Official Languages Committee on Dec. 8th, 2009

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Lise Zarac]

Good morning and welcome, everyone. We are now beginning the 46th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages. I would like to welcome Mr. Graham Fraser, the Commissioner of Official Languages, Ms. Charlebois and Ms. Tremblay, who are assistant commissioners, as well as Ms. Pascale Giguère, who is the director and general counsel.

Since we have met now on several occasions, it feels like we are among friends. However, we are going to discuss an issue that is of great importance to the committee. Without further ado, I give you the floor, Mr. Fraser. You have 10 minutes to make your presentation.

[Graham Fraser, Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages]

Thank you very much, Madam Chair.

Honourable members, members of the standing committee, good morning.

This is probably the last opportunity we will have to discuss the preparations for the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games as they relate to the question of Canadian linguistic duality. I believe immediate attention must be devoted to the measures that still need to be taken.

I would like to take this time to underscore the impact of the committee's work in this area. I'd like to thank all the members for the work they have done. I think it's been very important and I thank you all.

The task is of paramount importance in fostering both respect for Canadians' language rights and the country's image on the international stage. There are only 66 days, a little more than two months, until the opening ceremonies, and the Olympic organization is hard at work on final preparations. The Olympic torch relay has begun, the Vancouver Organizing Committee for the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games has taken possession of the athlete's village, and the Vancouver 2010 official souvenir program has been printed and is now on sale.

I see that some of the recommendations contained in the follow-up report I presented last September have been taken into consideration by the organizations in question. VANOC, Canadian Heritage and other federal institutions have already acted and I commend them for it.

However, it remains to be seen whether those initiatives will produce concrete results for the athletes, media and visitors who will be attending the Games. The additional $7.7 million from the Canadian government should help resolve issues such as translation, signage at Olympic venues, permanent signage and the medal ceremonies. Mr. Jacques Gauthier, the federal government representative on the VANOC board of directors, has described this grant as “very satisfactory”.

I am relieved to learn that VANOC and the Translation Bureau have just signed an agreement of understanding. For weeks now, it was said to be on the verge of being signed. In fact, it happened last night. I hope that work can begin as soon as possible.

According to information shared by Public Works and Government Services Canada yesterday, the Translation Bureau will invest significant resources in support of the Games. VANOC has informed us that the problems pertaining to the full transmission of comments by francophone athletes through the Info2010 intranet system will be resolved. Temporary signage models seem adequate for effectively directing athletes and visitors in both official languages of Canada and of the Games. Nevertheless, signage must be judiciously placed in order to effectively direct visitors, regardless of municipal or provincial jurisdictional boundaries.

One recommendation put forward in the follow-up I released last September specifically referred to the deployment of bilingual volunteers. I have been assured that the volunteer deployment plan effectively places the 3,500 individuals in bilingual positions. I have been assured as well that the plan provides for rapid access to someone who speaks English and French in emergency and unforeseen situations. Unfortunately, we have neither seen nor been able to comment on the plan. Consequently, as with so many other matters surrounding the Games, VANOC and Canadian Heritage will have to be evaluated on this aspect based on the results obtained during the Olympic celebrations themselves.

I am aware of your keen interest in the main signage for the Richmond Olympic Oval, which has come to symbolize the difficulties between VANOC and its municipal partners. I have been told that the issue is no longer whether the name will appear on the building in both languages, but rather how it will actually be done. Once again, we cannot be content until “Anneau olympique de Richmond” appears side by side with “Richmond Olympic Oval” on the front of the building.

Let us not forget that the bar is high, since English and French are the official languages of both our country and the Olympic movement. I am pleased to see that VANOC is fully aware of that fact. When he appeared before you a year and a half ago, on April 29, 2008, John Furlong told you that VANOC was far surpassing the obligations under the Multiparty Agreement. He mentioned VANOC's desire, and I quote, “to really seize the opportunity... to really showcase the unique linguistic duality of Canada in the most prolific way, and of course, especially while the world is watching us”. Mr. Furlong said “we will have no difficulty in meeting our obligations in respect to signage. It would all be bilingual. It is now.”

He went on to say that Vancouver International Airport is what he called a mission-critical facility for the games, and described the experience visitors would have:

When you land at the Vancouver International Airport, you will land in an Olympic venue. It will be like landing right in the middle of the Olympic Games. You will be met by bilingual signage, with all the proper sounds and announcements in both languages. There will be volunteers and staff who speak both languages fluently. The message will be that you're in Canada, that this duality is here.

