Official Languages Committee on Nov. 30th, 2010

[Daniel J. Caron]

Yes, but perhaps it wasn't as official and organized.

[Lise Zarac, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

Can you give me an example?

[Daniel J. Caron]

We had an annual plan. We could submit a copy of that. It's more official now.

[Lise Zarac, Liberal, LaSalle—Émard, QC]

All right.

I'd like to go back to the second recommendation of the Commissioner of Official Languages. It concerns promotion of official languages. He specifically states in his report that this is one of your weaknesses.

What measures are you going to take in this area?

[Daniel J. Caron]

We've already begun a consultation and collaboration effort. In particular, we are setting up a pan-Canadian network. This includes the French Canadian network of archives that we are implementing together with the various interested parties. That's one of the activities, but there are others, involving libraries, that we are considering.

We're going to work in cooperation with the players in the field. We don't offer our services directly across the country. We work with others. We aren't responsible for local or provincial archives. We're going to support these stakeholders and work in cooperation with them, since our mandate enables us to do that. So that's what we're going to do. We have put particular emphasis on French Canadian archives.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Ms. Zarac.

We'll now go to Ms. Guay.

[Monique Guay, Bloc, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

It's Mr. Nadeau who is going to speak.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Mr. Caron, page 27 of the report refers to writing. It states that, at all 16 of the organizations that the commissioner examined closely—and that includes yours—employees' ability to write in the official language of their choice left much to be desired. They were unable to get a good mark in that area. That really troubles me.

I am the member for the constituency of Gatineau; Mr. Bélanger is a member in the Ottawa region. Many francophones live there. We're talking here about 138,000 Government of Canada employees. Obviously a number of them are at your organization. These people are entitled to work in their language. However, people who are very supportive and respectful of their language, French, have stopped writing for their supervisors in French because people look at them funny. In addition, their supervisors send their work for translation and it occasionally comes back to the person who originally wrote it in French, to see whether the translation has been well done. The two versions regularly are slightly different, and in some instances the subtleties of certain aspects have disappeared.

Are you aware of the fact that these francophones write in English most of the time to avoid problems with their bosses?

Are your employees encouraged and invited to write in the official language of their choice? We agree that it's always French that suffers in these situations.

[Daniel J. Caron]

I'm aware of that difficulty, of course. However, once again, I'm a bit surprised at the results because, since I've been at the head of the organization—and even before that, when Mr. Wilson was there, because I was very close to the subject as well—all employees wrote in the language of their choice. There was never any issue or dynamic of that kind, which can be irritating. I was never previously aware of that as official languages champion at the institution. Even when I wrote to the minister, I did so in French. So I didn't sense that. However, it's always good to recall it—I'm aware of that—because some things may happen unknown to us. However, I have sensed no resistance, no obligation to work in a language other than the language of choice at the institution since my arrival.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

All right. There's another statistic. I'm still referring to Volume II of the report, which concerns communication with one's supervisor.

Three out of 16 "do the job". What does "do the job" mean? It depends on the evaluation method. In addition, 13 out of 16 do not meet the criteria. I know that we're touching on a delicate subject and one involving a degree of subjectivity. Can you tell us whether the francophones you know at the institution, or the majority of them—I know it's a big machine, you have a number of buildings, and you aren't in all the buildings every day—can speak and conduct professional discussions in French in the language of their choice with their supervisors at Library and Archives Canada?

[Daniel J. Caron]

My answer is yes. I encourage it and I know that my management committee encourages it as well. I have never gone to a meeting where there were no discussions in both languages and without translation. It's a very bilingual department—I admit that I myself am a bit surprised at the results. I've worked in nine departments in my career, and I can say that I have never seen any tension over language or writing at this department. I'm nevertheless going to follow up on the commissioner's comments because I believe he knows his job. However, we don't have that kind of tension. Wherever I go, wherever my executive committee people chair meetings, it's always done in both languages. When we chair a meeting, we ensure that the two languages alternate in order to encourage that dynamic.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Nadeau.

I will now give the floor to Mrs. O'Neill-Gordon.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to welcome Mr. Caron and Mr. Melanson. Thank you for joining us today and taking time to be with us.

I also want to congratulate you on the score you did receive. We also know there is always need for improvement in anything you do. I guess that's part of being a teacher; you always look for more improvement with everybody.

With regard to your attitude in saying that we must forget the old concept of “mandatory bilingualism” and continue to develop what you call a “positively necessary and voluntarily adopted bilingualism”, I must say I like that idea. Anything you do on a voluntary basis comes from the heart. It gives a more pleasant and more positive spin to it all.

So just with those two characteristics, of being positive and being more pleasant in your department, I'm sure that too will make a big difference in your score, and it is something people like to receive when they visit your department.

As a New Brunswick MP, I also was happy to hear you say this morning that the conference of federal, provincial, and territorial archivists has included the province of New Brunswick as one of the provinces. You know and I know that there are many francophone pockets in New Brunswick. Bilingual services are very important in New Brunswick as well as right across our great country.

As well, being a teacher, I certainly recognize and realize the importance of high services, great services, being provided in libraries, because libraries provide us with lots of information. We need to have it available for all of us to receive.

Getting down to my question, we all know that the Department of Canadian Heritage is responsible for official languages, and I'm wondering to what extent you work with Canadian Heritage to define positive measures to ensure greater compliance with part VII of the Official Languages Act.

[Daniel J. Caron]

We honestly haven't had to discuss it with Heritage at any.... We're quite autonomous in the way we administer our act, and this was not subject to discussion. I think it's understood that we need to do that.

As I explained earlier, we don't have offices across the country, so this is not something on the radar. I think because of the new digital environment, it is becoming more obvious that we're going to have to be out there in different ways. I think it's going to be more important. But we've never had to discuss it with Heritage.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Okay.

Is your institution required to report to the heritage department on what it has achieved with respect to the implementation of section 41 of OLA? If yes, can you please provide us with a copy of that report?

[Daniel J. Caron]

Sure.

[Mark Melanson]

As far as I understand it, we have not had to report to Heritage under section 41 at this point.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

Okay.

As we see on page 34 of the report, the Canada School of Public Service has signed agreements with various federal institutions such as Library and Archives Canada. These agreements stipulate that instructors from the Canada School of Public Service can offer language training to employees.

Do many of your employees take this opportunity, and can you say how such an opportunity will help them improve their performance and the performance of Library and Archives?

[Daniel J. Caron]

Yes, it's very popular. In fact, I think it's a full class. We could provide you with numbers, but it's popular, and we will continue to offer it. It helps a lot. It supports the delivery of our mandate in both official languages.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

You can provide us with those numbers?

[Daniel J. Caron]

We can do that.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

I'm wondering, as a New Brunswick MP, what kind of working rapport you have with the New Brunswick archives.

[Daniel J. Caron]

This is interesting, because I'm doing a tour of the country, and New Brunswick is in January.

[Tilly O'Neill-Gordon, Conservative, Miramichi, NB]

That's an awful month to choose.

[Daniel J. Caron]

We have a good relationship with Marion Beyea, and we work very closely; we meet twice a year, all together, but I'm going to New Brunswick to develop a more close relationship with them. I'm also going to talk about les Acadiens at the same time, because she's part of the franco-canadien network.

So I can tell you more next time.