OTTAWA – “Minister Moore agreed delays in disbursements of government funding are unacceptable. In that case, let’s work together to resolve this issue once and for all,” said Marie-France Kenny, president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne (FCFA) du Canada, following Canadian Heritage Minister’s testimony before the Standing Committee on Official Languages, yesterday morning.
The Fédération, which represents Canada’s Francophone and Acadian communities, heard a clear willingness to resolve the issues from the Minister. As well, the FCFA welcomes the Minister’s openness towards ministerial delegation, a quicker disbursement of the 25% interim instalment pending government approval of funding, as well as an increased focus on multi-year requests. “While we welcome these potential solutions, they are clearly insufficient. Some of these measures are already in place and we have yet to feel any significant impact on disbursement delays experienced by our communities this year. There are still several unresolved issues and we want to be part of the solution.”
Organizations providing services to Francophone and Acadian Communities have faced significant delays in the approval and disbursement of funding by Canadian Heritage and other federal institutions. Twice this year – once in June and once in September – the FCFA appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages to raise awareness relative to the impact these delays and to put forward possible solutions.
« Several community organizations spend the first three or four months of the fiscal year without any money and without knowing how much funding they will receive for the entire year,” explains Ms. Kenny. “As a result, they have to rely on a line of credit and incur significant amounts in non-reimbursed interest fees. Other organizations have had to lay-off staff, and in some cases, end employee contracts. Several employees have had to resort to using personal funds or a personal line of credit to cover employee salaries and other expenses. ”
The FCFA will communicate with Minister Moore to request the creation of a FCFA/Canadian Heritage Committee to carry out an in-depth study of how applications for funding are evaluated and processed and propose permanent solutions. “Yesterday morning new service standards were announced for implementation on April 1, 2010. We have not been consulted on these services standards and again, we are determined to part of the solution,” says Ms. Kenny.
The FCFA wishes to acknowledge the work done by the Standing Committee on Official Languages in undertaking an in-depth study on potential solutions to this problem. “This has been going on for decades and needs to be resolved once and for all,” points out Ms. Kenny.
FCFA is a national organization that includes Francophone representative associations of nine provinces and the three territories, as well as ten national organizations. Its role is to defend and promote the rights and interests of the French-Speaking population outside Quebec.
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The Fédération, which represents Canada’s Francophone and Acadian communities, heard a clear willingness to resolve the issues from the Minister. As well, the FCFA welcomes the Minister’s openness towards ministerial delegation, a quicker disbursement of the 25% interim instalment pending government approval of funding, as well as an increased focus on multi-year requests. “While we welcome these potential solutions, they are clearly insufficient. Some of these measures are already in place and we have yet to feel any significant impact on disbursement delays experienced by our communities this year. There are still several unresolved issues and we want to be part of the solution.”
Organizations providing services to Francophone and Acadian Communities have faced significant delays in the approval and disbursement of funding by Canadian Heritage and other federal institutions. Twice this year – once in June and once in September – the FCFA appeared before the Standing Committee on Official Languages to raise awareness relative to the impact these delays and to put forward possible solutions.
« Several community organizations spend the first three or four months of the fiscal year without any money and without knowing how much funding they will receive for the entire year,” explains Ms. Kenny. “As a result, they have to rely on a line of credit and incur significant amounts in non-reimbursed interest fees. Other organizations have had to lay-off staff, and in some cases, end employee contracts. Several employees have had to resort to using personal funds or a personal line of credit to cover employee salaries and other expenses. ”
The FCFA will communicate with Minister Moore to request the creation of a FCFA/Canadian Heritage Committee to carry out an in-depth study of how applications for funding are evaluated and processed and propose permanent solutions. “Yesterday morning new service standards were announced for implementation on April 1, 2010. We have not been consulted on these services standards and again, we are determined to part of the solution,” says Ms. Kenny.
The FCFA wishes to acknowledge the work done by the Standing Committee on Official Languages in undertaking an in-depth study on potential solutions to this problem. “This has been going on for decades and needs to be resolved once and for all,” points out Ms. Kenny.
FCFA is a national organization that includes Francophone representative associations of nine provinces and the three territories, as well as ten national organizations. Its role is to defend and promote the rights and interests of the French-Speaking population outside Quebec.
Information: Serge Quinty, Communications Director, 613-241-7600 / 613-286-4820