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At the Provincial Level

| Canada/British Columbia General Agreement

The first Canada/British

Columbia General Agreement

on the Promotion of Official
Languages came to an end
on March 31, 2004 and will
be extended for one year
before its possible renewal
for a second term.

Over the first three years
of the Agreement, the
Federal Government gave
$1.5 million to the B.C.
Government and the
province itself contributed
up to $750,000.

Before renewing the
Agreement, Canadian
Heritage intends over the
next few months to review
the outcomes of the first
Agreement. Its goal is to
determine whether the
Agreement has met its
objectives and resulted in
the completion of action
items adopted at the
beginning of the term. Its
impact will be measured in
terms of available services,
translated documents

and secured partnerships
between ministries and the

Francophone community.
The FFCB is satisfied with
the 2003-2004 overview of
activities supported by the
Canada/British Columbia
General Agreement. The
FFCB has noted that

the vast majority of its
recommendations to the
Agreement's advisory
committee in June 2001
were followed by the
provincial government.

As the Agreement is

up for renewal, the
Bureau of Francophone
and Francophile Affairs,
which is responsible for
the administration of the
Canada/British Columbia
Agreement, joined with
the FFCB to consult with
the community. This
process was designed to
determine the needs of
the community and update
the provincial action plan
for the second Agreement.

As part of this process, the
FFCB distributed a needs
evaluation questionnaire
to all Francophones in its

Community priorities for
provincial services in French

> Health services

> Social services
> Legal services

database. It compiled the
results and submitted
findings to the Bureau of

Francophone and Francophile

Affairs. The priorities voiced
by the community appear in
the box below.

Over the next few months,
the FFCB will be working
with both the provincial
and federal governments

to ensure that a new agree-
ment is signed and that it
meets the needs of the

Francophone community in
terms of priorities and the
level and types of funding.

> Employment and economic development services

FFCB activities supported
by the Canada/British
Columbia General
Agreement

> The Provincial
Government has funded
and worked with the
FFCB, Citizenship and
Immigration Canada and
the immigration office
of the Ministry of
Community, Aboriginal
and Women’s Services
(MCAWS) to conduct a
study into Francophone
immigration to
Vancouver.

The province took part in
the Global Development
Plan consultation
conducted by the FFCB
within the Francophone
community, including a
section on service
priorities at the
provincial level.

> The province helped
develop an interprovincial
cooperation agreement
with Quebec.
Consultation with
Francophone community
groups in the areas of
education, culture and
economic development
resulted in a document
that presents the
community's position in
relation to the Quebec
government.

> The Bureau of
Francophone and
Francophile Affairs
provided information on
postsecondary education
in support of a project
that the FFCB is

conducting.