Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Ladies and gentlemen,
members of the Standing Committee on Justice, bonjour.
If I am here today, it is because the legislation contains a loophole that threatens individual rights in our country. I believe that we have the responsibility as parliamentarians to fix it.
I would like to welcome the witnesses who are here today.
Dear colleagues, you may one day have to appear before the Supreme Court of Canada, or experience the consequences of a decision made by that level if you have not already done so.
Imagine what it means to be a victim of an injustice because you have not been properly understood. Imagine that a judge who is deciding on your fate is unable to get clarifications in a timely manner because the translation or the interpretation has prevented this from happening.
Imagine what happens when judges discuss your future between themselves outside the room, where translation and interpretation services aren't available. Imagine the consequences.
This year is the 40th anniversary of the Official Languages Act and I want, along with you, to protect a fundamental right of all Canadians: the right to a just and fair trial.
In pursuit of that goal, I propose to you Bill C-232, the purpose of which is to ensure that future judges appointed to the Supreme Court understand English and French without the help of an interpreter. The measure will not apply to the present incumbents.
I want to explain to you the reasons for this bill.
First, Canadian laws are not written in one language and then translated: they are written simultaneously in both official languages. No one version takes precedence over the other. In short, this means that the English act and the French act together constitute Canadian legislation, and they cannot be separated.
The Official Languages Act and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are designed to preserve the historic achievement. Consequently, in order to understand the subtleties.... I hope I say it right.