I could not have expressed my hopes for the Olympics and for the Vancouver International Airport better myself. Mr. Furlong expressed the standard by which the games will be judged.

This fall, VANOC's campaign to promote bilingualism is a clear signal to members of the public that they can expect to receive services in both official languages throughout the celebrations. According to VANOC, the public can also expect celebrations that reflect Canada's linguistic duality. My expectation is that VANOC will fulfill its commitments and implement its obligations.

However, the shortfalls observed in the visible portion of the preparations, such as the torch's arrival in Canada, leave me skeptical as to whether the entire Olympic organization has developed a linguistic duality reflex. With the few days remaining before the games, is it safe to assume they will get there? Having failed to fully incorporate linguistic duality into every planning activity, VANOC and its partners will need to be all the more vigilant to ensure quality service for athletes, their escorts, and the general public.

The organization of the Games aside, the many visitors converging on Vancouver will receive services from a number of federal institutions. The quality of their experience will depend in large part on interactions with federal public servants, their contract workers and their partners. Many federal institutions recognize that they do not have the necessary staff on hand to provide quality service in both official languages. Some have taken measures to move bilingual staff to their points of service, as I mentioned in my report. Other institutions have not shown the same level of commitment. Members of my staff have been urging these institutions to show creativity to optimize the resources at their disposal.

It is important to note that the language obligations of airports and their commercial tenants are far from new. If airport authorities had given this problem all the attention it deserves earlier, they would probably find themselves in a better position today to face this enhanced need for services in both official languages.

That being said, many of the coordination meetings I recommended have taken place. The Vancouver Airport Authority and the institutions that operate within the airport met in October to share their needs and best practices with one another. We have been told that some measures will be implemented, and I hope to see results from this collaboration during the Games.

The Vancouver and Toronto airport authorities have reminded their commercial tenants that travellers must be offered services in French as well as in English. Toronto's Pearson Airport invited my office to meet with the National Retail Tenants Association to underscore the importance of offering services in both languages, and I also met recently with the president and chief executive officer of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority, Lloyd McCoomb.

However, as I have already mentioned, the work of these institutions can only be evaluated through results from the field, and I am concerned about the results the institutions will obtain once the games begin.

A number of institutions have pointed out that they provide their staff with language training or they draw on the best practices of other institutions to create their own training materials. I have also noted that a good number of institutions have set up workshops or training on active offer. In this regard, Air Canada plans to use a video on active offer in January 2010 to train its employees on the importance of greeting the public in both official languages, much as Parks Canada has done.

I also see that institutions have begun collaborating with one another and that there are regular contacts among them. These exchanges must continue and their synergy must be translated into concrete results for Canadians at the games.

I hope the various federal institutions with a role to play in the staging of this event will pursue their efforts to provide better bilingual service long after the last athlete from the Games has left the country. Offering the Canadian public and visitors services in both official languages will continue to be equally as important after the Olympic Games.

In conclusion, I would like to clarify one last thing. The Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games belong to all Canadians, and it is essential that the Games reflect Canadian values, including linguistic duality. I am pleased to see the progress made, but I am still worried given the lack of certainty that certain key elements will be in place. Everyone involved must act now and must act quickly for the final sprint.

Thank you. I will be happy to answer any questions you might have.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Lise Zarac]

Thank you, Commissioner, for your update on preparations for the Vancouver Olympics.

We will begin the first round of questions. I will remind you that each member of the committee has five minutes to ask their questions. That includes the answer.

I give the floor to Mr. Rodriguez.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Thank you, Madam.

Mr. Commissioner, I would like to welcome you and thank you for being here. This is an important meeting, because it is the last time we will see each other. In fact, we break this week and return on January 25. It is therefore unlikely that we will see you before the Olympic Games. Even if we did, it would be a little late to change anything with only a few days to go before the event.

I am looking at your speaking notes. You said you found that some of the recommendations contained in the follow-up report that you presented last September have been taken into consideration. Which have not?

[Graham Fraser]

Some institutions have been rather slow to respond. We are receiving answers day by day. Of the 11 institutions who were to report to us by November 30, 7 responded formally, 3 informally without the head of the organization's signature on the formal letter, and the RCMP asked us for an extension. They missed the new deadline and I will be meeting with the commissioner next week.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Are you expecting them to send it to you soon?

