Official Languages Committee on March 8th, 2011

[Liseanne Forand]

I wanted to reassure you by telling you that it would not be an obstacle.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

You have to look beyond the pilot project. Follow the example of Elections Canada, a federal authority that operates very effectively. It is incomprehensible that in 2011, people's rights to receive French-language services at a Service Canada outlet or anywhere else should still be shrugged off. Trying to plug that gap with a pilot project is like putting a band-aid on a wooden leg. This type of service must be permanent. Citizens have the right to services in French, and they must get them.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mauril Bélanger]

Thank you, Mr. Nadeau.

Ms. Forand, you may give a brief answer if you wish.

[Liseanne Forand]

I would simply say that we will be reviewing the results of this pilot project. I mentioned the $13,000, not to say that the amount of money is a problem, but rather to point out that, since it is not very costly, we do not expect it to be an obstacle in any way.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mauril Bélanger]

That concludes our third round.

We have time left for a fourth round.

Mrs. Boucher, the floor is yours.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

I will be sharing my time with Mr. Généreux.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mauril Bélanger]

Do you want me to tell you when your time is up?

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Limoilou, QC]

Yes, please.

There is something bothering me. Some of your offices are unilingual English. We have been talking about this for the past hour. However, your offices are also located in areas where there are francophones. Your offices are like a front line.

When I get to your office, I feel like a poor francophone who needs a brochure. Unfortunately, you cannot even give me that, because you work in English even though there are plenty of francophones. I know that you care deeply about service to the public. Even if the office is not bilingual—which it should be in any case, because we are in Canada—there should be some kind of support. You must admit that driving 150 km to pick up a brochure in Cape Breton is a long way. If I live in Halifax, Nova Scotia, going to Cape Breton to pick up a brochure is quite the trip. Doesn't that kind of support exist? Service is provided in only one language in many places, but people should at least be able to obtain a couple of brochures.

We know that those offices will receive telephone calls, even if it is only once a week, once a month or once every six months. The demand is there, because those offices are in areas where there are francophones.

[Liseanne Forand]

As I said earlier, we try to offer the best service possible to all clients who come to our offices. For example, our unilingual front-line officers must complete a training session entitled “Putting Citizens First”. This is front-line service training, a course that is very highly regarded and that is now offered by the provinces and in other countries.

This course includes a module about the Official Languages Act that teaches people about the obligations of federal authorities under the act. It focuses on service rather than on legal matters. Participants are taught how they can best serve people who come to a unilingual centre.

As to brochures, our written material is available in both languages in all our offices. If there is a brochure on social insurance numbers, for example, it will be available in both languages, whether the office is unilingual or bilingual. Our entire focus is on service.

I would not like to give the impression that the people who come to our offices are simply told by the person behind the counter to go elsewhere for French-language services. We train our front-line officers to give the best service possible and they are proud to do so.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen.

Ms. Forand, you referred to the new services provided by the outreach centres. People move around. We live in the era of technology. Has this resulted in an improvement in the services you provide, and if so, how? Most regions of Canada, including rural regions, receive services from Internet service providers. So people have increasing access to great quantities of information, as do you and all other government departments. Does this have an impact on the quality of the services you may eventually provide?

[Liseanne Forand]

Thank you. We have tried to maximize the use of available technology in order to be able to provide the same quality of services to all citizens. That includes people living in rural areas and even in the Far North, who can make regular visits to outreach sites. The term may give the impression that buses or vehicles of some kind are used, but that is not at all the case. It is the officers who travel and provide service in a safe and healthy environment.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

When they travel from place to place, they can use laptops and hook up to a remote network, likely high-speed. That implies that there are networks in those regions. You even mentioned the Far North. Are there remote connections everywhere there?

[Liseanne Forand]

When it is not possible to connect to a wireless or high-speed network, we use satellites. We have the technology we need. We use it in the Far North and in some regions of northern Quebec and northern Ontario as well.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

So your officers always have access to a network?

[Liseanne Forand]

They do the best they can, according to the availability of the satellite range. But...

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

I apologize for interrupting, but that raises another question.

Does this mean that service is automatically being improved in some regions, especially in the rural regions of Canada?

[Liseanne Forand]

Absolutely. That is what we aim to do. As compared to the services we were able to provide five years ago in northern, remote and rural regions, the service we provide now is much more complete.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mauril Bélanger]

Thank you.

Ms. Zarac, the floor is yours.

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

Thank you.

Mr. La Salle, how long have you been champion of official languages?

[Dominique La Salle, Director General and Co-Champion of Official Languages, Seniors and Pension Policy, Service Canada]

For about a year and a half.

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

What I have heard today about your unilingual offices is somewhat worrisome. There has been a lot of talk about services, but I would like to address the matter of language of work. Mr. Godin referred to this earlier. Under the Official Languages Act, there are language of work criteria to be complied with. As champion, do you consider that Service Canada is fulfilling all of its obligations under the Official Languages Act?

[Dominique La Salle]

Clearly, there is always room for improvement. We must keep in mind where we started from and what our target is. It is clear from everything that has been said this morning that we are not perfect. No one can say that we have reached our goal yet. However, I think that we are making great progress. The role of champion is to act as promoter and activist in the area of official languages. It is an opportunity.

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

So in general, you influence the decision-making.

[Dominique La Salle]

That is right. I have a lot of contacts with people and I participate in events such as Linguistic Duality Week.

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

Back to my question, Mr. La Salle. As champion of official languages, do you consider that Service Canada is currently fulfilling all of its obligations under the Official Languages Act?