60th Anniversary of
the “Groupe senatorial France-Canada”
The Honourable Jean-Claude Rivest, Senator,
Vice-Chair of the Canadian Group of the Canada-France Interparliamentary
Association, represented the Association during a seminar held in Paris, in the
French Senate, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of
the “Groupe sénatorial France-Canada”. Two other Canadian Senators attended the
event, the Hon. Serge Joyal, P.C., Senator, and the Hon. Claude Carignan,
Senator, who attended as a panelist.Canada’s Ambassador to
France, His Excellency Marc Lortie, was also present. Serge Pelletier,
Secretary of the Canadian Group, accompanied Senator Rivest.
Three debates were held during this day-long
event. The first was on the theme “La France et le Canada face aux défis du
« Vivre ensemble » dans des sociétés interculturelles” (“France and
Canada and the challenges of “living together” in intercultural societies”).
The second, a lunch session, dealt with “Les enjeux de l’accord de
libre-échange entre le Canada et l’Union européenne” (“the issues of the free
trade agreement between Canada and the European Union”). The third and last session was entitled “La
France et le Canada : intervenir militairement ensemble : pourquoi?,
comment? Les cas de l’Afghanistan et de la Libye” (“France and Canada: joint
military interventions: why? How?
The cases of Afghanistan and Libya”). The day ended with a wreath-laying and a “lighting the
flame” ceremony at the Arc de Triomphe, in the presence of veterans and senior
officers of the French army.
Opening session
Senator Marcel-Pierre Cléach, Chair of the
France-Canada Parliamentary Group in the French Senate, opened the seminar with
a description of the circumstances behind the establishment of the group 60
years ago, on February 16, 1951, an initiative of Senator Robert Brizard. On
that occasion, Senator Brizard stated: [trans] “I come to ask all
of you who remember the efforts Canada made for us during those dark days and
who believe that our profound cultural sympathies, even more deeply entwined by
the use of a single language, are sufficient motivation for us to establish a
friendship group, to please advise me.” The first meeting was held on May 15,
1951 and dealt with youth and higher education. One of the participants was
Msgr. Félix-Antoine Savard, then Dean of the Faculté des Lettres at the
Université Laval in Quebec City. The following year, trade issues were
considered at the meeting, attended by the Canadian trade attaché in Paris.
Senator Cléach discussed the activities of Senator Chauvin, who was Chair of
the Group from 1972 to 1986 and who was the architect behind the Group's joining
the France-Canada Interparliamentary Association, thereby giving the
organization its bicameral structure. Senator Cléach said that an
inter-governmental agreement between France and Canada was signed in 1988 and
explicitly recognized the Association's role in bilateral relations. He
described how Canadian soldiers fought on French soil during the First and
Second World Wars; the Senator mentioned that the topics of the Association’s
last annual meeting were of importance to both countries, such as nuclear
issues and family policy. He welcomed the frank, direct and constructive
dialogue that has developed between the parliamentarians from the two
countries. Senator Cléach mentioned that he has chaired the senatorial group
since 2002 and announced that he will be stepping down as soon as a replacement
is found. In this capacity, he hoped the Group will ensure that the friendship
between the two countries continues, that the occasionally conflict-ridden
issues will be levelled out, and that parliamentarians will continue to find in
the Group a rich source of ideas where the experience and the practices of
France and Canada complement each other.
Senator Jean-Claude Rivest thanked Senator
Cléach for organizing the seminar and offered warm greetings on behalf of the
re-elected Chair of the Canadian Group of the Association, the Hon. Claudette
Tardif. Senator Rivest noted that the France-Canada Senatorial Group is
particularly active. He added that the two countries have the same perception
of the major international issues, as they were founded on similar principles
of civilization and humanity.
According to Canadian Ambassador Marc Lortie,
the 60th anniversary of the group is something to be celebrated. He pointed out
that 2012 will mark the 95th anniversary of Vimy. Moving on to the negotiations
toward a Canada-European Union free-trade agreement, the Ambassador said the
deadline is approaching, and that there are still some difficulties to be
worked out. He hoped that the Association would follow the negotiations
closely. Mr. Lortie praised the concept of parliamentary diplomacy,
calling it irreplaceable in the sound management of bilateral relations, in
opening up new avenues and in the resolution of difficulties.