[Graham Fraser]

Yes, I have a meeting with the commissioner next week and we will be discussing it at that time.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Please wish him the best of the season if you see him before then.

Of the three who answered you informally—was it just a phone call?—were you satisfied with what they told you or are you expecting something more formal? Are you expecting specific answers? What are they?

[Graham Fraser]

The bodies that provided us with a formal answer are the following: Vancouver Airport, CATSA, Canada Post, the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Air Canada, Toronto Airport and Service Canada. Those who responded informally are the Canada Border Services Agency, Parks Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada, who answered but without quite following up on our recommendations. The RCMP's answer was that they wanted an extension.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

Are you going to push for more information?

[Graham Fraser]

That is right.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

You know, Mr. Commissioner, coincidences seem to follow you around, it is quite extraordinary. For example, the last time you tabled a report, the government came up with $7 million almost the next day. You wanted to see us this morning, and last night an agreement was finally signed between VANOC and the Translation Bureau. We all know this is pure coincidence because they did not know that you were coming this morning. Do you believe it is a coincidence?

[Graham Fraser]

I must repeat the compliment I gave to your committee and to all members of Parliament. The pressure that you have kept up, the invitations to appear, reminding all of those bodies of their obligations; there is nothing like being summoned to appear—

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

—before the committee—

[Graham Fraser]

—to concentrate the mind.

[Pablo Rodriguez, Liberal, Honoré-Mercier, QC]

We must invite you back more often.

I have serious concerns about the Vancouver airport. You probably read the testimony from the airport representatives. They seem to me to be late in many regards. They do not really seem to understand. They know that they have obligations and that they will have their knuckles rapped if they do not fulfill them. But I did not sense a deep understanding or that they themselves are making bilingualism a priority.

Not only that, the very nice lady who testified had just been appointed official languages champion four weeks earlier. Vancouver got the Olympic Games six years ago. This shows a deeper problem. You seem to have confidence in them, and to be giving them the benefit of the doubt. You quoted Mr. Furlong, from VANOC, who stated before the committee a year and a half ago; “when you land at Vancouver International Airport [...] the atmosphere will send a message that you're in Canada, that this duality is here.” Personally, I do not get the impression that Vancouver Airport is going to be ready, short of a miracle over the next 66 days. You think anything is possible. Do you think that can change?

[Graham Fraser]

As far as Vancouver is concerned, when this process was launched, the reaction of the airport authorities was more or less one of indifference. They felt that it was not necessary to have anything in place other than what already existed. We heard: “hey, don't worry about it“ a lot. Some of the authorities even resisted some of our observations. Since then, we have seen that there is a recognition of the importance of the issue. I accept that this is a rather sudden and recent change in perspective.

Moreover, we are talking about an institution that has had obligations for a long time. Throughout this exercise, it seems significant to me that we were able to use the Olympics to focus these institutions on their existing obligations.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Lise Zarac]

Thank you, Mr. Commissioner.

I am sorry, Mr. Rodriguez's time is up.

I give the floor to Mr. Nadeau.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you, Madam Chair. Good morning, Mr. Commissioner, ladies.

I will begin by reading you a passage from an article that appeared in Le Figaro last November 9^th, entitled “Le français boudé aux JO de Vancouver” [French snubbed at Vancouver Olympic Games]:

With 100 days to go before the opening ceremonies of the Vancouver Olympic Games, the organizing committee's performance in bilingualism leaves a lot to be desired. Fewer than 15% of the 25,000 volunteers will speak French. It is small consolation that they will be deployed in strategic locations and will wear a pin saying “Bonjour”.

I will now read you a letter from Albert Salon, a former ambassador, president of Avenir de la langue française and president of the Front francophone international, sent to Minister Alain Joyandet, Secretary of State for Cooperation and la Francophonie.

The letter reads as follows:

Mr. Minister, If what was said in Le Figaro is true, what can the Government of France do to attempt to raise the bar? In Canada, a country that boasts that it is officially bilingual from sea to sea [d'un océan à l'autre], what a dubious distinction! Worse than the Olympic Games in Beijing?!... Perhaps we could impress upon the federal and British Columbia organizers that to allow this to happen would once more send a clear signal to the francophones of Quebec and the rest of Canada, as well to the people of France, to other francophones and to the OIF of which Canada, including Quebec and New Brunswick, is an important member, that it really looks like the “Anglos” are attempting to stifle the French fact over there... Looking to you for help and still devoted to our cause, I remain, yours sincerely, Alain Salon, Former Ambassador, President of “Avenir de la langue française” and of FFI-France.

