Official Languages Committee on April 29th, 2008

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

Good morning to you all. Mr. Blaney could not be here with us today. I therefore have the pleasure of chairing this meeting. I see that Mr. Godin is delighted with that.

Before introducing our witnesses, I would first like to address two issues that were raised by the clerk. First, you are invited to put forward, before May 6^th, names of witnesses for the meeting dealing with post-secondary institutions. Second, the clerk needs some clarification, and I would like to settle the issue straightaway, before moving on to discussions with our witnesses.

The issue is official language exemptions. My understanding is that some people are exempted after having passed a test. They no longer have to undergo training or pass further tests. These people no longer have to take language courses to upgrade their skills, and are also dispensed with having to take such tests. That is the issue we wanted to consider. Perhaps the clerk would like to ask a more specific question. Is this how people around the table understood the issue?

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

A person can be qualified for a position, but not know both languages.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

I think that what we are talking about here is the language level that a person has to attain in order to be exempted from further testing and having to take second-language training.

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

I thought we were talking about qualifications, language aside.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

No, we are dealing with language.

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

Then something is not quite right here.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

This relates to language.

Mr. Godin.

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

Mr. Chairman, it is my understanding that the current system is such that people have to pass a test and, if they score high enough, are exempted forevermore. I think that what we wanted to study is the level needed to obtain that exemption. Among the people who have passed the test, some say that they are quite glad that they no longer need to speak the other language or pass further tests. That's common knowledge.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

Therefore, we want to know what is expected of people for them to obtain an exemption. We have to study the issue in its entirety. I think that we have to take a very broad approach. People pass a test at the start of their careers and, if they succeed, they are exempted.

Mr. Lebel.

[Denis Lebel, Conservative, Roberval—Lac-Saint-Jean, QC]

Mr. Chairman, there are also people who, at one point or another, can access a position and who are asked to get refresher training. I have heard of federal public servants in Quebec who were qualified for a position and who were required to upgrade their English skills. I would like to know the level of English they have to reach in order to keep their jobs. These are questions we have to consider.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

Very well. I think that we will consider this issue broadly.

Mr. Godin.

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

There is another issue I would like to address but I am not sure whether it would be appropriate to include it in this study or not. From what I have heard, there is a federal government building in my area that houses approximately 550 workers, and where anglophones can take French-language courses during working hours, but where francophones who want to improve their English are not entitled to the same treatment. If they wish to do so, they have to take evening courses, on their own initiative.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

Mr. Godin, that is another interesting issue, but we are currently dealing with the official languages exemption. Okay?

Is that clear for everybody?

[Raymond Gravel, Bloc, Repentigny, QC]

Does that apply to Supreme Court justices, to the unilingual anglophone that was appointed?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

I'd say that it applies to all judges, across the board. That is a very timely issue, as we saw yesterday on the news.

Mr. Petit.

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

Having bilingual justices is not the only way to ensure access to justice. The issue is much broader than that. Let's be clear about that. You don't need to have a bilingual judge to access justice. There can be a unilingual judge and people can still access justice. I would like to know what we are talking about exactly.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

We are considering the issue from an official languages perspective, since that is the mandate of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

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

So this isn't only about access to justice. This is about the bilingualism of—

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

No. The justice committee deals with that. Exactly. We are talking about access to justice in one's own language. For example, can francophones outside Quebec or anglophones within Quebec access justice in their own language? This committee is concerned with how language has an impact on access to justice.

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

In Quebec, you can have bilingual judges, but not have access to justice. It all depends.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

I agree with you, but that is another issue, Mr. Petit.

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

Very well. But do we agree on what we will be studying?

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

The issue will be access to justice in the language of one's choice or in both official languages.

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

Very well. I have submitted the names of witnesses.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Pablo Rodriguez]

Has that cleared things up?

Are you okay? Everybody is okay? Happy? We can go on?

Thank you for your patience.

Mr. Furlong, welcome to the committee. Madam Bolduc, welcome also. Thanks for being here.

Thank you very much. Our witnesses will have 10 minutes to make opening remarks and then we will move on to questions.

Mr. Furlong.