Official Languages committee  We do it in the staffing process.

Official Languages committee  That's a very good question. I wasn't pleased about getting a C either. I must say I believe the commissioner's standard was higher than usual because a C corresponds to a mark of 60 to 69, whereas, for the commissioner, a C means a mark of 70 to 79. We lost the largest number of points on aspects of Part VII, and we achieved a very high level on virtually all other measures, except with regard to matters pertaining to the lack of recent plans.

Official Languages committee  I'm going to go back to the subject of official languages champions at the commission. It's not as serious as that in our case. If we take a detailed look at the figures, we realize that a lot of things work very, very well at the commission. We targeted areas where there was room for improvement, but the big loss for us is Part VII.

Official Languages committee  I'm going to answer in two ways. I'm going to answer first as the head of an organization that I'm responsible for, and then as the president of the Public Service Commission. First, as the head of an organization that I'm responsible for, I am somewhat frustrated by the individuals who I invest in with a lot of language training.

Official Languages committee  We have those figures and we can provide them to the committee.

Official Languages committee  No. That's more a question for the Commissioner of Official Languages, and that's what you can find in his report. For our part, our obligation is to staff positions, and it's the people in the departments who must determine the level of bilingualism required for a position. In the public service, in the context of the obligations involved in staffing those positions in the departments, as I said, language requirements are among the essential prerequisites for merit review, as to whether an individual meets the obligations associated with those positions.

Official Languages committee  It's a delegated system. We have staffing powers and we direct policies and regulations, but in the context of a delegated system, we also have a support service for the departments. We have a computer system and major programs. We also have a help service. In that context, I believe it is very important for the regional offices to be able to function in both languages in order to assist people in the other departments.

Official Languages committee  We have a lot of experience in that field. I can ask Donald to explain a little more because he was previously responsible for that service at the Commission. We provide our assistance to the departments at job fairs. I have a lot of meetings with people at the universities, to whom I always explain that, if people want to have a career or reach a top position in the public service, they have an obligation to become bilingual, since it is a bilingual public service.

Official Languages committee  As I said this morning, I'm going to check the details of those figures. The PSC's objective is for the public service to reflect the population of the country from the standpoint of the official languages and the representation of the designated employment equity groups. If those figures are representative of the situation, I'm concerned.

Official Languages committee  I'm going to check the figures. We'll draw a distinction between the National Capital Region and other regions of Ontario and Quebec. We'll get back to you with more information on this matter.

Official Languages committee  Yes, I am. However, in view of the kind of obligations we have when we do most of our work within the public service but promote minority community events, it's not so clear in my mind.

Official Languages committee  If that's consistent with our obligations, so much the better, because we are still in the process of doing that. In the case of the Université Sainte-Anne, Mr. Lemaire was responsible for that. We established that there were not enough qualified, bilingual people. We established the program at the Université Sainte-Anne.

Official Languages committee  There are two things. First of all, we have a deficiency, the fact that we don't have an updated plan. We are in the process of renewing the plan, and I now have a draft of it. However, I have questions on Part VII of the Official Languages Act. I had a conversation with Mr. Fraser.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Chairman, thank you for this opportunity to appear before your committee. I am here to discuss the work of the Public Service Commission under the Official Languages Act. I am accompanied this morning by Donald Lemaire, Senior Vice-President, Policy Branch, who also serves as the official languages champion at the PSC.

Foreign Affairs committee  We are just at the very start with regard to India. We have had a discussion with the people. The government has a broader strategy. Relations with the officials are an element of the strategy, but we are just at the very beginning.