Official Languages Committee on Feb. 15th, 2011

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

You talked about anglophone employees in the Quebec region. I believe that the percentage of those employees in the Quebec region went from 13% to 8%. I think that 98% or 99% of people in Quebec City are francophones. Do you really need to follow the commissioner's recommendation and maintain a rate of 13%?

There are more anglophones in Montreal. It is probably more important to have bilingual employees in Montreal. That is also true for Quebec City, but the need there is not as great.

In that regard, can you explain your relationship with the commissioner?

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

The number is for the overall Quebec region. Our overall numbers are low. Our main effort is in Montreal right now. Our main office is in Dorval because of the airport and civil aviation is in the area. We are basically making a huge outreach to schools where anglophone students attend. We're talking to the communities to see how we can encourage people to apply for positions.

Yes, we would like to be able to adhere to the commissioner's recommendation. We are not trying to do every office at a certain level, but in the Quebec region we would like to get to the 13%. Right now we're at 10%, so it shouldn't be, hopefully, that difficult.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Is it easier to achieve that rate in Quebec than it is in other provinces? You have not met that rate in other provinces as well. Tell me about the rates in other provinces.

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

In the national capital region we have 37% francophones, and the required number or the cutoff number is actually 34%. So we're doing well in Transport Canada. Outside the national capital region and Quebec, the cutoff point is 4.2%. We're at 5.5%. We don't have a representational issue per se for recruitment. We have no problem finding employees, anglophones or francophones, except in Quebec, where we don't have enough anglophones because of the reorganization, which we will fix.

If you want more numbers as to how it is divided, I don't have them. These are all the numbers I have. But we'll get them to you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Gourde, you have one minute remaining.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

When you talk about the rates of anglophones and francophones, are you referring to employees who are anglophone and bilingual or exclusively anglophone?

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

No, English as their first language. That's what I mean.

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lotbinière—Chutes-de-la-Chaudière, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Gourde.

We will now begin our second round with Mr. Bélanger.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Before I give the floor to my colleague, I would like to ask you the following.

Deputy Minister, I want to make sure I understood your answer to Mr. Godin. Are you telling us that whatever work the department needed to do to enable the government to table legislation in the House vis-à-vis Air Canada has been done?

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

What I said is both ministers--the previous minister and our current minister--have repeated their commitment to introducing a bill in the House of Commons that deals with the Air Canada Jazz issue. We appropriately support our minister on that issue.

Mr. Chairman, I think by now committee members appreciate that I can tell you where some things are at. I'm just stressing the fact that where the minister said that, we will do the work for it and we've done the work for it.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Fine. We are interpreting that as whatever needed to be done to enable the minister or whomever to table legislation, that work has been done.

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

We have done appropriate work, as the minister has asked.

I'm not at liberty to tell you exactly where proposals are. It's up to the government to decide when they're going to act.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I'm not asking to know where proposals are. I'm asking if whatever work the department needed to do to enable its minister to table legislation is complete.

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

We do appropriate work, as the minister has asked. The minister will decide what to do with the work that has been done to date. I am not at liberty to tell you exactly where each piece of legislation or proposal is.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

That's not what I'm asking, Madame. In fairness, you're dealing with Parliament here. You had a unanimous vote in the House of Commons--

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Mr. Lauzon, do you wish to make a point of order?

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

With all due respect to my colleague, I think the questioning is somewhat unfair. I don't think the deputy minister should be answering for the government--

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I'm not asking the deputy to answer for the government.

[Guy Lauzon, Conservative, Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry, ON]

You've asked the same question four or five different ways. I think in fairness to our witness, out of respect, if that question has to be answered, it should be asked of the minister. I'd like you to rule on that.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I do not have the rules and procedures in front of me, but I will however allow Mr. Lauzon's point of order.

It is important to remind members that they are free to ask questions, but they must make a distinction between the work of our public servants and that of politicians.

That said, Mr. Bélanger, we will restart the clock.

Mr. Godin, do you also wish to make a point of order?

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

Mr. Chair, Mr. Bélanger's question is not intended for the minister, but rather for the deputy minister. Therefore, if I understood the question correctly, the point of order cannot be allowed to stand. The question is to find out whether the witness is able to deliver the bill on time, at the request of the minister. That is something only the deputy minister can answer. The minister cannot.

The deputy minister should be able to say whether she can meet the minister's requirements, once he decides to table a bill in the House of Commons. I gather that she answered in the affirmative.

[Yaprak Baltacioglu]

Just to be clear, though--

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

I apologize, deputy minister, but I must rule on the point of order.

Mr. Godin, you have indeed clarified what I just said. We agree that we can ask questions of our public officials, but some questions must be addressed to a minister. It is in keeping with that spirit that I invite Mr. Bélanger to continue his questioning.

Do you have any other comments you would like to make, Mr. Godin?

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

Mr. Lauzon's point of order concerned the minister, but Mr. Bélanger's questions were not intended for the minister. He wanted to know whether the witness was able to deliver the bill on time.