1.France and Canada and the challenges of « living
together » in intercultural societies (La France et le Canada face aux défis du « Vivre
ensemble » dans les sociétés interculturelles)
The first debate was led
by François d’Alançon, a journalist with the daily La Croix.
a)School: success,
equal opportunity, diversity
Senator Jacques Legendre (UMP-Nord), Vice-Chair
of the Senate Cultural Affairs Committee, presented the findings of the
Committee’s fact-finding mission that he led to Canada on April 2, 2010, and
whose results were presented in a report published in December of the same year
entitled: De l’éducation au jeu vidéo, pourquoi le Canada est-il parmi les
premiers de classe? (“From education to video games, why is Canada
among the leaders?”) The mission visited educational institutions in three
Canadian provinces: Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia and a number of
cities. The mission’s objective was twofold: 1) to explore Canadian initiatives
in remedial education; and 2) to examine the factors underlying the remarkable
adjustment to new technologies in the cultural industries sector. Senator
Legendre’s presentation focused on the first point.
In its conclusions, the senatorial delegation
said it was impressed by the results that stem from Canada's proactive
political and pragmatic approach to education. Faced with the challenges of
multiculturalism and multilingualism, and children with educational
difficulties, Canada nonetheless comes second in solving these issues according
to an OECD study, providing a number of Asian countries are excluded. While
recognizing that there is a taboo in France in this area, Canada, for instance,
identifies the origins of the students in difficulty - Francophone, aboriginal,
immigrants, rural - and tailors its educational actions to suit the students.
Moreover, Canada spends a higher proportion of its GDP (6.5 % and 11.8 % of its
public spending) than France does (6 % and 10.6 % of its public spending). The
delegation also noted that in British Columbia, for instance, promoting the
virtues of multiculturalism among the students has contributed to a lower
number of school dropouts. Early school leaving is a real problem, particularly
in Quebec and among boys, but it is often nothing more than a pause between two
periods of study, and the government of Quebec has taken a number of remedial
actions to resolve this problem. For its part, Ontario has developed a network
of model schools for children from poor environments. Schools provide resources
for parents to help them raise their children: daycare centres, nutrition and
physical exercise, learning of the official languages, first aid and so forth.
In conclusion, the Canadian model for educational achievement is based on
rapidly identifying children in difficulty, involving families closely with
education, the serious contribution of school officials and teachers, regular
meetings between teachers and parents, a comprehensive child-centered approach
for schoolwork, extracurricular activities, health, nutrition and so on, rapid
detection and treatment of eyesight and hearing problems and poor nutrition,
pragmatism and sharing of best practices.
Professor Michel Janosz
at the Université de Montréal presented the findings of the study entitled “La
stratégie d’intervention – Agir autrement (SIAA 2002-2008)” (intervention
strategies - acting differently”). The purpose of the study was to
establish methods of overcoming the gaps between students from poor areas and
those who were more fortunate. The study enabled the government of Quebec to
earmark $25 million over five years starting in 2008 for improving school
results at the secondary level, targeting 30,000 students, 4000 staff members
and 70 schools. The life experiences in poor areas are complicated and tied in
with factors such as the student’s life at school (subject failure, lateness,
low motivation); personal and interpersonal factors (high-risk lifestyle, drug
addiction; difficult relationships with peers and adults, violence); family (parents’
low level of schooling, poverty, poor perception of the usefulness of school,
isolation, limited guidance for children); social factors (lack of guidance for
young people in the community, little known or little used services); and
finally school itself (staff mobility, school climate, management of learning
and behavior, collaboration between the school, the family and the community).
These problems are exacerbated by the distance to schools, the environment
where the student lives and lifestyle. Three years after the program was
implemented, Mr. Janosz feels that the climate in schools has improved in
places where the strategy was followed, truancy and violence at school have
decreased, and support for students in difficulty has increased. Delinquency,
truancy and drug use has also decreased. On the other hand, educational
practices have not changed. The programs had no effect on learning and
motivation. The program failed where it was implemented too rashly, where
schools did not have the anticipated support, where the objectives were made
wider, where experts were not available, and where staff turnaround was high.
