Dialogue Day with the English Linguistic Minority Community of Quebec

Innovation, Science and Economic Development (ISED) organizes consultations with the Official Languages Minority Communities (OLMCs) every two years as part of ISED’s Economic Development Initiative (EDI). These consultations, also known as Dialogue Days, are organized in collaboration with the Regional Development Agencies. This year ISED organized two consultations, one in Ottawa October 27-28, 2016 with the French language minority communities outside of Quebec and one in Montreal Nov 3-4, 2016 with English Linguistic Minority Communities of Quebec. ISED worked with the ISED Design Lab and other federal departments including Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC), Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) and Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) to design and facilitate a consultation that would allow participants to identify key barriers and strategic opportunities for economic development in OLMCs. Dialogue Days also provided the opportunity to share information and collect feedback on the respective federal departments’ programs and services, including the AAFC’s draft strategic framework and ESDC’s Enabling Fund for OLMCs. These interactions were intended to reinforce relationships among OLMCs and federal institutions. The outcomes of the consultations are being used to support federal institutions to develop Canada's new multi-year action plan for official languages.