Mr. Chairman, do we have to postpone the Winter Olympic Games until June 2010 in order to ensure respect for the francophonie? Should we use that ski hill in Dubai that is having the financial problems? If we did, we could hold the skiing events of the Winter Olympic Games in June.

[Graham Fraser]

Madam Chair, the letter that the member has just read emphasizes the importance of this linguistic issue for the Francophonie internationale. Just to be clear, you should be aware that a few years ago, France, which was the first country to send a témoin to the Olympic Games, gave that responsibility to the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie which, for several Olympics now, has sent a Grand Témoin. I have met Mr. Pascal Couchepin, who is the Grand Témoin de la Francophonie for these Games. So this letter emphasizes the importance of the issue.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you.

Mr. Fraser, I have asked a lot of questions during the motions to adjourn the House. I recall that Mr. Petit and Ms. Boucher came and cheered me on wildly one Thursday night, towards the end of this session. I would like to ask you some of those questions. You did not deal with them earlier, although we understand that this is a very large project.

What is the status of the Cultural Olympiad? Have you actually heard that 25% of its shows will be in French?

[Graham Fraser]

All of the organizations, including the organizing committee of the Cultural Olympiad, are being quite guarded about the artists that will participate. Nevertheless, I have been assured that there will be a good representation of francophone artists. There will be several events that will emphasize the French fact, including the International Day of la Francophonie, the Canadian Day of la Francophonie and la Journée du Québec. So there will be a series of days that will celebrate the French fact. Canada will participate, as will France, to bring francophone artists from Africa to Granville Island during the Journée de la francophonie. There will be a big show there on February 14. This will follow the Canadian Day of la Francophonie, which will be celebrated in the Vancouver region and the International Day of la Francophonie, which will be celebrated in Whistler on February 13.

I have some idea of the schedule, but they did not want to share the exact number of artists with me. From what I have been told, there will be a very strong presence of francophone artists throughout the games.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Lise Zarac]

Thank you, Mr. Fraser.

I will now give the floor to Mr. Godin.

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

Thank you, Madam Chair.

Good morning, Mr. Fraser, and welcome to your team.

Let us hope that it will not just be about Quebec and Africa. Let us not forget that the Acadians were the first to arrive in Canada. I constantly remind people that we celebrated our 400th anniversary four years before the others did.

It is disappointing to hear what you said about the RCMP, but I am not surprised. In New Brunswick, we had to go to court when we wanted bilingual services from the RCMP. And it took many years of fighting to force them to comply with the Official Languages Act. So I am not at all surprised that the RCMP would be the last to comply. I would even add that it has passed the deadlines you set. I will not ask you any questions about it, because you have already addressed the issue. Nonetheless, I will share my comments and opinion. I am not at all surprised. It is regrettable that a federal institution that has a duty to uphold justice and the law should be the worst offender when it comes to the Official Languages Act. It is very regrettable.

A number of questions have been asked about the Vancouver airport. There has been a lot of talk about the volunteers. I have already said that the Olympic Games are the Olympic Games and that, before we can show off our bilingualism to other countries, we have to show respect for the language here in Canada. Are you not afraid that, despite all of those volunteers, once the Games have come and gone, it will evaporate, there will be no more bilingualism and we will back to square one?

[Graham Fraser]

That is always a concern. I would like to share with the committee a conversation I had with Lloyd McCoomb, CEO of the Greater Toronto Airports Authority. He told me that, as a result of all of these discussions, it had been decided to transfer the responsibility for official languages from the office responsible for government operations to the office responsible for customer experience. I believe that is a step forward. Airport officials understand that the active offer, the service in both languages, is an essential aspect of the customer's experience. It is not only about reporting to government: they must also improve the experience for travellers.

It is a step forward, and I hope that, given the pressure we have all brought to bear on these institutions, they will finally understand that they have an obligation to Canadians and that they cannot simply check off a box and hand in a report, to you, to us or to Canadian Heritage, pursuant to sections 41 and 42.

In the end, the public is the key priority. We are not only committed because of the importance of the events that will be held between February 12 and 28, 2010, but also because we want to improve the level of service within the system.