Professor Janosz insisted that it was not a question of throwing more money at
the problem. According to the educational expert, only optimal (but difficult)
coordination between the Ministry of Education, school boards, school
officials, the community, teachers, parents and students will ensure the
program’s success.
b)Social housing and diversity
Senator Cléach (UMP-
Sarthe) gave a presentation on the subject. After giving an overview of the
French real estate sector, which has tripled in size since the end of World War
II, he estimated that 3 million French people are poorly accommodated and
30,000 have no fixed address. The French spend about 30% of their income on
accommodation. The concept of social housing developed in Europe after 1945 to
fight against the shortage of housing and it was intended for middle-income
households. Today, in view of the general level of salaries and the income
ceilings set in order to be considered for social housing, nearly 80% of the
French population can claim to be entitled to social housing. Between 1995 and
2010, Senator Cléach chaired the OPAC Sarthe Habitat through the department’s
council, and he noted that 58% of renter households have a monthly income of
less than 1,150 euros. Despite what one hears, the proportion of wealthy people
with accommodation in HLMs is very small, and social housing does fulfill its
goal of providing housing for the less fortunate. The Senator noted that
private sector contributions go to house many disadvantaged citizens. In this
regard, he noted that social housing in restored heritage buildings, whether
public or private, are equivalent, and said that efforts must continue in order
to integrate measures designed to save energy and reduce CO2
emissions into renovation projects. Another objective for the social housing of
the future is social diversity, but the cost of land (which is dependent on its
location) determines price levels and is an insurmountable obstacle to reaching
this goal. He added that with mounting immigration and urbanization, city
suburbs have become separate communities, with their own rules. Unemployment
has led to widespread non-payment of rent, and the owners therefore have fewer
resources with which to improve the buildings. Renters have fled from public
housing projects, abandoning housing where criminal gangs are present and the
crime rate is increasing. This is why the goal of social diversity in housing
has failed. Citing a recent report, Senator Cléach wondered whether this is
because diversity implies a certain agreement on morals, a certain level of
education, a sense of moderation and responsibility, and these are rare virtues
today; social housing cannot be asked to perform miracles, nor has it. But
we must keep our sense of proportion, because the problem suburbs are only one
part of society's real estate assets and the HLM movement has had remarkable
success in some areas of France. For instance, unlike the private sector, the
HLM movements have enhanced their mission, including important social
assistance and mediation activities, which lead to social stability. In
conclusion, not only has social diversity not been achieved, the term itself is
no longer even used.
c)The city: shared space or a sense of
disconnectedness?
Seine St-Denis Senator Claude Dilain (Socialist
Party, Seine St-Denis), former Mayor of Clichy-sous-Bois, painted a rather
bleak portrait of this recent enclave, a city where 30,000 people live, the
poorest in the department (60% of the residents live under the poverty line),
and where there are few businesses. Private condominiums are one cause of
problems. There are very few social housing units in Clichy-sous-Bois. The
abstention rate in elections is more than 70% and anti-education, anti-police
and anti-institutional statements are common. It is a refuge for religious
identity and there is no will to offer reasonable accommodation.
For her part, Anie
Samson, Mayor of the St-Michel district on the island of Montreal, which covers
the areas of Villeray, St-Michel and Parc Extension, described the areas as
three worlds apart. The Mayor pointed out some of the problems in this densely
populated urban territory of 150,000 inhabitants, half of whom are under the
age of 30, and which is inhabited by 100 cultural communities, the
largest one made up of people originally from the Maghreb. The district is
aging and community associations and movements are thriving. In the past, problems
with integration, early school leaving and street gangs were characteristic of
this area, but 10 years of efforts made by the municipal authorities,
community associations and the police have resulted in a drop in the crime rate
and delinquency. Emphasis is placed on prevention rather than repression
through community outreach and policing. For instance, the police are often
coaches for sports teams and they view this as an opportunity to discuss issues
with young people. The district looks for ways to occupy young people and to
help the communities mingle. An open conflict between those from the Maghreb
and from Italy, for instance, was resolved by calling one of the streets
“little Maghreb”. Over the years, a higher electoral turnout has been noted in
the various ethno-cultural communities.
d)Guaranteeing security - two field experiences
Jean-Pierre Blazy, Mayor of Gonesse, a former
deputy (Socialist Party – Val d’Oise), described his commune, which was similar
to Clichy-sous-Bois from a number of viewpoints. As Mayor, he worked closely
with the police and his goal was to reduce the number of school dropouts. He
feels that the debate over security in France has been manipulated by the
politicians. In his view, there is a need for a greater consensus in the political
class between security policies that are either too lax or too stringent.
