Intergovernmental Cooperation

Intergovernmental Cooperation aims to help provincial and territorial governments, directly or through the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), to offer to members of official-language minority communities (Anglophones in Quebec and Francophones outside Quebec) an education in their own language.

1. Cooperation framework
2. Eligible recipients
3. Funding decisions and evaluation criteria
4. Eligible expenditures
5. Funding terms
6. Parameters – School Community Centres – Capital Projects

I. Cooperation framework

Investments are made within the framework of a five-year protocol for agreements reached between the Government of Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), the key partner for federal intervention in the area of education, or directly with the provinces and territories. Whether within or outside the Protocol, contributions may be granted through annual or multi-year cost-sharing agreements reached with each of the provincial and territorial governments for minority-language education, or with the CMEC, provinces and territories for interprovincial, interterritorial and pan-Canadian projects or the administration of language learning and development programs. These agreements must include an action plan that describes proposed measures, funding amounts for each party and targeted outcomes based on the objectives of the following three types of support: Support for the Maintenance and Improvement of Minority-Language Education Systems; Support for the Implementation of the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages; and Complementary Support for Language Learning.

Support for the Maintenance and Improvement of Minority-Language Education Systems aims to fund activities for the support and administration of minority-language education, program development, teacher training and development, student support and other key areas, especially the development of school-community centres, implementation of school management and support for post-secondary education.

Support for the Implementation of the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages aims to provide complementary funding to that offered through the Support for the Maintenance and Improvement of Minority-Language Education Systems to support the achievement of minority-language education objectives identified in the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages:

• Between now and 2013, increase by 12 per cent the proportion of students eligible for enrolment in French schools in minority communities;
• Offer the same quality education as the majority receives.

Measures taken should correspond to the investment sectors and key strategies outlined below:

Investment sectors	Key strategies
Promotion of access and integration	Prepare recruitment and pre-school strategies Develop language-upgrade programs (in English and French) Develop strategies to welcome immigrant children Prevent students from dropping out of school/find ways to encourage students to continue French studies, especially during the transition between primary and secondary schools
Quality of programs and cultural enrichment in the school setting	Develop adapted programs, approaches and teaching tools Develop cultural enrichment/community roots initiatives in school (school-community centres, etc.) Develop secondary school revitalization initiatives Put new communications technologies to use Improve French as a Second Language (FSL) programs in Quebec
Teaching staff and support services	Help recruit teaching candidates and support service specialists Develop initial/continued training initiatives in minority-language education and support services Integrate new communications technologies into teaching practices, to compensate for teacher shortages
Improved access to post-secondary studies	Develop new programs Develop initiatives aimed at easing the transition from secondary to post-secondary school Encourage distance education and intra-institutional program sharing Create new institutional infrastructures
Promotion of research on teaching in a minority setting and dissemination of knowledge	Share information on best practices Collect and disseminate knowledge about teaching in a minority setting Develop methods and strategies for francization, retention and identity development Improve methods to measure outcomes and report to the Canadian public

Complementary Support for Language Learning aims to support activities or interventions that contribute to the learning and development of language skills. Investments focus on:

1. providing bursaries to young Francophones from official-language minority communities to help improve their first language skills through a five-week intensive summer course at an accredited post-secondary institution;

2. funding full-time or part-time monitor positions in primary, secondary and post-secondary institutions, to enable post-secondary youth to work with teachers to enrich French first language courses and to support teaching in a minority setting.

The bursaries and funding of monitor positions are administered by the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) within the framework of the Programme d'enrichissement du français (Destination Clic) and the Language Assistant Programs (Full-Time: Odyssey and Part-Time: Accent) in cooperation with the Department of Education or the provincial/territorial department responsible for post-secondary education. Young people interested in bursaries or monitor positions should consult the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada web site at www.cmec.ca/olp or the following program web sites:

www.destinationclic.ca
www.myodyssey.ca
www.myaccent.ca

II. Eligible recipients

Provincial and territorial governments and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada.

