Official Languages Committee on March 24th, 2011

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Ms. Forand, I am talking about unilingual points of service.

[Liseanne Forand]

There has been no change.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

I do not want to know whether there has been any change.

Ms. Forand, listen carefully. Suppose I were to go to a unilingual English designated office and ask to be served in French. Would I have to leave that office if I wanted bilingual service?

[Liseanne Forand]

I wanted to make it clear that there was no change in the designation of unilingual or bilingual points of service.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Are there unilingual English offices, Ms. Forand?

I am going to start over with a third question. Are there unilingual English designated offices?

[Liseanne Forand]

There are unilingual English designated offices.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Good, let's stop here.

Suppose I were to go to a unilingual English office. I ask a question and I want to be served in French. Would they call the RCMP to take me away because I want service in French?

[Liseanne Forand]

If you ask to be served in French in a unilingual English office...

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

A Service Canada office.

[Liseanne Forand]

... anywhere in Canada....

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Yes.

[Liseanne Forand]

.... the agent will tell you that you are at a unilingual English office and will give you the opportunity to communicate then and there with Service Canada by phone.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

All right.

[Liseanne Forand]

Or the agent will give you the opportunity to consult the Web site using the computer there and will give you information on the location of the nearest bilingual Service Canada office.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

That means, Ms Forand, that I can get service in a unilingual English office. That is what you are telling me. If it is not face to face, it may be by telephone or by consulting the French Internet site. Is that what you are telling me?

[Liseanne Forand]

That is right.

[Richard Nadeau, Bloc, Gatineau, QC]

Good, that is a bit clearer. It is reassuring to me.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[The Vice-Chair, Liberal, Mauril Bélanger]

Thank you.

Mr. Godin.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

Good morning, Ms. Forand.

On March 8, I asked you a question, whether the Atlantic provinces were a bilingual region. You answered that it was a unilingual region, with a bilingual province in it, New Brunswick. Do you agree with that?

[Liseanne Forand]

I agree, that is what I said on March 8.

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

Have you changed your mind since March 8?

[Liseanne Forand]

Now, I would say that...

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

Ah, now, something has changed. I thought nothing has changed.

[Liseanne Forand]

Absolutely nothing has changed.

Mr. Godin, I simply wanted to confirm that you were reading precisely what I said on March 8.

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

I am reading exactly what you said.