Since the 2007 law on security came into effect, legislative inflation has
occurred. The Mayor has become a virtual guide on whom it is all too easy to
rely. Mr. Blazy feels that the French police are too reactive and should
be more proactive. The local police are under the authority of the
municipalities. Video surveillance is increasing but, according to
Mr. Blazy, police and teachers cannot be replaced by cameras. Judicialization
is excessive, he feels. In conclusion, what must be done is to balance
prevention and repression, prevent young people from dropping out of school,
take action on health and poverty and balance individual and collective rights.
Canadian Senator Claude Carignan recently held
the position of Mayor of St-Eustache, a suburb northwest of Montreal. Senator
Carignan proposed four solutions to the problems of community security:
1) consultation and coordination with all those involved; 2) making
each and every resident accountable; 3) continuity in action, whether it
be prevention or repression; and 4) leadership by elected officials at all
levels (municipal, provincial and federal). St-Eustache is a municipality with
45,000 inhabitants, made up essentially of families and where there are few
immigrants. He gave an example of a type of public intervention that was
successful in his municipality. Old St-Eustache went through a period of
vandalism by young people, the homeless and the unemployed. The city proposed a
project that involved painting 15 houses over a three-year period. The result:
the vandalism stopped. Another initiative was to identify security issues and
consult with citizens on their perception of crime, only to realize that
certain behavior (clothing, vandalism, graffiti, and so on) was worrying to
people, and that a number of incidents had not been reported. According to the
former Mayor, all municipal programs, such as urban planning, public works and
recreation must take the security issue into account. For instance, with regard
to recreation, the municipality set up a program where team sports would be
free of charge. It established a “crime observatory” to identify and reference
criminal acts in the municipality. Finally, the Senator mentioned that the
Conservative Party of Canada, which he represents in the Senate, has introduced
Bill C-10, which contains a number of legislative measures to promote security.
The discussion took place on this wide range of
subjects among all those present. Senator Dilain explained that in 2005 in
Clichy-sous-Bois there were no police stations and no police. The state was
entirely absent. Mayor Samson stressed the need for political people to be
present in the field. Senator Carignan suggested that staff be reassigned, for
instance, by replacing one policeman by three street outreach workers. A number
of those present highlighted the lack of assistance available for dealing with
these problems, which result in social and economic ghettoization.
2.Lunch debate on issues in the free trade
agreement between Canada and the European Union
The friendship group held a lunch debate in the
Senate on issues in the free-trade agreement between Canada and the European
Union. Nearly 100 people were invited to this event including many French
parliamentarians, Quebec's Delegate General, the President of the France-Canada
Chamber of Commerce, senior officials and business people. Senator Cléach and
Ambassador Lortie introduced the subject and presented Philipp Dupuis, assistant
negotiator for the European Commission. Senator Cléach pointed out that the
agreement under negotiation is of considerable importance for French and
Canadian businesses that need to be able to strengthen their exports by winning
new markets. The agreement raises some concerns, such as the treatment of
cultural property in French, the recognition of protected geographical
indications, and the consideration of the specific circumstances of the two
countries and territories, including St-Pierre-and-Miquelon.
Mr. Dupuis presented an overview of the
negotiations and gave an up-to-date report on the progress made. He delivered a
constructive message about the benefits of the agreement for Europe. He said
that Canada and the countries of the EU share a history, relations and economic
interests. Canada has a GDP that is higher than the European average and is
very rich in resources. The potential for the development of trade is
considerable. Canada is the fourth largest foreign investor in Europe and the
EU is the second largest investor in Canada. The figures for bilateral trade
would be five times higher if branch office sales were considered. Studies of
the economic impact of the potential agreement forecast a €20 billion increase
in the EU's GDP, and an increase of 25% in European exports. The idea of a free
trade agreement emerged in 2007 following a joint study which showed its
potential in terms of public procurement and intellectual property. The
European Union is seeking access to federal and provincial government
procurement contracts, services and investments. It wants to protect registered
designations and reduce customs duties on certain items (dairy products and
processed agricultural products, for example). Canada is looking to the EU to
diversify its export markets, to export its services industries, to access the
agricultural market, and to increase professional mobility and the mutual
recognition of professional credentials. In answer to a question from the
audience, Mr. Dupuis confirmed that the EU will not ask for Quebec's
Société des alcools du Québec or Ontario's LCBO to be dismantled.