III. Funding decisions and evaluation criteria

Funding decisions are made based on available funds, priorities, particulars of negotiated agreements and an analysis of requests in accordance with the following criteria:

• Quality of the action plan, which must include:
  • a status report on the areas of jurisdiction covered;
  • a written description of planned programs, services or activities, expected outcomes and performance indicators;
  • links with the objectives and priorities of the Minority-Language Education component;
  • links with community development priorities and a status report on community consultations carried out;
  • a time frame for implementation;
  • a budget with a breakdown of projected expenditures and the financial contributions of each party (revenues) for the planned programs, services or activities;
  • and, in the case of Complementary Support to Language Learning,
    • a description of the service levels and standards of the party carrying out the program;
    • a description of the selection criteria and procedures for bursary recipients and monitors;
    • a description of monitoring procedures.
• Effectiveness of the action plan as an instrument for:
  • achieving results for the Minority-Language Education component and producing expected outcomes.
• Adequacy of the budget in relation to activities to be carried out.

IV. Eligible expenditures

Eligible expenditures include:

• costs incurred by the provinces and territories for activities related to the support and administration of minority-language education, program development, teacher training and development, student support and any other expenditures agreed upon by the federal government and provincial and territorial governments, including expenditures related to implementation of interprovincial/interterritorial or pan-Canadian projects undertaken by provinces and territories or through the CMEC;

• costs relating to the training and development of teachers and professional staff working in the minority school system;

• and, in the case of Complementary Support for Language Learning, costs incurred for the management and provision of summer bursaries to improve first-language skills and funding of monitor positions for minority-language teaching.

V. Funding terms

The framework of a five-year protocol for agreements concluded between the Government of Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada, provides for the negotiation of agreements with each province or territory on a multi-year basis, unless decided otherwise. Special agreements outside the protocol may also be negotiated with each province and territory on an annual or multi-year basis. All agreements must include an action plan and set out requirements for reporting and payments.

VI. Parameters – Department of Canadian Heritage Funding
School Community Centres – Capital Projects

Cooperation Framework

The Department of Canadian Heritage is involved in the capital projects of school community centres (SCC) in the context of cooperation between the Government of Canada and the provincial and territorial governments regarding minority‑language education.  Funding is provided through bilateral agreements with provincial/territorial governments under the Development of Official‑Language Communities program. 

Cooperation between Canada and the provinces and territories is regulated by the Protocol for Agreements for Minority-Language Education and Second-Language Instruction signed by the Government of Canada and the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada signed on November 3, 2005. The Protocol provides a framework for negotiating bilateral agreements with the provinces and territories.

Assistance

School community centres aim at meeting the needs of primary and secondary education and official-language minority communities' development. The Department's assistance is intended for the construction, renovation or expansion of community spaces. SCCs are designed to provide services that would not otherwise be available.
 
The construction of schools is the responsibility of provincial and territorial governments, which have standards on school size and equipment. These governments provide funding for spaces and school equipment that meet these standards.

While it provides funding for community spaces, the Government of Canada can also provide partial funding for spaces shared by the school and community components (auditorium, reception area and other spaces of this kind). Any participation by Canada is therefore conditional upon the province/territory demonstrating that these spaces are over and above existing school standards and that they meet specific community needs outside of class hours.

Eligible Recipients

Provincial and territorial governments.

Schedule

Applications for assistance may be submitted at any time.

Assessment Criteria and Funding Decisions

• The quality of applications for assistance, which must:
  • demonstrate the provincial/territorial government's commitment to contribute to the construction, renovation or expansion of a school that will have a community component;
  • identify the provincial/territorial standards relating to the school component and early childhood facilities, if applicable;
  • establish clearly defined boundaries between school spaces and community and shared spaces;
  • identify the spaces and costs associated with the project, contributions provided by each order of government and, if applicable, contributions provided by other funding parties from federal, provincial and municipal institutions and/or community organizations;
  • provide, for the school and community components, the breakdown of costs related to furniture and equipment and a breakdown of ancillary costs (land purchase, site preparation, architectural fees, etc.);
  • identify, if applicable, spaces already funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage in an earlier phase of the project;
  • show how the project submitted addresses the conclusions and recommendations of the feasibility study (see Appendix A);
  • identify the school community centre's mission, objectives and operations;
  • indicate use by the community and illustrate how this will contribute to community development;
  • present evidence of community commitment;
  • show that project proponents have identified and adopted representation and management mechanisms to ensure and provide a framework for cooperation between the school and community parties;
  • demonstrate the financial viability of the centre, over at least three years, by identifying the terms and conditions for funding the operations of the entire SCC; demonstrate the link between the anticipated facilities and the size and needs of the community it will be serving;
  • include a budget with a breakdown of planned expenses and financial contributions from each party for the proposed activities.
• The contribution to the development of the official language community, including how the SCC will meet emerging needs, particularly with respect to early childhood development, but also youth, the welcoming and integration of immigrants and seniors.
• Service delivery approach.
• SCC management approach.
  

