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.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Thank you, Mr. Godin.
As I said in my opening statement, it was an error on my part not to have been more clear on March 8 about the changes that were made in the Atlantic region.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Why did the director of communications for the Atlantic region in Newfoundland also tell me that the Service Canada administration for the Atlantic region was unilingual? Two people, one of whom is from the department, have told us that it is unilingual. So why are you telling us today that it is not?
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
All I can do, Mr. Godin, is to emphasize that saying that about the region—
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
— was an error on my part.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
It is completely inaccurate to say that the Atlantic region as a whole is designated unilingual.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
The administrative structure is unilingual. Is that not correct? That is what you said.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
That is not correct.
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
Ms. Forand, you said that the administrative structure was unilingual. Ms. Therrien from Newfoundland told me the same thing, that the Service Canada administrative structure in Newfoundland was unilingual.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
The administrative structure respects—
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
It respects the Official Languages Act in terms of—
NDP
Yvon Godin NDP Acadie—Bathurst, NB
You are not answering my question, Ms. Forand. Is it unilingual or bilingual?
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
I have said several times today that we comply with the Official Languages Act for language of work. It is the Official Languages Act that designates population segments and areas of the country as bilingual or unilingual.
NDP
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Mauril Bélanger
That closes our second round of questions and brings committee business to an end.
Dear colleagues, I think this is a subject that we must explore further, although we may be interrupted by an election. But we will see.
Ms. Forand, if I may, I am going to make a suggestion. This morning we also heard from the Deputy Minister of the Department of Industry, Mr. Dicerni, who told us, in reply to a question put by my colleague Mr. Murphy, that the Atlantic administrative region of the Department of Industry is bilingual. You could perhaps consider this possibility for Service Canada. I will leave you with that.
I wish you an enjoyable trip to Spain. Hasta luego.
Chief Operating Officer, Senior Associate Deputy Minister of the Department of Human Resources and Skills Development, Service Canada
Gracias.
Liberal
The Vice-Chair Liberal Mauril Bélanger
Thank you, Mr. Nixon, Ms. Rallis and Mr. La Salle.
This closes the 54th meeting of the Standing Committee on Official Languages.
The meeting is adjourned.