Official Languages Committee on Feb. 15th, 2011

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

Were you then reporting on official languages as well?

[Glenda Yeates]

I have to say that I don't recall whether that was in my package as an associate deputy minister. It likely was--

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

It probably wasn't, actually.

[Glenda Yeates]

I'm afraid to say I don't recall.

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

Whom did you consult in the development, modification or reorientation of your plan, aside from the Commissioner of Official Languages?

[Glenda Yeates]

If I may, Mr. Chair, I will start by answering the question regarding the commissioner.

We invited him to come and speak to us. We specifically wanted to know how we could support our staff, how we could continue to make progress once our staff has received the official languages training. We discussed that, but we also discussed what is happening in other government departments to find out about other success stories, and the best ways to get results.

We also have the benefit of the reports Monique Collette did just last year on the subject of how to practically support a number of things, including bilingualism in the workplace. She was charged by the clerk to travel the country and give us the examples of best practices in being a diversity employer, including a bilingual employer, and she came back with some very specific best practices—for example, “This is what they're doing in certain departments in Calgary”, or “This is what they're doing in a certain department in Halifax.” We've consulted that, and, again, through that network we also have the ability to understand how we as a department learn from others and have the best opportunities.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you, Mr. Bélanger.

We will now continue with Mr. Nadeau.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

If a Health Canada employee drafts a document in French for his supervisors, is that well received?

[Glenda Yeates]

Yes, thank you for the question.

Mr. Chair, I am pleased to respond.

It is quite clear, on our executive committee, that verbal or written presentations can be made in either English or French. It is very important for that to be so.

The commissioner noted that not all of our employees feel comfortable expressing themselves in their own language at meetings. Our department is very big and we know that we must inform them of the fact that they may do so. We must be open to English and French. So I think we do...

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

You say that they do not feel comfortable. Is it not rather that they are afraid that, if they write something in French, it will lengthen the process? First of all documents like that need to be translated. Then the writer reviews it and may notice that it is not exactly what they meant. All of this delays the process and may displease their supervisors.

[Glenda Yeates]

Again, thank you for the question, and I'm happy to respond.

I think for that very reason we actually believe it is better for people to write the text in their language of comfort, so the nuances are not lost. We have a department that is highly scientific. We have a department where there are many very important decisions made, very important for the health of Canadians. We therefore want to encourage our employees to write their text, make their presentations, in the language that is clearest for them. That is what we are in the process of reinforcing with our managers and with our staff, so that in fact they all feel they have that ability.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Ms. MacLeod, what do you do to encourage people to speak French at the Department of Health? According to your results, on page 27 of the Commissioner of Official Languages' second report, the situation is not very rosy.

[Catherine MacLeod]

Thank you for the question.

I work closely with my colleague, Mr. Roy, the chair of the Council of the Network of Official Languages Champions. My colleague, the assistant deputy minister, and I have developed methods to communicate with managers and staff. On occasion, for instance, on Francophonie Day, Linguistic Duality Day, we ask them to encourage people to be brave, to dare to express themselves in both official languages, to dare to use their second language and further promote the use of both official languages within the department. It is true that there is still work to be done.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Ms. MacLeod, you understand that my question is not about both official languages; it is about French. It is about making francophones feel comfortable, not like renegades, if they use French when they draft documents for their supervisors.

We know that the machinery of government is far more anglophone than it is francophone, so there may be undue pressure on francophone employees. If one of them hopes one day to get a promotion but is seen as someone who uses French more often or too often, his career may be put on ice for a very long time. It may also be the case that employees feel uncomfortable using their own language because they do not feel at home in this department.

You were referring to Francophonie Day. My background is in education. I taught francophones in both Saskatchewan and in Ontario. We also used to do a lot of language promotion, but we did it on a regular basis so young people could be proud of speaking French. You have one francophone pride day per year and you think that is how you are going to solve your problems.

[Catherine MacLeod]

No, it is actually every day. It is about speaking both official languages at each meeting, trying to have presentations in both English and French, gradually changing the culture during each interaction and each communication.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

So that is how you encourage people to write their texts in French.

Do you have an assessment grid for results, to see whether francophones really do feel comfortable? That is not what is indicated in the commissioner's report.

[Glenda Yeates]

Mr. Chair, perhaps I can answer that question.

We are very determined to get information that allows us to assess our progress and that tells us whether our employees feel more comfortable.

In the past, we got updates from Statistics Canada. We do not know when those will be coming in. That is why Health Canada decided that, if there is no survey for the entire public service, we would come up with our own, internally, to make sure we know what our employees think, to know whether the situation is improving, whether we are reaching our objectives, whether our employees feel more comfortable in their mother tongue.

We decided to get the information we needed to judge peoples' attitudes and experiences. I agree, we need to get a good understanding of the employees' experiences, that is the information we need in order to make decisions.

[The Chair, Conservative, Steven Blaney]

Thank you very much, Mr. Nadeau.

We will continue now with Mr. Godin.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would also like to welcome you.

First, I would like to congratulate you for your A grade. People need to be congratulated when they deserve it.

Unfortunately, you also have had Ds and Es. That is certainly not encouraging.

Could you explain one thing to me? I am looking at the report, and it looks good. Visual active offer is at 86%, which is good. However visual offer, when you say hello and welcome people in both languages and the other person does not speak your language, it seems to drop down to 30%. Apparently, active offer by your people is provided in 30% of cases.

Ms. MacLeod, you are the official languages champion. You say you have energy for this program. How long have you been working at this department?

[Catherine MacLeod]

Approximately four years. As champion, since June.

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

Since June, then.

[Catherine MacLeod]

Yes.

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

You are at 30% today. That happened between January and April 2010. So, you can say that you were not there when this happened.

[Catherine MacLeod]

I did not understand.

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

We are looking at 30%, and you arrived in June. Is that one of the reasons why you got this position?