Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair and honourable members of the committee, good morning. I'm appearing before your committee to present the highlights of the main estimates for my office, and to talk about a possible federal-provincial-territorial summit. Joining me today are my three assistant commissioners: Ghislaine Saikaley, Pierre Leduc and Éric Trépanier; and my general counsel, Pascale Giguère.

Official Languages committee  I think the basic problem is attributable to the fact that the specificity of a francophone minority community or an anglophone community in Quebec, for example, isn't recognized. There's a history behind that specificity, and the linguistic communities make an enormous contribution to the development of their province and society.

Official Languages committee  In my opinion, the present government doesn't clearly understand the place the Franco-Ontarian community, an official language minority community, occupies in Ontario. One need only consider the comparison that's been made between that community and the Chinese or other communities that have settled in Canada.

Official Languages committee  Yes. First, I'd say you have to understand the importance of the anglophone school boards in the development of that community. Second, I would ask ministers or prime ministers to have a frank discussion with the community on the impact of that decision. Third, I would recall that we must comply with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Official Languages committee  The only regions in Canada that have commissioners who are responsible for language issues are the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick, as well as the Northwest Territories and Nunavut. Attaching the commissioner to the Office of the Ontario Ombudsman would strip the commissioner of one of his two roles, the one associated with the promotion of French-language services, in which he conducts studies and investigations.

Official Languages committee  I think the linguistic minorities component should definitely be part of the Official Languages Act. As for the broader rights, I'll let the legal experts and parliamentarians decide.

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  Yes, that's correct. We also have our annual report in May.

Official Languages committee  My short answer is that it's an excellent idea.

Official Languages committee  I'm going to our consult general counsel on that matter.

Official Languages committee  The administrative tribunal concept came up frequently in our consultations. Generally speaking, one of the benefits of an administrative tribunal is that it's a much faster and less costly remedy than going to court, although that's not always the case, particularly with regard to speed.

Official Languages committee  Yes. We can suggest other mechanisms to ensure compliance, such as monetary administrative penalties and binding agreements that we call transactions. Those agreements include a timeline, and there are consequences where they are not complied with. Most of the time, federal bodies comply with the commissioner's recommendations, but, ultimately, that doesn't necessarily alter behaviour.

Official Languages committee  We are currently developing the document. We'll be meeting with the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on Monday to outline its main principles, and then we'll present the recommendations that follow from those principles. We're still thinking. We're watching what's happening.

Official Languages committee  Right now, I'm not necessarily aware of the negotiations and discussions taking place between the federal and Ontario governments, but I suspect they're happening, and I'm trying to analyze what's going on. I saw Mr. Pelletier's remarks in the newspaper. In my opinion, it's definitely not the commissioner's role to interfere in that.

Official Languages committee  Absolutely. My role is to support both official language communities. The announcement that was made recently with respect to school boards is something that worries us at the office.