Official Languages Committee on March 12th, 2009

[Greg Allain]

First, we represent unions of academic staff members at universities and colleges in three provinces. We handle union issues first and foremost. However, we also take a position on certain subjects, and we do lobbying, for example, on the chronic under-funding of universities and sharply rising tuition fees as a result of university under-funding. We don't intervene locally if two universities are competing over student recruitment.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau.

With that, on behalf of committee members, I would like to thank our witnesses for your diversity of ideas, for your vast knowledge of the subject and for your written recommendations, which will be very useful. While you are leaving, the committee has to debate a motion. You will have the opportunity to read our report once it is made public. We'll continue to work hard.

Mr. Godin, are you ready to introduce your motion?

While Mr. Godin prepares to read us his motion, we will distribute the Air Canada correspondence we received.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. If we have to conduct a major debate, it doesn't bother me if we continue studying my motion at the next meeting. I don't know whether committee members were sitting when it arrived. The motion reads as follows:

That the Standing Committee on Official Languages express its opposition to the decision of removing the form to comment on services offered in both official languages from airplane seat pockets, and ask Air Canada to provide in writing the reasons for its decision and to reverse this decision immediately.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Godin, I find your motion interesting. We're going to go around to the political parties to see how the motion is received. If we agree, given the time allotted to us, we can settle this today. If necessary, we can postpone it. Without further ado, I—

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I'd like to explain the reasons for my motion.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I thought you had finished.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

No, you asked me to read the motion, which I did. I haven't finished.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

With all due respect, you must have known that Mr. Godin hadn't finished!

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I must say that isn't a point of order.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Mr. Chairman, the entire matter of this card that was placed in the seat pockets of Air Canada aircraft started a debate. I don't remember whether our analyst, Mr. Paré, was here at the time, but this has been going on for quite a long time. It was the hobby horse of our colleague Benoît Sauvageau, who is no longer with us. I remember that Air Canada said it wasn't receiving a large number of complaints, but we knew that there were problems.

When you take a plane between Ottawa and Montreal and there's no service in French, you know there's a serious problem. When someone requests a can of 7UP and police officers wait for him when he comes off the plane, you see there is a serious problem. We all remember that affair. I took a plane from Ottawa to London, and the service wasn't..

The card was in the plane. It had been put there in response to recommendations by this committee. Mr. Sauvageau had had his own card made up because Air Canada said it was too expensive. He had it made up and showed them what it cost. It wasn't that expensive. Ultimately, they decided to put them in.

Today, they prefer to remove the card and to put it in the enRoute magazine. The Commissioner of Official Languages, I believe, wasn't entirely familiar with the matter when he came here a week or two ago, but he said that, if there was one organization that he had received a lot of complaints about, it was indeed Air Canada. How is it that Air Canada, which receives these complaints, now wants to remove its comment cards? I find it unacceptable. Mr. Chairman, I ask my colleagues that the committee send a letter to Air Canada saying that we do not agree and that the card should be left in the aircraft. When people pick up the card—

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I'd like some clarification. Before the card was placed in the aircraft for the first time, was it in the magazine? There was nothing.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

No, there was nothing in the magazine. They inserted it in a little place, a little corner, a little page somewhere, on page 40 of 50, something like that. In any case, they said they were respecting official languages.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

That's fine.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

If the card is in the enRoute magazine, will people have to tear out the page every time they take the plane? Come on! The card is there if you want to file a complaint; it's there if you don't want it. It stays there. No one's forced to do anything, but that affords the opportunity to do so. Air Canada is governed by the Official Languages Act. It's the law. Its representatives always say that other airlines don't have the same obligations, but it must be borne in mind that, when Air Canada was bought, they bought the whole package. The official languages had to be respected.

I believe I've said enough. I would like to hear from my colleagues.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

That's fine.

My list shows the following names: Mr. D'Amours, Ms. Boucher, Ms. Gallant and Mr. Chong. There are four speakers. We're clearing off the list. If we can't, we'll adjourn and continue at the next meeting.

Mr. D'Amours, go ahead please.

[Jean-Claude D'Amours, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Mr. Chairman, I'll be brief. We're in favour of Mr. Godin's motion.

We've received a brief note, which probably comes from Air Canada. If it thinks it appropriate to add a note in enRoute magazine, in addition to the card in the pocket, that its business. That will be even further evidence of its desire to improve the situation, but I believe the card in the pocket should not be eliminated. I also encourage Air Canada to take action, to include the comment card in enRoute magazine. That will double its visibility. Not everyone necessarily takes the time to read enRoute.

When you take the plane, you're often asked to pick up the little book, the security guide. When you pick that little book up, you can also pick up the comment card concerning official languages. It's much easier for passengers to be aware that they can file a complaint than if the complaint form is merely inserted in the enRoute magazine. People may also think that employees will make a bigger effort with regard to official languages if they also have to put the cards back in the pockets when they're no longer there. If they're in the magazine, they don't need to do that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I have a list of speakers, and it's 11 o'clock. Unfortunately, I'm going to have to stick to my list. It shows Mr. Chong, Ms. Boucher, Ms. Glover—

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I pass.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

That's fine.

We'll move on to Mr. Chong or Ms. Glover? I'm going to listen to the parliamentary secretary, then we'll see whether it's necessary to extend the discussion.

Ms. Glover, please go ahead.

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

I'm going to use my Canadian right to speak English, just to make sure we have a bilingual aspect, as Mr. Gaudet wants.

I am pleased to see your motion, Monsieur Godin. It's an important issue that we really have to look at, and I appreciate the history. When you explained the history of it to us new people, it really made a lot of sense. So I thank you for that and encourage you to continue to share the history of some of the decisions that have been made, because I find it very useful.

I am hesitant about a couple of the words in the motion. I'm a believer in getting the information first and making conclusions later, and most people seemed to be in agreement when we had other motions as well. So my recommendation is that we amend the motion to replace the words

“its opposition” in the first line, which reads as follows:

That the Standing Committee on Official Languages express its opposition [...]

I suggest that we replace the words “its opposition” with “its concern” so that the motion is less negative.

The sentence continues as follows:

[...] to the decision of removing the form to comment on services offered in both official languages from airplane seat pockets, and ask Air Canada to provide in writing the reasons for its decision and to reverse this decision immediately.

I suggest that we delete the words “and to reverse this decision immediately”. However, before removing those words, I would like to give Air Canada the opportunity to explain to us why it has done this. Then we can say what we think.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Would you replace the words “and to reverse this decision immediately” with something else?

[Shelly Glover, Conservative, Saint Boniface, MB]

We delete those words.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

All right. Your amendment proposes that the motion end as follows: “to provide in writing the reasons for its decision”.

I'll go to the mover. There is Mrs. Zarac. Then, if necessary, we can adjourn and come back to adopt the motion.

Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I know Air Canada. I've sat on this committee since 1998, and I know the background to this issue. Air Canada completely lacks respect for official languages. It does not comply with the act. I would be prepared to accept that amendment, provided we set a time limit for Air Canada's response. It cannot respond in six months. We want an answer before the start of the next session.

Air Canada representatives are already interested because they heard me talk about this subject last week. They have already telephoned me to determine my concerns. And they're listening to us right now.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Do we want a deadline of 60 days, 30 days, two weeks, one week?