Evidence of meeting #12 for Official Languages in the 39th Parliament, 2nd session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was languages.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Ms. Achimov, Mr. Dufour, do you have a language-training school in France? Why are we paying a lot of money to train people abroad when they could be trained here?
Vice-President, Individual Learning, Canada School of Public Service
We do not have a language school abroad; we only provide training in Canada. As Ms. Ellis explained, I cannot comment on decisions made by the department in question. We provide training services in the national capital region and all across Canada.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
Ms. Duchesne, one of the Department of Justice's responsibilities is to provide legal opinions to the government on litigation.
Senior Counsel and Manager, Francophonie, Justice in Official Languages and Legal Dualism, Department of Justice Canada
Yes, that is the department's role in its capacity as the government's legal advisor.
Bloc
Richard Nadeau Bloc Gatineau, QC
You are perhaps familiar with the incident involving Mr. Justin Bell that occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway in Saskatchewan. The RCMP provides police services in Saskatchewan as there is no provincial police force. Mr. Bell requested that the RCMP officers deal with him in French. They answered in German and made fun of him.
The Franco-Saskatchewanian community was unable to help him because the Court Challenges Program was abolished by the government. The commissioner was also unable to help because the incident did not occur in a designated bilingual area of our so-called bilingual country.
The Trans-Canada Highway falls under federal jurisdiction as it relates to transport. As anybody, from Quebec or elsewhere in Canada, may find himself on this busy stretch of highway, would you be able to propose that the Official Languages Act be respected by authorities working on it? I am also obviously referring to the RCMP here, as they are responsible for ensuring public safety in such places.
Conservative
Senior Counsel and Manager, Francophonie, Justice in Official Languages and Legal Dualism, Department of Justice Canada
Thank you very much.
I cannot comment on this matter at this point in time. The RCMP are responsible for their own decisions, not the Department of Justice.
Conservative
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and welcome to our witnesses.
I am going to start with the Canada Public Service Agency. We are finding things out today. I would like to come back to the $107-million budget that was cut to $67 million. This is money that was cut from the agency's standard budget. We are talking about $67 million—that is a lot of money. Will the $2.1 million for the action plan really make a big difference? Are the missing $67 million not going to hurt you?
I see that you're smiling, but I would like to have an answer.
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
You are referring to the agency's overall budget, is that correct?
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
You want to know whether it will affect official languages?
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
The official languages program has not been cut. Quite the opposite. We got additional funding thanks to the action plan. The action plan worked well for us for five years. We invested wisely and we were able to increase our capacity to support the various departments.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
You said that you were able to increase funding by $2.1 million. How can the agency not be affected by a $67-million funding cut?
I do not think that the situation has improved. Allow me to give you the example of a new program that has been implemented. It is a program that provides a $1,500 rebate to those who buy hybrid cars. The head of this is in Calgary. English-speakers get immediate service when they contact the office, while French-speakers have to wait due to a shortage of French-speaking staff. Yet this is a public service office. I know that you are going to tell me that it is a matter of departmental responsibility. Every time we ask a question, we get told that it is the department's fault.
Please tell me exactly how $2.1 million can help an agency that has just lost, or is about to lose, $6.7 million? How can $2.1 million make a difference when you've lost $6.7 million?
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
We actually received $2.6 million in supplementary funding which, added to our base budget of $3.2 million, gives us an annual budget for official languages of $5.8 million. That is a significant percentage of our overall budget in light of our operational context. The agency's mandate also comprises other important components.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
What can you do for official languages with $2.6 million? What is the agency going to be able to improve?
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
As I said in my presentation, we have focused on both our employees and capacity building. As such, we are better able to develop policies and information products, work in partnership with networks, share best practices and support the departments in their quest to improve official languages. That is our key role as a central agency. We do not have the same large budget as the Department of National Defence or other such departments. We have a specific budget, and, in our capacity as a central agency, we try to support and facilitate the work of other departments.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
What have you achieved with these measures?
I know that the Department of Justice representatives are unable to answer. The Court Challenges Program has been abolished. Let me give you an example: in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Ms. Paulin was apprehended by an English-speaking RCMP officer. The case went as far as the Supreme Court, but was eventually settled out of court.
I do not see any improvement; all that has been done has been to ask the various departments to comply with the act. They are being politely asked to comply with legislation, but they are not being made to do anything.
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
The act sets out the various departments' responsibilities clearly. As such, the Commissioner of Official Languages is able to examine complaints to determine whether there is a breach.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
I understand that, but cases still wind up before the courts.
On February 28, a court in Fredericton will hear a case relating to the Court Challenges Program. The Commissioner of Official Languages will be there. It is a continuous battle.
What happens to respecting official languages when the legislation is breached?
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
Obviously, it is incumbent upon the organization's senior management to address challenges and improve the situation. The way we see it is that human resources management always involves a challenge you can get your teeth stuck into, but you have to...
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Oh My! Official languages are a challenge into which you can sink your teeth!
Senior Vice-President, Workforce and Workplace Renewal, Canada Public Service Agency
A number of people are working very diligently to promote compliance. They also use tools to give practical advice to the departments to help them improve the use of official languages.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Why should somebody such as Ms. Paulin, for example, who was apprehended by the RCMP, a federal agency, have to go to court to have her rights vindicated? Can we really say that official languages are being respected when ordinary Canadians have to go to court to have their rights upheld?
