It was agreed, — That the committee invite as soon as possible the Minister of Official Languages, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the President of the Treasury Board to discuss their mandate and priorities related to their portfolio as well as their plan, including a deadline for establishing regulations and implementation of the Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts, for an hour each.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), the committee undertake a study on the economic situation of official language minority communities, including the development of best practices and economic models to follow, an analysis of the funding and services provided by economic agencies, an evaluation of current government of Canada programs for entrepreneurs, and the development of new, flexible programs and tools that are sensitive to the realities of official language minority communities and that reflect regional differences as well as the needs of rural communities in order to strengthen the economy and make these regions more attractive; that the committee invite witnesses with specific knowledge of the economy of official language minority communities, including economic agencies, economists and entrepreneurs; that the committee allocate a minimum of six meetings to this study; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response to the report.

It was agreed, — That the members of the committee submit their list of prioritized witnesses related to the study above to the clerk of the committee no later than Friday, October 6, 2023, 4 p.m.

It was agreed, — That, pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), the committee undertake a study on federal funding for post-secondary institutions serving official language minority communities in Canada; that, as part of this study, the committee:

1. invite the Minister of Official Languages, experts in federal research funds, specialists and other stakeholders to address this issue;
2. assess how enrolment at francophone and anglophone post-secondary institutions affects the official languages dynamic;
3. study how welcoming international students in these universities affects the language dynamic in official language minority communities in Canada; and
4. assess the capacity of Canada’s post-secondary network to respond adequately to training needs in French and English;

That, to carry out this study, the committee allocate a minimum of four (4) meetings to hear witnesses; that the Minister appear for two hours; that the committee report its findings and recommendations to the House; and that, pursuant to Standing Order 109, the government table a comprehensive response.

At 5:56 p.m., the sitting was suspended.

At 5:59 p.m., the sitting resumed in camera.