After two years of negotiations, the parties
have completed nine rounds and have entered the final phase. The target for the
agreement to be signed has now been set for mid-2012. The work on the legal
text is quite far along and the current difficulty is harmonizing rules of
origin, which are more rigorous in Canada. Market access on both sides has
opened up impressively, but a few difficulties remain. Mr. Dupuis provided
reassurances to the audience in terms of cultural services: cultural diversity
is not in question and cultural subsidies will not be affected, cultural
content and property will be respected. Negotiations are ongoing with regard to
geographical indications for products such as wine, cheese and deli meats.
Audience members asked Mr. Dupuis questions about certain aspects of the
agreement.
3.France and Canada: joint military intervention:
why? how? The cases of Afghanistan and Libya
The afternoon debate dealt with the theme of
France and Canada: joint military interventions: why and how? The cases of
Afghanistan and Libya. For this occasion, a group of senior officials from the
French and Canadian Armed Forces, as well as experts from the two countries,
had been invited to take part in this discussion.
Susan Sachs, a journalist
with the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail, led the debate.
a)Intervening: is it legitimate? Is it a question
of interest or principle? Real politick or responsibility to protect?
Former Canadian diplomat Jeremy Kinsman, a
professor at the University of Berkeley in California discussed the new
international concept: our “responsibility to protect”. Prof. Kinsman
defended Canada's foreign policy in Afghanistan and Libya. He noted his
satisfaction with the bilateral military cooperation between the two countries,
a new field of action. He noted that Ottawa and Paris mirrored each other in
military cooperation, with the aim of transforming military strategies and
methods. The interventions in Afghanistan and in Libya constituted two
precedents under Article 5 of the Charter of the United Nations, and rests on a
new doctrine cited by France, the “responsibility to respond“. The intervention
by the Coalition in Libya was a success. Was it a matter of protecting
civilians and their cause? Was it a matter of safeguarding democracy? Was the
intervention a distortion of the humanitarian role? These questions were asked
because Libyan society was a particular case: that of a civilian population
threatened directly with mass murder by the dictatorial regime in place and its
army, the lack of civilian organizations, and the inability of the forces to
stop the uprising are some of the specific elements that the Coalition had to
consider in taking its action. After Kosovo, after Rwanda, experience has shown
that non-interference is no longer acceptable, which led to some proactive
measures, the need to convince countries that were reluctant to act and of the
rightness of the interventions on a case-by-case basis. In this regard, US
President Barak Obama’s strategy to leave the United Kingdom, France and Canada
some room to maneuver was decisive in terms of the operation’s success. In the
future, the international interest of Canada and France will be consistent, and
based on respect for human rights.
Patrice Paoli, Director,
Northern Africa and the Middle East, French Department of Foreign Affairs,
confirmed that Canada and France shared a common standpoint on Libya. He went
into detail about the notion of the right and duty to intervene. The occupation
of Kuwait by Iraq gave rise to this concept in 2005. If a country refuses to
protect its civilian population, the international community, through the
Security Council, has the right and the duty to intervene. Mr. Paoli
suggested that the Western world is in no position to preach: what it can do is
help build democracy and stability through partnerships. The situations in
Syria and Yemen constitutes special cases that prevent Coalition action as in Libya,
primarily because of the veto by certain countries in the Security Council, but
sanctions have been taken against these countries by the Arab League, the UN
Human Rights Commission and the Council of the European Union, and other
alternatives are being considered such as sending in observers or a United
Nations special rapporteur. There are still thorny issues about the Libyan
conflict: What are we prepared to do to improve future governance, and how can
we build a foundation for democracy in a country that has no tradition of civil
society participation?
b)Libya - Coalition action
Vice-Admiral Denis Rouleau, Canada's military
representative to NATO, Colonel T. Aiguebelle, Colonel A. Michel and
Captain Rey, all of whom are French, gave presentations on the military
cooperation between Canada and France during the operation in Libya. Vice Adm.
