2018–2019 Achievements for the implementation of section 41

Part VII of the Official Languages Act

Part VII of the Act

Development of official language minority communities and promotion of English and French in Canadian society

Tangible Results

All federal institutions must answer these questions. Partners of the Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023 must identify one initiative that is included in the Action Plan, and if applicable, another initiative that is not part of the Plan.

1. If your institution had to highlight key initiatives (at least two) that contributed to the development of official language minority communities, what would those be?

   • a) Please describe these initiatives.
   • b) What are the tangible results of these initiatives on/in the official language minority communities?
   • c) What do you think is the determining factor for the success of these initiatives?

   In early 2018–19, FedDev Ontario launched the 2018–2023 segment of the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) program. A total of 26 project applications were received, and five projects were granted funding. The following projects best represent the Agency's efforts that have contributed most to the development of official language minority communities (OLMC).

   1. Through the Economic Development Initiative, FedDev Ontario is supporting the Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO) with the launch of its Multiplier Effect project, a multi-year regional project to equip community organizations with the tools to identify the multiplier effects of their initiatives and maximize their impact in Southern Ontario Francophone communities.

      The AFO and its network of organizations (129 groups) work to promote economic and community development in Ontario. These organizations represent the Francophone population, including women entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs and Francophone immigrants, as well as the tourism and economic development sectors, the social economy, and many other areas.

      Through the Multiplier Effect project, FedDev Ontario supports funding for projects and programs with non-repayable contributions to applicants ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 per year for at least 50 groups, including 10 SMEs and 10 social enterprises. The project's first funding recipients will be announced in early 2019–20.

   2. FedDev Ontario supported La Cité in the development of an immersive co-creation concept based on the 3 I's for Francophone entrepreneurs, known as La Factorie.

      This project has brought together a number of partners, leading to an ecosystem dedicated to innovation in French in Eastern Ontario.

      The project, which focuses on developing a process to diagnose business problems, will provide training and services through the accelerator, offer one-size-fits-all awareness workshops and create hybrid templates to support the next wave of innovative Francophone entrepreneurs as well as their applied research projects. The Makerspace and Chaos Lab will provide OLMC entrepreneurs with a place to develop their ideas, which will transform their communities' economy and the area, in the language of their choice. This initiative will offer workshops outside Ottawa to ensure that the project extends to rural areas and has a regional impact.

2. If your institution had to highlight key initiatives (at least two) that contributed to the promotion of English and French in Canadian society, what would they be? (Please do not confuse with obligations related to Parts IV and V)

   • a) Please describe these initiatives
   • b) What are the tangible results of these initiatives in Canadian society?
   • c) What do you think is the determining factor for the success of these initiatives?

   The main success factor for the promotion of English and French in Canadian society was the Agency's relations with key organizations and the services they provided as part of the EDI program.

   FedDev Ontario has continued to communicate with key partners in Southern Ontario (such as the AFO, the CCO, the SÉO, the Prescott Russell Community Development Corporation (PRCDC), the Fondation franco-ontarienne, La Cité and Collège Boréal) as needed.

   FedDev Ontario has also continued to support the PRCDC through the Community Futures Program to ensure that the needs of OLMCs in Eastern Ontario are met with high-quality services in both official languages.

   Due in large part to the relationships with its partners in Southern Ontario, the agency received 26 applications during the 2 call for proposals for EDI.

   As previously mentioned, in January 2019, FDO approved an EDI project with AFO, called "Effet Multiplicateur", which will leverage the organization's reach with its constituents located in Southern Ontario and make targeted investments in OLMCs.  The project was launched late in fiscal year 2018-2019. As a result, this initiative will begin to be demonstrated in the reporting year that follows.

3. What is the "key achievement" with a regional impact (progress or results in official language minority communities or for the promotion of French and English in Canadian society) that your institution would like to highlight?

   As part of the EDI, FedDev Ontario supported the Conseil de la coopération de l'Ontario (CCO) by helping the organization in the delivery of services with their new office in the Windsor-Essex region to better serve the area's historically underserved Francophones. This new office is a first for the CCO in Southwestern Ontario. There are already offices in Toronto and Ottawa and satellite offices in Northern Ontario.

   The project involves diversifying the economy of the Windsor-Essex region and addressing the particular challenges facing the Francophone community by developing collective entrepreneurship. The project aims to reach a large number of immigrants and women through networking, training and coaching activities.

   In addition, through our roundtable engagements with stakeholders from across southern Ontario, we asked francophone community stakeholders for their input to address their unique needs.

50^th anniversary of the Official Languages Act in 2019

The 50^th anniversary of the Official Languages Act in 2019 is a unique opportunity for federal institutions to contribute to the development of official language minority communities and to promote official languages.

4. Will your institution take part in the 50^th anniversary of the Official Languages Act?

   • a)  If yes, please describe the activities planned.
   • b)  Please identify the expected results.
   A)

   Agency wide communication to increase awareness of the 50th anniversary will be conducted. Local activities to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the OLA will be developed to engage staff in each of our office locations. The OL Champion will also launch a new website on the Agency's Intranet as a means of disseminating information, resources and tools to employees. As well, a video will be created to highlight the importance of OL and how bilingualism is promoted within the Agency.

   Over this past year, we also continued to create opportunities to increase the linguistic skills of our workforce with developmental French-language training offered in each of our office locations.

   B)

   Expected results include 1) greater awareness and understanding of the Official Languages Act; 2) strengthened French language capacity within the Agency; and 3) increase support towards employees in obtaining their language levels for career progression.