Schedule B

Strategic Plan
2005-2006 to 2008-2009

Preamble

1. General orientation, objectives and priorities for Nova Scotia for 2005-06 to 2008-09

1.1 Nova Scotia Government Business Plan for the fiscal year 2005-06

In its Government Business Plan for the fiscal year 2005-06, the Government of Nova Scotia describes its vision of a healthy, prosperous and self-sufficient Nova Scotia.

The Government will be focusing on four key priorities:

• Education;
• Health;
• Building greater prosperity; and
• Protecting what Nova Scotians value.

1.2 Government commitment concerning French-language services

Enacted on December 9, 2004, the French-Language Services Act guarantees the commitment of the Nova Scotia government for ensuring that French-language services are offered by designated departments, offices, agencies of Government, Crown corporations, and public institutions. While recognizing the important role of the Acadian and Francophone community, the Act is designed to contribute to the preservation and growth of the Acadian and Francophone community in Nova Scotia. Thanks to the French-Language Services Act, the Nova Scotia government has asserted its commitment to the enhancement of existing French-language services and to the expansion of the scope of French-language services.

According to the French-Language Services Act, a regulation for the implementation of French-language services must be developed by December 31, 2006. The development of regulations presupposes an extensive amount of work in consulting and raising awareness amongst stakeholders, including government authorities, the Acadian and Francophone community, and the province at large.

2. Nova Scotia strategic plan for French-language services – 2005-06 to 2008-09

French-language service delivery is one of the new key initiatives of the Province set out in the Government Business Plan for the fiscal year 2005-2006. With additional resources, the Office of Acadian Affairs will consult with departments and offices across government to develop a multi-year strategy that is prudent, cost-effective and sensible. The province will thus set clear priorities and target resources that will best meet the Acadian and Francophone community's needs.

To ensure meeting the objectives of the French-language services strategic plan and compliance with the priorities, the following actions are proposed:

• Development and implementation of policies;
• Consultation with the community;
• Prioritization of offered French-language services;
• Collaboration between departments and offices
• Translation of pertinent information destined to the public
• Language training for government employees
• Communication with the community and with government employees
• Support of community organizations

The general objective of the strategic plan for French-language services outlined here is to promote the development of the Acadian and Francophone community and to preserve the French language for future generations, thus contributing to the enhancement of life in Nova Scotia.

This general objective will be achieved through the following specific objectives:

• Strengthening the policy, regulatory, and administrative framework in support of the French-Language Services Act;
• Consultation with the community;
• Communicating, sharing information and promoting services available in French; and
• Supporting French-language services development, planning and delivery in priority areas.

This plan represents a collaborative effort throughout the government. The following areas are considered priorities and will receive special attention during the agreement period:

• Health;
• Youth and early childhood services;
• Justice;
• Services offered by Service Nova Scotia;
• Relations with municipalities;
• Translation and communication services;
• Language training; and
• Community services.

3. Level of community involvement in the development of the strategic plan

In 2003, the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE) published a report presenting the results of a survey on the needs of the Acadian and Francophone community in Nova Scotia concerning French-language provincial services. This survey results report represents a first benchmark. It gives a general overview of the level of interest for French-language services, identifies the services for which the level of interest is highest, and determines the interest for French-language services according to various delivery methods.

Furthermore, the Office of Acadian Affairs consulted with the FANE in the preparation of the French-language services bill. While recognizing the important role of the Acadian and Francophone community, the Act is designed to contribute to the preservation and growth of this community.

The following strategic plan for the Nova Scotia government is the result of almost two years of intensive work, including a detailed assessment of the community's needs and of the provincial government's capacity to deliver French-language services.

The provincial government is very proud and appreciative of the work and commitment of its French-language services coordinators, who worked relentlessly within their departments to develop this first generation of French services plans.

However, before delivering French-language services, we must learn what are the actual needs of the Acadian and Francophone community. In the case of some departments/offices, the French-language services coordinators and other department officials will have to complete comprehensive assessments of community needs. During this process, it will undoubtedly be important to carefully address the departments/offices whose services correspond to the priority intervention sectors listed by the FANE in its Global Development Plan.

4. Strategy – Implementation of the strategic plan and the data sources that will be used to measure the expected results

The preferred approach for this plan is a corporate one. It includes human resource management, communication, and service level policies will be implemented gradually to enhance the development of the provincial government's organizational culture concerning French-language service delivery in all government departments/offices.

This first corporate plan for French-language services includes actions for all departments/offices. The goal is not to build a parallel system, but to integrate, within a reasonable time, French-language services in the daily delivery of services from departments/offices.

The main data sources that will be used to measure the results are departmental activity reports and consultation with the community.

5. Other considerations

5.1 Limited financial resources of the province

Fiscal responsibility is one of the priorities of the Nova Scotia government. Although the government is committed to implementing French language service delivery, it must proceed with careful planning , taking into account its fiscal reality. Without the financial help of the federal government, the Nova Scotia government will have to reduce its efforts to implement the French-Language Services Act.