N.B. In provinces where there exists a denominational system and a public system in the same area, applications for assistance must demonstrate that a model for school/community space has the support of key stakeholders, namely, the denominational component, the public school component, the community component and the provincial/territorial government.

In recognition of the unique situation of the territories, applications from territorial governments will be assessed taking into account the realities of Northern life.

Eligible Expenses

• The Department approves the following eligible expenses for the community component:
  • Professional fees and honoraria relating to the project;
  • Professional costs relating to architectural or engineering design, risk assessment, engineering studies and environmental assessments;
  • Costs associated with the construction, alteration or renovation of a building, including demolition, excavation, materials, and labour;
  • Ancillary costs (site preparation, including septic tank, building permit, etc.); and
  • Essential furniture and equipment for community use.
• Costs related to the purchase of land are not eligible for departmental funding.
  

APPENDICES

• Appendix A – Recommended Approach – Planning and Implementation of a School Community Centre Project
• Appendix B – Description – Components – Feasibility Study
• Appendix C - Glossary

APPENDIX A

RECOMMENDED APPROACH – PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION – SCHOOL COMMUNITY CENTRE PROJECT

1. Cooperation with community stakeholders.
2. Feasibility study undertaking (see Appendix B).
3. Submission of the feasibility study to the Department of Canadian Heritage and the provincial/territorial Department of Education. In provinces where there exists a denominational system and a public system in the same area, the feasibility study must demonstrate that a model for school/community space has the support of key stakeholders, namely, the denominational school component, the public school component and the community component. The feasibility study must, therefore, be submitted to representatives of both school boards.
4. Formal application for funding sent to the Department of Canadian Heritage by the province/territory.
5. Assessment of the provincial/territorial application by the Official Languages Support Programs Branch and the regional office.
6. Discussions between the Department of Canadian Heritage and the province/territory.

The approach may vary depending on the specific situation of each project.

APPENDIX B

DESCRIPTION – COMPONENTS – FEASIBILITY STUDY

The feasibility study should include the following:

• the demographic situation of the official language minority community;
• services currently provided in the minority language versus the shortcomings;
• the requirements and priorities for services that the community does not currently have access to;
• demonstration of steps taken within the community to get key stakeholders involved in implementing the project;
• demonstration of the community's financial capacity to support the centre's operations;
• potential partners of the centre (school board, government agencies, private sector, community organizations);
• various service delivery approaches considered and preferred approaches;
• the management approach for the facility;
• the operations and programming management approach to maximize partnerships to foster community development;
• the centre's business plan;
• planned revenues and expenses for the building;
• revenues and expenses associated with community programming;
• the conclusions and recommendations of the study;
• if applicable, the memoranda of understanding that will govern relations among partners in the planning and implementation of the capital project, in the funding of operating costs and in the use of facilities.

N.B.: For information on funding for feasibility studies, please contact officers at the Department of Canadian Heritage regional offices.

APPENDIX C

GLOSSARY

Feasibility Study
Study designed to determine whether a project is feasible and to identify potential difficulties with its implementation.

School Spaces – Provincial/Territorial Funding
Spaces provided by the province/territory, in accordance with school construction standards, to above all meet the needs of the school population during class hours.

Community Spaces – Canadian Heritage Funding
Spaces for community groups and their clients.

Spaces – Shared Costs – Funding provided by provinces/territories and Canadian Heritage
Spaces provided, over and above school standards, to meet the specific needs of the community outside of class hours and shared spaces (services, systems, circulation areas, etc.).

Ancillary Costs
Costs relating to the implementation of a capital project (site preparation, septic tank, building permit, etc.).

Partnership between the Denominational School and Public School Components
In provinces with a denominational system and a public system in the same area, agreement demonstrating that a model for school/community space has the support of key stakeholders, namely, the denominational school component, the public school component, the community component and the provincial/territorial government.

Partnership between the Community and School Sectors
Formal agreement in the form of a memorandum of understanding in which SCC project partners clearly indicate how they will administer:

• the planning and implementation of the project;
• the funding of operating costs; and
• the use of the facilities.
  

Business Plan
Plan containing information on the organization and its objectives, a detailed description of the main activities and a three-year budget for each activity.

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