I want to thank the witnesses for being with us today to help guide us in our work.
I want to put things back in context. The Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights is tasked with reviewing part XVII of the Criminal Code and following up on how it has been implemented since coming into force. Are there any problems? What can be done to fix them? What improvements can be made?
I really appreciated what Mr. Slimovitch said.
I did appreciate that. I'm a lawyer who practised in the region, so for the longest time I kind of had a different experience. Although we're close to Ottawa, maybe we have a bit more bilingualism. But I had a judge insisting that I would plead and do my final arguments on behalf of the accused in English because he was anglophone. They said he deserved the right—this was pre-section 17—to hear what his lawyer was saying. I tried to convince the judge that I would be brilliant in French and maybe so-so in English, but he said, “I don't care”.
That being said, a lot of the things you said were a bit pre-section 17.
I think the code is clear. It says that a person has the right to stand trial in the language of their choice. The question before the committee—and I don't know if anyone has the answer—is whether we should extend the reach of part XVII. For example, when a person is arrested and an application is made for their release, isn't it paramount that the accused be able to actively participate in the language of his or her choice?
As for what already exists in part XVII, do you have any specific recommendations with respect to interpreters, stenographers, evidence provided to the lawyers, translation and so forth? That is of particular interest to me.
As for the Language Rights Support Program, I think I understand what you do. But, as I understand your work, I am not sure it really applies, especially to part XVII, unless there's a constitutional issue involved. As far as everyday trials go, you have nothing to do with helping judges become more bilingual or supporting the bilingualism of stenographers, interpreters and so forth.
Unless you think part XVII is perfect as it is, what practical measures can be taken to improve it?