Rouleau explained that the backbone of the operation was NATO, the military
organization which, after the Cold War, now defends values such as democracy,
the rule of law, liberty and the responsibility to protect a country's
citizens. NATO's action resides in "hard power" and "soft
power". In Libya, hard power was applied, but the Vice Admiral explained
that Libya is not a model for future interventions. Collateral damage was
minimal and authorized strikes intentionally kept away from protected areas
such as sewers, buildings, infrastructures and airports.
For his part, Col. Michel
focused his presentation on the Coalition's aerial response, which was based on
shared political, military, strategic and operational objectives. A number of
conditions of success were met: 1) mobility capacities, knowledge of the
terrain and anticipatory capability; 2) interoperability in supply, in
positive identification of targets, in rules of engagement and in estimates of
collateral damage identification; and 3) confidentiality, through
encrypted channels. Captain Rey explained the specific role of the frigate Le
Forbin off the coast of Libya in defending the cities of Benghazi and Misurata.
Colonel Aiguebelle provided details of the air operations - 40 missions, 320
sorties, 430 missiles, 13,500 shells, 1550 rockets, 600 targets destroyed,
and never was there any collateral damage among civilians. He also discussed
NATO's audio messages and leaflets intended for Khadafi’s troops.
c)Afghanistan, the experience of a field commander
Colonel B. Gardy, former commanding officer
7th Alpine Troops Battalion, gave evidence of his recent personal
experience in Afghanistan. After 10 months of preparation, the battalion of 800
French troops that he led spent six months in operations in Afghanistan, in the
zone devolved to France in eastern Afghanistan. It was a difficult experience
in the field and there were daily battles. The overall strategy was to weaken
the insurgency, but aimed primarily at protecting the civilian population and
conduct development activities rather than destruction. He pointed out that
there was a local character to the fight against the insurgency: the insurgents
were mixed in with the civilian population and found refuge when necessary in
the villages or in the mountains close by. In Afghanistan it is normal to carry
a weapon. It had never been possible for the British, for the Soviets or for
the NATO Coalition to conquer the operational area for which he was
responsible. The insurrection was nourished by poverty and illiteracy. The
civilians were sitting on the fence, waiting to see which side would turn out
to be the stronger. According to Colonel Gardy, the situation is evolving,
slowly but surely. Ultimately, the solution will be political, not military. At
the present time, the main obstacle for the NATO Coalition is the shortage of
time, with the announced troop withdrawal scheduled for 2014. The colonel
mentioned the soldiers’ courage, for the risks are very real. Two soldiers died
during the mission, four have been severely paralyzed, and a number suffer from
psychological injuries. But he added that the soldiers knew before the left
that they were volunteers, they were passionate, they believed in their
mission, as though they were defending the people of France.
The various presentations were followed by a
question period.
The seminar on Canada-France cooperation in
Libya and in Afghanistan concluded with agreement on the issue of protecting
civilians during military operations, recognition of the importance of the
Coalition action that allowed for optimal exploitation of the specific
strengths of each of the partners. In the case of Libya specifically, the
experience was such a positive one that it strengthened collaboration between
the two countries.
5.Wreath-laying and lighting the flame
Senator Rivest and Senator Joyal accompanied a
delegation of French parliamentarians, including Senator Marcel-Pierre Cléach
and Deputy Georges Colombier, and veterans to the Arc de Triomphe, for a
wreath-laying and lighting the flame ceremony, as part of the Remembrance Week
activities and on behalf of the Canada–France Interparliamentary Association.
6.Conclusion
The seminar was a resounding success both with
regard to the participation of parliamentarians and other speakers and to the
level of quality of the statements by the various speakers. A true exchange of
information at the highest level took place on bilateral cooperation, and
military, economic and social issues, confirming the excellent relationship
between Canada and France.
Respectfully
submitted,
The Honourable Claudette Tardif, Senator
President,
Canada-France Interparliamentary Association