Official Languages

The committee was studying the minority-language education continuum, from early childhood to post-secondary education. Appearing were Jane Williamson, Executive Director of La Société de la garderie le Petit Voilier; Justin Morrow, a social entrepreneur appearing as an individual; and lawyers Mark Power and Darius Bossé of Power Law, appearing as individuals.

Jane Williamson testified that francophone early childhood centres in Nova Scotia face structural underfunding, a shortage of qualified French-speaking staff, and a lack of official recognition as educational institutions, which undermines linguistic continuity and the ability of the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial to fulfill its mandate. She recommended that francophone early childhood centres be recognized as the first step in the French-language education continuum, that a separate francophone governance entity for early childhood services be established, and that a differentiated, sustainable funding model be created to ensure viability beyond March 31, 2028.

Justin Morrow argued that federal investment in French as a second language education is treated as a social expense rather than a capital investment, because there is no systematic measurement of language retention after high school and no ongoing post-secondary support for students. He recommended that the federal government regularly measure language retention from graduation through to the labour market and create extracurricular post-secondary support programs that connect students with francophone communities, reallocating existing funds to achieve this.

Mark Power and Darius Bossé stated that the 2023 Official Languages Act imposes significant obligations on federal institutions immediately, even without new regulations, and that the federal government can use its spending power to fund minority-language education directly, bypassing provincial intermediaries. They argued that the current funding structure is failing, citing the example of Collège Nordique, and recommended that the committee demand implementation of the act, including direct, predictable, multi-year funding to institutions, and that a new action plan be created rather than waiting until 2028.

The committee also heard a brief exchange on whether constitutional recognition of indigenous languages is necessary, but Mark Power declined to answer, noting that language protection is not a zero-sum game. No procedural debate, motions, or votes were recorded in this meeting.