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THE GOVERNMENT OF ONTARIO
represented by the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs
and the Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
and Minister Responsible for Democratic Renewal
(hereinafter called « Ontario »)

AND

THE GOUVERNEMENT DU QUÉBEC
represented by the ministre responsable des Affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes, de la Francophonie canadienne, de l'Accord sur le commerce intérieur, de la Réforme des institutions démocratiques et de l'Accès à l'information
(hereinafter called « Québec »)

Hereinafter called « the Parties »

WHEREAS the Premiers of Québec and Ontario have signed a Cooperation Protocol expressing in particular the interest of their two provinces in promoting the development of the French fact and increasing exchanges with respect to Francophone affairs;

WHEREAS Québec and Ontario wish to create ties for cooperation to promote the development and vitality of the French language and culture;

WHEREAS Québec and Ontario are determined to see this desire for cooperation translated into concrete actions in the areas of culture, education, early childhood, health, and any other area deemed to be relevant by the Parties;

WHEREAS in the context of the Ontario-Québec Cooperation Protocol, the Parties wish to acknowledge their important historic relationship and recognize that a new era of cooperation can contribute to improved public services in both provinces, thereby building a higher quality of life for their citizens,

THE PARTIES AGREE AS FOLLOWS :

Title I: CULTURE

They will collaborate together to promote the knowledge and the development of their culture including their heritage.

They will share information and expertise with respect to cultural programs and policies on francophones according to the directions contained in the action plan.

They will jointly study areas of interest in which they wish to identify common priorities and projects with the potential to promote the development of the Francophone culture including the Québec and Ontario heritage.

To this end, according to section 3.0 of the Agreement for Cooperation on Culture, they have agreed to create a Working Group on Francophone Culture, which will report to the Culture Standing Committee.

The mandate of the Working Group is to:

1. Identify the priorities, initiatives and key joint issues shared by Québec and Ontario with regard to culture, as well as opportunities for linkages and synergies that are relevant for Francophones;
2. Compile a list of short-term and longer-term priorities focusing on francophone culture and cultural communities in both provinces;
3. Develop an action plan to be included as part of the Culture Standing Committee's action plan as mentioned in section 2.2 of the Agreement for Cooperation on Culture;
4. Coordinate, monitor and evaluate the implementation of the action plan, including cooperative activities and projects carried out under the plan.

The co-chairs of the Culture Standing Committee, after consulting with each other:

1. Will each appoint members to the Working Group on Francophone Culture, including co-chairs, drawn from ministries and organisations of both provinces, who shall be familiar with the culture of Québec, the Franco-Ontarian culture as well as their cultural communities;
2. May replace one of their representatives depending on the priorities or activities and selected projects.

Title II: EDUCATION

Section 2

They will participate jointly in projects that have been designed to address common challenges faced by both systems of French-language education, in particular, integrating culture into the curriculum and into teaching practice, maintaining high-quality educational services in remote regions, welcoming and integrating immigrant students, and the impact of a declining population.

Section 3

They will share information and expertise with respect to the recognition of course and program equivalencies in the two provinces and the school-to-work transition. Through research and adequate resources, they will promote the integration of culture into the curriculum and the development and dissemination of best practices for inculcating attitudes and expectations that promote greater use of the French language by young people.

Title III: EARLY CHILDHOOD

Section 4

Ontario will review Québec's early childhood education program to see if it can be adapted to benefit Ontario's French-language daycare centres.

Section 5

They will explore possible avenues for sharing expertise in the area of training for French-speaking child care staff.

They will share information on the decentralized management of child care services in Ontario that might be of use in Québec.

They will share knowledge on the assessment of the needs in terms of facilities and on planning for needs with respect to child care services and quality assessment of these services.

Title IV: HEALTH

Section 6

They will contribute to exchanges of information and expertise with respect to health, with a particular emphasis on terminology, training, information to citizens, and promoting careers in health among young people.

Section 7

They will promote cooperation and, if appropriate, the signing of specific agreements between institutions and the implementation of activities to stimulate ongoing exchanges between Québec and Ontario with respect to health in French.

Title V: OTHER AREAS FOR COOPERATION

Section 8

They will share information and expertise and collaborate on any other matter that is deemed to be relevant to cooperation in the area of Francophone affairs and that is in accordance with the general objectives of this Agreement.

Title VI: GENERAL PROVISIONS

Section 9

The Ministre responsable des Affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes, de la Francophonie canadienne, de l'Accord sur le commerce intérieur, de la Réforme des institutions démocratiques et de l'Accès à l'information and the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs shall meet on a regular basis to exchange and bring each other up to date on matters pertaining to Francophone affairs and to adopt the action plan in the areas contemplated in this Agreement.

Section 10

Each year, a standing commission, made up of senior public servants responsible for Canadian Francophone matters at the Secrétariat aux affaires intergouvernementales canadiennes du Québec (SAIC) and at the Office des affaires francophones de l'Ontario (OAF) will meet to make recommendations to their respective ministers with a view to adopting an action plan to implement this agreement and to evaluate the results obtained over the last year. This plan will be developed in cooperation with the persons in charge of the sectoral ministries, entrusted with the task of carrying out the activities chosen in the action plan, in Québec and in Ontario, who will be required to report jointly to the Standing Commission at least once a year.

Section 11

Recognizing that the Coordinating Committee, established under the Ontario-Québec Cooperation Protocol, will liaise with the representatives designated within the context of the specific agreements related to each of the fields of cooperation listed in sections 2.2 and 2.3, as well as in Appendix A of said Protocol, the members of the Standing Commission, designated in section 10 of this agreement, will submit, on a regular basis, progress reports as well as their updates to the Coordinating Committee prior to each of its meetings, as well as at the request of the Committee.

Section 12

To ensure the implementation of the Agreement, the members of the Standing Commission will coordinate all of the administrative operations, in collaboration with the persons in charge of the sectoral ministries concerned.

Section 13

Each year, the Parties shall, by mutual agreement and in accordance with the budget processes and policies in effect within each of the governments, determine and allocate the funds required for the application of this Agreement.

The Parties recognize that nothing in the wording of this Agreement derogates from the powers, rights or privileges of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario or the Assemblée nationale du Québec or those of the Gouvernement du Québec or the Government of Ontario, in particular powers, rights or privileges with respect to language, nor can it affect the interpretation of any legislation, regulation, by-law or order made under an Act.

Section 14

This Agreement shall go into effect when it is signed. The Parties may amend it or terminate it at any time by providing at least six months' written notice. Any provision of this Agreement may be amended by a written document that reflects the intentions of the Parties.

Section 15

The action plan, to which reference is made in Section 10 of this Agreement, shall be adopted annually and forms an integral part hereof.

EXECUTED ON ________, 2006 IN DUPLICATE, ONE IN FRENCH AND THE OTHER IN ENGLISH, BOTH VERSIONS BEING EQUALLY AUTHENTIC.

Action Plan