Official Languages committee  I've actually taken some pains not to say that I am condemning or approving the approach that is being taken. It's not my job to say this plan is a good plan or that plan is a good plan. We've set a series of recommendations in which we feel that there are certain criteria that have to be met in order for the Canadian Forces to meet their obligations under the Official Languages Act.

Official Languages committee  I would not dare say that a member of the 22nd Regiment is part of a ghetto, nor would I say that someone in Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry is.

Official Languages committee  Let's not be deceived. In part, this is simply recognition of what exists at present. In his book on the Canadian army, Jack Granatstein, the historian, said that there are three armies in Canada: an army in the west, an army in Ontario and an army in Quebec. I am not confirming them, I am stating what he said and quoting from him.

Official Languages committee  In my opinion, there was a problem of assimilation in the past because of the tremendous mobility required in the armed forces. Members of the Canadian Forces and their families were transferred from one base to the next, and there was very little social support for families and individuals.

Official Languages committee  Indeed, this is very clear in section 91 of the act.

Official Languages committee  I think that represents a risk in every respect. Before becoming commissioner, I talked to a general who told me that one of the changes that has occurred in the country's culture, is that soldiers were no longer prepared to die in the language of the officers. I think that there is an explanation on the part of soldiers: they want to be understood by their commanding officers.

Official Languages committee  I must confess that this is a type of very specific question requiring knowledge about the way this policy will be applied in practice. I do not have this knowledge. I do not know whether my colleagues would like to intervene on this topic, but as far as I'm concerned, I do not want to venture into an area when I don't know exactly how things work on such and such a base, in such and such a conflict, or in such and such a situation, and then make a mistake because I don't know exactly how it works.

Official Languages committee  My concern is in the skilled trades. I have both seen testimony and have talked to individuals who have been in the situation where the training was not available for them to advance their skill, where the training that was available was only available in English. This put them at a substantial disadvantage in learning the skills to acquire the trade or to advance--to acquire the skill levels necessary to practise that trade.

Official Languages committee  I am saying that it is too long and that I do not want to have to wait for five years until the program has been implemented before I can do an audit, a follow-up.

Official Languages committee  Let's talk about the recommendations. The commissioner recommended to the department that it communicate its vision, create an organizational culture based on the respect of language rights of all headquarters staff members, and require intermediate managers and supervisors at headquarters to take mandatory awareness sessions with respect to linguistic duality and language rights for staff members.

Official Languages committee  They either do it or they don't.

Official Languages committee  No. That isn't the case for the public service either.

Official Languages committee  There are established criteria for the employees of federal institutions, including the Canadian Forces. Indeed, the protection of unilingual individuals is part of the very basis of the official languages policy. We do not force everyone to learn both languages, but we do aim to protect unilingual populations, and we aim for the protection and development of minority communities.

Official Languages committee  I am not able to answer that. Renald or Gérard might be able to.

Official Languages committee  As commissioner, I was not consulted. Recommendations were made, and we were assured that they were followed during the development of this approach. If, by consultation, they mean that we approved it step-by-step, I must say that this is not how the process went. Given the follow-up on our investigations and audits, there is an information process, but we did not approve each step.