5.2 Active offer and request for services in French

French-language service delivery involves not only an active offer from the government, but also an active demand from the Acadian and Francophone community.

The needs assessment report on French-language provincial services published by the FANE emphasizes that many Acadians and Francophones have never made requests for provincial government services in French. They feel more comfortable with making requests and receiving services in English, and they are under the impression that the provincial government would not use Nova Scotia Acadian French.

Since the public service in Nova Scotia has never been governed by a policy on French-language services, almost all civil servants are used to working in an environment where everything is automatically done in English. The success of the policy concerning French-language services will in part depend on a culture shift in the public service in general.

A 2004 survey carried out by the Office of Acadian Affairs in 14 departments on their capacity to offer French-language services showed that 3.8 percent (233) of respondents have intermediate French-language skills and that 2.9 percent (177) have advanced French-language skills. Of the 6,067 respondents, 201 (3.3 percent) said that they offer services in French.

It is to be noted that most Nova Scotia Acadians who are over 30 years old today have received most of their education in English, so it is very likely that many Acadians working in the Public Service will require French language training or development.

Consequently, one of the major challenges will be to make the target population aware of the importance of asking for services in French, as well as to encourage the Public Service to offer its moral and logistical support to the implementation of French-language service delivery.

To promote the demand for service and to facilitate communications, civil servants must have tools that will allow them to deliver services appropriately to their Francophone clients. The government needs to determine which messages, documents, programs and Web pages are essential to meet the needs of the Acadian and Francophone community.

5.3 Geographic dispersal of the Acadian and Francophone community

The geographic dispersal of Acadian communities today is one of the direct consequences of the Deportation. The dispersed nature of Acadian communities makes service delivery and access much more complex.

In most cases, there are no government offices in Acadian and Francophone regions. For example, a single health professional would have trouble serving all these regions. Depending on the department, and available financial resources, it will be necessary to identify the most efficient and appropriate ways to deliver services in French.

According to the 2001 Census, Nova Scotia is home to 36,745 people who have French as their mother tongue (4 percent of the population).

• More than two thirds of Francophones live in the southern region (13,675) and in the Halifax Regional Municipality (11,320) where they represent only 2.9 percent of the population, lost and isolated in the anglophone mass.
• Francophones in the southern region are concentrated in Digby County, where they represent 34 percent of the population, and in Yarmouth County, where they represent 24 percent of the population.
• Approximately 7,000 Francophones live on Cape Breton Island, mainly in the counties of Inverness and Richmond where they represent respectively 16 percent and 29 percent of the population.

5.4 French-language institutions and organizations

Depending on the area they live in, Acadians and Francophones in Nova Scotia have access to a certain number of French-language institutions and organizations.

• The Conseil scolaire acadien provincial (CSAP), created in 1996, consists of 19 French-language schools with approximately 4,100 students. The distribution of these schools across the province is a good indication of the vitality of the Francophone community, and of its expansion in areas where there were no Francophones in the past. Because of the Education Act, Acadians and Francophones have the right to receive an education in French in homogeneous schools at the primary and secondary levels, as well as the right to manage their own schools.
• There are two school community centres, one in Dartmouth and one in Sydney, as well as two community centres in Cape Breton.
• Université Sainte-Anne, based in Church Point, Digby County, and its network of five satellite campuses in Nova Scotia, offer various college and university diploma programs in French.
• The Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE) has served as official advocate of Acadians and Francophones since 1968 and has a membership of more than 20 community organizations. The member organizations of the FANE represent various sectors such as education, justice, media, tourism, heritage, culture, sports, youth, parents, women and seniors.
• In the communications sector, Nova Scotia Francophones can access two community radio stations, one in the Cheticamp area and one in southwestern Nova Scotia, as well as two radio stations from Société Radio-Canada, one of which broadcasts two programs produced in Halifax. There are also two community radio stations in development in Halifax and in Richmond County. As for television, Francophones can watch Société Radio-Canada shows produced in, and broadcast from, Montreal and Moncton. Depending on the region they live in, they also have cable access to Francophone networks such as RDI, TVA, TV5, etc. Established in 1937, the weekly newspaper Le Courrier de la Nouvelle-Écosse serves the entire province.
• Numerous festivals, such as the one in Clare, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2005, and the Grou Tyme which takes place in Halifax, bear witness to the vitality of the Acadian culture.
• Regional Acadian councils and numerous cultural associations support the development of communities throughout the province.

Strategic Plan

General Objective

To promote the development of the Acadian and Francophone community and preserve the French language for future generations, thus contributing to the enhancement of life in Nova Scotia. This will be achieved through the following specific objectives:

1. Strengthening the policy, regulatory, and administrative framework in support of the French-Language Services Act.
2. Consultation with the community.
3. Communicating, sharing information, and promoting services available in French.
4. Supporting French-language services development, planning and delivery in priority areas.