Official Languages Committee on Feb. 5th, 2008

[Daniel Petit, Conservative, Charlesbourg—Haute-Saint-Charles, QC]

You mentioned Quebec, but I would like you to tell us about the services that you offer to francophone minority groups.

[Andrée Duchesne]

As concerns legal matters, we are not very involved because there is a special program for legal aid at the Department of Justice. It deals with provincial agreements in this regard.

As for services or projects that we have supported in francophone communities outside Quebec, our experience with lawyers' associations has been very conclusive. Within the department we have also cooperated closely with other programs for groups of people who have been victims of violence, for example. As part of its family law initiative, the department has allocated $250,000 per year to work with Official Language Communities.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank your very much. I apologize, I must interrupt you.

Mr. Godin.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Ms. Ellis, you said that the assistant deputy minister should be bilingual. I think that you are proud of that fact, and it shows. Do you have contacts with the employees in your branch? It is that one of the reasons why you must be bilingual?

[Karen Ellis]

Yes, absolutely.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Does the deputy minister not have any contact with his employees? Is the assistant deputy minister the only one who talks to the deputy minister?

[Karen Ellis]

No, that's not what I mean. The deputy ministers are governed by a system called

The same system does not apply to deputy ministers. They are appointed under this system, and we are public servants appointed under another system of the public service. The requirements are clear for us up to this level.

the Governor in Council appointment process.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That must create problems in a service. I know they are not appointed in the same way. The government decides whom it wishes to appoint. They are protected by another system. But there is an exception to that rule, which creates a number of impediments. For example, if someone is not bilingual, how can people speak the language of their choice? That means that there are a number of people who cannot speak to their deputy minister.

[Karen Ellis]

Did you want to add something, Kelly? Because I have something else to say.

[Kelly Collins]

It is mainly up to the entity to implement measures in order to respect its employees' choice of language. If someone is unable to communicate, he or she must have other means of doing so.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Let us just say that I agree with you. If a person is bilingual, it is difficult to ask for the services of an interpreter because he or she wants to speak to the deputy minister in the language of his or her choice.There tends to be a lack of respect, not on our part but on the part of the government, which is not leading by example in the public service. It must do so by saying that it believes in the respect of both of this country's official languages and by showing this respect through leadership. I know it is difficult for you to chastise the government in this regard, given that it is your boss.

[Karen Ellis]

Throughout my career, I have worked for nine departments. In every case, the deputy ministers spoke both official languages. Some deputy ministers were more bilingual than others, but they always made an effort to communicate in both official languages.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

But there are deputy ministers who do not speak both languages.

Bill S-3, adopted in 2005, targeted sections 41, 42 and 43 of part VII which, up until then, were only declaratory.

What are you doing to enforce this act?

[Karen Ellis]

I will ask Ms. Collins to answer you.

[Kelly Collins]

We have no direct obligations, but as a central agency, we do a great deal to help various entities. We assist Treasury Board directly by studying submissions. They need [Editor's Note: Inaudible] official languages. For example, for the information campaign, we work closely with Canadian Heritage to create posters that relate to part VII, and not only part VI. We have networks of people who are responsible for official languages whom we call champions. There is always a component that relates to part VII and every year, each of our networks holds a conference in a region, always in a community...

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

Does the action plan help enforce part VII? Do you recommend the continuation of the action plan?

[Karen Ellis]

We cannot make recommendations, sir.

[Kelly Collins]

I don't understand what you're getting at. You asked what we do. We encourage and assist our partners, like Canadian Heritage, which is responsible for part VII and which uses our networks.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

You said that you received $2.6 million under the action plan. Has that helped you move things forward?

[Kelly Collins]

Yes. We use the networks we built with funding from the action plan. We use all the material we produce to promote official languages. We included a part which deals with part VII.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

That's why the study was done. If the action plan helped move things forward, should it be extended? You've been saying for a while now that the action plan provided additional funding which was of great help to you.

[Karen Ellis]

That will be the government's decision.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

I am sure that will be the government's decision, but I want to know if that's what you would recommend.

[Karen Ellis]

We cannot discuss things which are under development and which will require government funding.

[Yvon Godin, NDP, Acadie—Bathurst, NB]

You can tell me whether the action plan has helped you so far.