities: training, recruitment and retention of health professionals; networking; and primary health care. "There is every indication that the necessary agreements will be in place within a year. While the department is preparing the ground, work is continuing with the Advisory Committees for minority Francophone communities and Anglophone communities. Our efforts and yours are converging," he added.

The Action Plan provides an overall investment of $45.5 million over five years in the justice sector. The Minister noted that negotiations are underway with the provinces to conclude or amend agreements in connection with the Contraventions Act, and a coordinating team will be in place by September 2003 in connection with the Legislative Instruments Re-enactment Act.

On economic development, the Minister highlighted measures in place or underway for achieving the Plan’s objectives: 1 - to enhance communities’ capacity for participating in the knowledge economy, mainly through the Francommunautés virtuelles program ($13 million); 2 - provide business internships to community youth (around $7.3 million reallocated from existing programs and $2 million in new funding), and to provide improved access to e-training ($10 million over five years); 3 - to enable communities to benefit from existing programs, by providing information and consulting services on-site ($8 million over the life of the Plan).

In sum, the Minister called on participants to build on contacts with all departments: "Provide them with your views, your projects, your priorities, with precision and conviction."

Finally, the Minister expressed his belief that the arrival of a new prime minister will not call into question the Action Plan for Official Languages, as it is an objective that is supported by all the candidates vying to succeed the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien: "Yes, the Government of Canada will be for you, as it says in the Action Plan, ‘an effective partner, present and participating,’ " the Minister concluded.

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