Evidence of meeting #93 for Procedure and House Affairs in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was interpretation.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Charles Robert  Clerk of the House of Commons
André Gagnon  Deputy Clerk, Procedure
Clerk of the Committee  Mr. Andrew Lauzon

11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

There was probably a rough period when they were trying to transition into languages. I respect the fact that we want to do it right and to make sure that we have a good quality, but I think we have to be realistic. In order to give our first languages respect, and by trying to elevate them to this level and bring those languages to the House of Commons, we're going to have a rough patch, again, in trying to get it to that point where it functions as well as it does today. But I think the funding—

11:45 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

I think that's a real risk, and that's why I think your conversations with the interpretation service will be so important.

11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

In our brief, from going through the records, we were given a few different languages that have been used in the House to date. In your experience have you had people come up to you with a request to speak in other, different indigenous languages that we have not heard about as yet in the House?

11:45 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

No, not personally.

11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

Okay.

11:45 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

I have had experiences, not with indigenous languages, but with foreign languages and working with interpreters who either do the relay, as Mr. Reid mentioned, or who do it simultaneously. It does have an impact on how you conduct meetings when you can't do it simultaneously.

I think that's where, speaking about the relay from English into French, it becomes a bit of an issue.

11:45 a.m.

Liberal

Ruby Sahota Liberal Brampton North, ON

Starting off, it's my understanding that it probably would not occur that frequently. You had mentioned something about others also having a right to speak in languages that are not indigenous to this land.

Why do you feel that way?

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

It's because, based on the experience that I've had in the Senate, there are some senators who are very proud of their cultural heritage and who want to show that pride by speaking in their language. I suspect that would arise also in the House. We applaud ourselves quite rightly for being a multicultural society, the great mosaic that seems to know how to work together. Well, if we want to demonstrate that, it may very well be that the House will recognize the right of members to speak not only the two official languages, but also other languages that are spoken in this country.

11:50 a.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Larry Bagnell

Thank you, Ms. Sahota.

We'll now go on to Mr. Richards.

March 20th, 2018 / 11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Thanks, Mr. Chair.

I'm just going to go back to something that has been talked about a fair bit, your experience with the Senate. I don't think I heard responses to any of the questions I'll ask.

My first question is in regard to the arrangement that was made for Inuktitut translation. I think there was notice required for that. Is that correct? How long was it? Was it five days?

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

It was five days, because I remember.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Can you recall how often that was put into use?

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

Honestly, you could count it on the fingers of one hand.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Okay.

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

Largely, I would say, it was because it was so difficult. Who knows; it might become easier if the demand becomes greater.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Sure.

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

If the demand is greater, then trying to put in place the infrastructure that supports that program becomes easier. There's a greater justification for it. To the extent that it is marginal, you'll have problems identifying interpreters who would be willing to do the work on relatively short notice, to perform a service that might only last for 15 minutes, tops.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Right.

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

Those are issues that I think have a practical consequence.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

When you say “difficult”, you're referring to finding available interpreters when there are a very few times that it's requested. Is that what's making it difficult?

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

That was one element of it. There may be other factors involved that you could explore with the interpretation service.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

Okay.

You said you could count them on one hand. What types of interventions would those have been? Would you remember? Were they statements, or tributes, or a question of speeches?

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

There was one item I remember that was an extensive speech. I think it had to do with a bill that the member was proposing to deal with the heavy cost of bringing food up north. I think Mr. Bagnell would have experience about how expensive it can be.

There was a bill that was looking for some sort of tax relief for the benefit of the inhabitants of the northern regions. The member was quite willing...because he was speaking to his own people about what he was trying to do for them.

That's one vague recollection I have.

11:50 a.m.

Conservative

Blake Richards Conservative Banff—Airdrie, AB

So that was an entire speech, or a large portion of it.

11:50 a.m.

Clerk of the House of Commons

Charles Robert

It was a good chunk of his speech.