2019–2020 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 addition to FedDev Ontario's support to OLMCs through 5 active projects ($800k) supported through the Economic Development Initiative (EDI), the Agency contributed to other projects and initiatives thanks to new incremental programming.

   Through the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy, FedDev Ontario provided $100,000 to support L'Orignal Packing Ltd., a business located in a southern Ontario Francophone community, led by a Francophone woman entrepreneur. The funding leveraged an additional $110,442 from the company, and resulted in the creation of one new job and maintenance of four existing jobs.  In addition, 16 new products, processes, technologies or services were improved and sales increased.

   The launch of the Canadian Experiences Fund in 2019 marked the first time FedDev Ontario provided support to the tourism industry in Southern Ontario since its inception.

   The Agency saw significant demand from small businesses and tourism related organizations across all sectors through its regional stream, including many from OLMCs.  Ultimately, many projects from OLMCs were supported including the Festival de la Bine de Plantagenet, the Village d'antan franco-ontarien and the Forêt Larose (United Counties of Prescott-Russell).  These projects aimed to boost tourism offerings in Eastern Ontario while other projects such as L'école de la Résistance led by La Clé d'la baie de Huronie and the commemoration of the Francophone heritage, trades, voyageurs and Indigenous contributions – in Lasalle, concentrated on telling stories based on historical events and contributions of OLMCs which highlight the richness and diversity of Francophone contributions across Southern Ontario both past and present.  Other projects (Beau's All Natural Brewing Company and Capital Pride/Fierté Canada) focussed on developing new Francophone programing to expand offerings and demonstrate the economic value of official language programming to the southern Ontario economy.  The total value of the projects listed above exceeded $800,000.

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?
   a)

   The Agency's Small Business Services (SBS) team conducted a number of outreach activities to Francophone communities in Ontario in the past fiscal year, including the following:

   • On February 3, 2020, SBS delivered a presentation on government programs supporting small businesses to members of Société Économique de l'Ontario (SÉO) and the Cooperation Council of Ontario (CCO). The SÉO is a provincial network that promotes innovation in economic development, entrepreneurship, employability and immigration, with a particular focus on Francophones and the bilingual economy. The event targeted Francophone stakeholders' in Welland and southern Ontario.
   • On December 5, 2019, SBS delivered a presentation to a group of Francophone youth at an event hosted by SÉO. The presentation focused on the import and export guides offered by SBS and resources also offered by Export Development Canada. 
   • On July 29, 2019, SBS delivered its "Government Programs and Services for Entrepreneurs" presentation at an event hosted by the Prescott-Russell Community Development Corporation in Toronto. The event targeted Francophone communities in southern Ontario to promote the IDESO Initiative, a program that supports commercial and economic development and community strategic planning activities that promote the sustainable growth of the Francophone community.
   • On April 3, 2019, SBS exhibited at the Finance and Grow your Business Forum in Mississauga. The event was organized by Connecture Canada, an organization that provides professional development and business start-up advisory services to francophones with an immigrant background.

   In addition, over the past year FedDev Ontario coordinated and supported a best practice exchange between a delegation from Western Economic Diversification Canada (WD) and OLMC stakeholder La Cité collégiale in Ottawa, to provide WD with an opportunity to see firsthand what FedDev has been able to accomplish through the EDI.

   b)

   The SBS team's outreach highlights a broad range of federal government supports for business, including the information services available to help establish and grow small businesses. The outreach activities mentioned above help ensure that Francophone entrepreneurs in Ontario are aware of the programs and services offered, with the expected outcome that many of these entrepreneurs will open and maintain small businesses in their communities.

   The delegation that participated in the best practice exchange resulted in representatives from WD's OL team (staff from Western Regional Offices, Policy and Strategic Direction, and Human Resources) being inspired with what they heard and saw at La Cité and the delegation left with a vision that WD too might support a francophone incubator / makerspace in western Canada. WD staff also received an overview of the Effet Multiplicateur, EDI project with l'Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario as WD is currently in dialogue with RDÉE organizations in the West to deliver EDI on a pilot basis. FedDev Ontario shared the strategic approach taken in servicing OLMCs across southern Ontario for the past 10 years.

   c)

   The success of these initiatives depends on the ongoing strong relationships that have been established with organizations that support Francophone businesses. FedDev Ontario demonstrates a commitment to engaging with these organizations by continuing to participate in several engagements with Francophone communities each year. As well, the delegation success stemmed from the long-standing relationships between RDAs.

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 FedDev Ontario's plan to further develop the eastern part of its territory, the Agency integrated one of its Economic Development Officer's directly within a rural community in the region. This integration allows the Agency to better serve the area's OLMCs and its Francophone SMEs and not-for-profit organizations, and has led to an increase in requests for information and referrals from eastern Ontario.  The geographic proximity to proponents facilitated an increase in in-person interactions and has further developed and strengthened FedDev Ontario's relationships.

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

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

   • The OL Champion launched their OL Champion Webpage on the Agency's Intranet site that is accessible to all employees in the organization.  This launch was timed to coincide with the recognition of the 50^th anniversary of the OL Act.
   • The OL Champion also released a blog entitled 'Reflections on Official Languages on the 50^th anniversary year of the Official Languages Act'.
   • OL Ambassadors were identified within the Agency to help increase awareness of OL obligations across the Agency.
   • Various Blogs to increase awareness of the OL Act and federal obligations were developed and distributed across the Agency.
   • OL Quizzes were developed that focussed on identifying common phrases in both official languages. This was a fun way to promote and encourage the use of both official languages and help employees learn new terms and phrases in their second official language.
   B)

   • The OL Champion webpage includes a description of the champion role; background information on the OL Act; a central resource for information and tools related to OL for all employees; a list of upcoming events and access to blogs related to OL.
   • OL Ambassadors – Seven Ambassadors have been identified at the Agency that provide representation in each location (Ottawa, Peterborough, TO, and Waterloo).
   • Various Blogs were distributed to all staff and remain available through the OL Champion webpage including: celebration of the 50^th Anniversary of the OL Act; understanding second language phobia; and recognizing International Day of la Francophonie.
   • OL Quizzes for staff were conducted twice during the fiscal year, and included approximately 40 participants each.  Feedback from participants was very positive.