Evidence of meeting #35 for Official Languages in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was rcmp.
A recording is available from Parliament.
9:05 a.m.
A/Commr Daniel Dubeau
Yes, sir.
I will yield the floor to Mr. Cogan, who is responsible for communications.
9:05 a.m.
Superintendent Tim Cogan Acting Director General, National Communication Services, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The decision was a faulty decision. It was an error in judgment. Mr. Shields is very aware of his responsibilities to comply with the Official Languages Act.
9:05 a.m.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Mr. Cogan, does your colleague, Mr. Shields, know that, since his position relates to communications, he could find himself in a situation where he has to communicate in French with Franco-Columbians, or has to respond to a request for services in French in British Columbia? Does his job description include this requirement? If not, was he hired without even knowing that he had this obligation?
9:05 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
I think that he clearly knows about this requirement. Our policy on communications is very clear with regard to the obligation to comply with the requirements set out in the Official Languages Act. It's clear. Over the last few years, we have held several conversations on the importance of acting in compliance with the law.
9:05 a.m.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Several conversations have been held over the last few years, yet he still did what he did!
9:05 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
As I already said, he made a mistake.
How should I say this? It was a lack of good judgment.
9:05 a.m.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
What is the solution to this problem? Is Mr. Shields still in charge of communications within your organization?
9:05 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
Yes.
And his error was clearly discussed, and he has a clear understanding of his responsibilities.
9:05 a.m.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
What of the issue involving French and English translation? Are you going to use another search engine? I assume that Mr. Shields doesn't speak much French.
9:05 a.m.
A/Commr Daniel Dubeau
Yes, we are currently implementing a system for translating documents in British Columbia. As I already said, PWGSC translators from the rest of the country will help out. That's very clear. Yesterday, the commanding officer clearly stated that documents will comply with the law; in other words, they will be available in both languages.
9:05 a.m.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Are there any people in your communications organization who are able to speak French?
9:05 a.m.
A/Commr Daniel Dubeau
Yes.
Tim, could you continue?
9:05 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
Are you talking about British Columbia?
9:05 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
Actually, our main spokesperson for French communications in British Columbia is Annie Linteau. She is perfectly bilingual. Mr. Shields understands French well, but he's less comfortable with oral communication. He is probably able to communicate.
9:05 a.m.
Conservative
9:05 a.m.
NDP
Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON
Good morning and thank you for coming.
Having learned this morning about the comments made by your spokesperson, Tim Shields, to The Canadian Press, I must say that it is sad to hear the RCMP proclaiming that the new measures will pose a threat to official languages. Had you done your job from the beginning, we wouldn't be in this mess now. The RCMP making such statements runs counter to the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act.
Last Monday, the RCMP commissioner, William Elliott, held an information session on the RCMP for the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security and did not mention official languages. My colleague, Yvon Godin, as Mr. Nadeau said, asked the commissioner of official languages to launch an investigation on the issue we're discussing today. I thank him for his efforts. I trust you to do your utmost to rectify the situation quickly.
At first, the problem was limited to the use of Google Translate by the RCMP in British Columbia. However, we're now realizing that the issue goes beyond the translation of news releases. We have noticed that, on the RCMP's website, there is English content on French pages and there are unilingual videos. The agency's Facebook page and Twitter account are unilingual as well. We should also look into the RCMP's website for Alberta because it's not much better. The content in the two languages is not balanced. Commissioner William Elliott sits on the Interdepartmental Committee on Security and Intelligence, which is comprised of deputy ministers.
Do you know whether he has discussed official languages with his counterparts in the past? Have you had to prepare documents on official languages for his committee meetings?
9:10 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
Not personally, no.
9:10 a.m.
A/Commr Daniel Dubeau
What about you, Ms. Ferreira?
9:10 a.m.
Director of Official Languages, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
We have prepared a few comments for the commissioner in the past. However, we were never called in to speak about subjects related to official languages compliance.
9:10 a.m.
A/Commr Daniel Dubeau
With regard to comments and opinions expressed in the media, the RCMP's position is very simple: we must comply 100% with the Official Languages Act.
The CO has made that commitment: 100% compliance. The commanding officer of that division has made it 100% compliance, and that's where we're going.
Unfortunately, that article does not reflect the opinion of the RCMP.
We don't have any policies. We will comply fully with the Official Languages Act.
9:10 a.m.
NDP
9:10 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
This latest round of discussions took place yesterday. But this requirement and this policy have been in our books for a long time—years. We've been working towards 100% compliance in all jurisdictions across the country with respect to the materials that appear on our website, and we continue to work towards that goal. We have had challenges in certain jurisdictions, and in this particular case those challenges came to a head yesterday, in very frank discussions.
The CO clearly indicated to his staff that 100% compliance was the only acceptable measure, and that will be the standard henceforth.
9:10 a.m.
NDP
Claude Gravelle NDP Nickel Belt, ON
If I understood correctly, full compliance with bilingualism requirements has been your policy for a long time, whereas compliance with the act only became the standard yesterday.
9:10 a.m.
Supt Tim Cogan
No. It has been in our books for a long time. Our policies are clear, and they're there to be followed.
