Presented By: Matt Riehl, M.S.W.

1. An Exploration of the Impact of the Cooperative Model on the Lives of Minority Francophones Living in Southern Ontario Presented By: Matt Riehl, M.S.W.

2. Outline Purpose • To outline the context of the language shift and assimilation process of Francophones outside of Quebec and explore whether this process can be reversed • To explore how the cooperative model of economic development influences the lives of Franco-Ontarians including how it may impact the language shift and assimilation process Outline • History and current use of the French language outside of Quebec • Reasons for the language shift outside of Quebec • Benefits of cooperatives for Franco-Ontarians • Language assimilation and cooperatives • Challenges for Franco-Ontarian cooperatives • Recommendations for future success of Franco-Ontarian cooperatives

3. French Language Shift and Assimilation • Francophone population outside of Quebec has been decreasing for years and is currently 4.4% of the total population • Use of the French language outside of Quebec has declined for the last 50 years • For majority members (Anglophone), second language acquisition is additive • For minority members (Francophone), second language acquisition is subtractive in that it threatens the continuation of the use of their mother tongue

4. Reasons for Language Shift Outside of Quebec • Language transmission at home/ intermarriage between Francophones and Anglophones • Low birth rates among French-Canadian women • Geographic isolation and low demographic concentrations of Francophones

5. Benefits of Cooperatives within the Franco-Ontarian Context (according to research participants) • Maintain control over the economy • Provide education to adults in many areas • Provide employment opportunities within members own communities • Promote social cohesion • Provides opportunities to reinvest in the communities • Unites people of all socio-economic statuses • Provide needed services such as health care

6. Language Assimilation and Cooperatives (according to research participants) Cooperatives reversing assimilation • Cooperatives increase the economic vitality of Francophones • Cooperatives allow Francophones to provide services in French • Cooperatives provide more contexts for the French language to be used Cooperatives facilitating assimilation • Cooperatives with declining membership are offering bilingual services • Cooperatives that provide bilingual services do not support use of the French language and consistently offer their services in English first

7. Challenges of Franco-Ontarian Cooperatives (according to research participants) • Emergence of bilingual cooperatives • Service gap in for-profit sector no longer exists • Franco-Ontarian population is decreasing • Education of cooperative members, as well as general public, is lagging • Management by business school graduates leaves social goals of cooperatives unmet

8. Recommendations for Franco-Ontarian Cooperatives (according to research participants) • Cooperatives must foster leadership within the Franco-Ontarian movement • Cooperatives must provide a diversity of services and be flexible in service delivery • Cooperatives should be inclusive and could benefit by recruiting French speaking immigrants • Cooperatives should allocate 1% of their budgets for education of their members and the public • Cooperatives must balance meeting both their social and economic goals • Cooperatives should recruit and engage new segments of the population including seniors, and young adults