Evidence of meeting #54 for Official Languages in the 40th Parliament, 3rd Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was employees.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Mauril Bélanger
Ms. Forand, you will have to speak much slower because the line is not very clear right now.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
All right.
Liberal
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Okay.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Mauril Bélanger
If you are using speakerphone, perhaps you should use the direct line instead.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Actually, I am using the direct line. I'm not using speakerphone. I'm doing my best with the little phone I have here.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
To begin, as I was saying, I would really like to apologize to the committee for my lack of precision when I appeared on March 8. I am sorry for all of the confusion caused by that lack of precision and clarity, and I hope my comments today will reassure you regarding Service Canada's full compliance with the Official Languages Act and the rights of all Canadians.
Turning now to my opening remarks, first I would like to clarify the situation regarding the language designation of the Atlantic region by Service Canada.
We had four regions, which have been combined into one single large region. This had, and still has, no consequences for bilingual services. Every Service Canada centre and employee position that had been designated bilingual remains bilingual. There has been no change in any language of work entitlements of Service Canada employees. Service Canada fully complies with the Official Languages Act.
Consequently, nothing has changed. The act guarantees the linguistic rights of employees and clients and requires that federal departments and agencies ensure that those rights are respected.
Service Canada's new internal organizational structure, like the previous one, fully respects the Official Languages Act. Therefore, the same rights and privileges that are protected under the act and which existed prior to this structural and administrative change continue to apply.
We continue to serve clients in the official language of their choice, in accordance with the act. We also continue to respect the right of employees to use the language of their choice in bilingual areas such as New Brunswick. Nothing can diminish those rights or our legal responsibility to protect them and ensure that they are respected. In fact, we plan to increase our bilingual capacity for regional senior management positions in the Atlantic region.
There are currently 25 senior management positions in the Atlantic region, of which 60% are designated bilingual. Our goal is to ensure that 80% of senior management positions in the region are bilingual. In New Brunswick in particular, the 10 existing senior management positions are bilingual and will remain bilingual.
We firmly intend to fully respect our official language obligations.
We are committed to developing an official languages plan based on the audit report by the Commissioner of Official Languages, the details of which we provided you at our last appearance before this committee. We will consult with official language minority communities in implementing that action plan. I would also like to repeat that the commissioner expressed his satisfaction with the proposed measures and timelines.
I now reiterate our commitment to offering quality services to the public in the language of their choice. That is our mandate and our purpose. Official languages are an integral part of the cultural service excellence that we are creating across the country.
It is one the values of our organization and that will not change.
That concludes my opening remarks, Mr. Chairman. All four of us are now ready to answer your questions.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Mauril Bélanger
Thank you very much, Ms. Forand.
We will start with Mr. Murphy.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Ms. Forand, we, committee members, are well aware of the difference between bilingual service delivery and the designation of the administration as bilingual or unilingual. You said in your appearance of March 8 that the administrative structure of the Atlantic region was unilingual. Today, you are saying that four regions have been combined into one large Atlantic region. That's quite clear. Before these changes, was there a region, New Brunswick, for example, that was designated bilingual, yes or no?
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Bilingual designation is provided for under the Official Languages Act. Its provisions allow for a determination of which regions are designated bilingual in terms of service to Canadians and language of work.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
Was New Brunswick designated bilingual administratively, yes or no?
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
It is not the department's administrative responsibility to designate a region bilingual or unilingual. The clarification I wanted to make...
Liberal
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
... was that these designations are...
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
I have a lot of questions, Ms. Forand, my time is limited.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
... provided for under the Official Languages Act.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
I'm sorry, but I have a time limit.
I have another question for you. You also said nothing at all had changed. However, employees in the region are receiving petitions. We have received a lot of calls in our offices. People think that in the New Brunswick region, for example, there's been a big change. As a matter of fact, there were four regions and now there's only one. The region has been designated unilingual anglophone. The centre is in Halifax, not in New Brunswick. That is a clear change, one that is not good for bilingualism in New Brunswick and not good for Acadians in the Atlantic region. Do you acknowledge that or not?
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
There has been absolutely no change to the linguistic designation of the Atlantic region, nor has there been any change to the bilingual services provided in that region by Service Canada. There has been no change to the designation of bilingual positions. All positions designated bilingual before this administrative change remain so. There has been no change in the linguistic designation of the Atlantic region.
Liberal
Brian Murphy Liberal Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe, NB
With all due respect, Ms. Forand, I will suggest that you read certain articles on language rights in Canada. You will find that at page 534 and following of the book Les lois linguistiques au Canada.
I don't have much time, Ms. Forand, but on behalf of the residents of my region, I have to say that you don't appear to be very familiar with the act—more specifically, sections 34 to 36—and your obligations under it. With all due respect, I do not believe that you have complied with the act. That is not at all clear. In New Brunswick , we had a bilingual region. Now, it is unilingual and the administration is located in Halifax. It's terrible and unacceptable and I am not satisfied with your answer. It is not responsible, because in New Brunswick we had a right and now we no longer have that right. I am speaking for the employees of Service Canada. I'm not referring to points of service.
I am not at all satisfied, Ms. Forand. I will turn the floor over to the others.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Mr. Chairman.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Mr. Chairman.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Mr. Chairman, may I provide further clarification.
The member mentioned the fact that the headquarters of the greater Atlantic region is located in Halifax and that this has an impact on New Brunswick employees. I would just like to reassure the committee and the member. The fact that the senior management of the region is located in Halifax has had no repercussions on other management positions in the region. Our structure is not concentrated in Halifax.
Furthermore, we have management positions in all...