Evidence of meeting #28 for Official Languages in the 41st Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was languages.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
Indeed. Now we provide horizontal information, and the official language officers are able to advise the deputy minister in their department.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
The departments and agencies are supposed to submit a report to you every year.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
Under section 48 of the Official Languages Act, the Treasury Board President files an annual report on the status of official languages.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
There was a time when the departments and agencies submitted a report to you every year, but that is no longer the case, is it?
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
There was a time when the reports you received were evaluated, but you have stopped doing that, and now there are no more reports. Is that correct?
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
No, we still prepare our reports.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
But the departments and agencies that submitted reports to you no longer do so.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
The departments still prepare reports.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
I would have to look at the figures, but I can tell you that we essentially ask one-third of the federal institutions to submit reports every year.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
If I understand correctly, only one-third of all agencies that used to report now report, and two-thirds no longer do so.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
Pardon me, but in one year, one-third of institutions report, and the second third do so in the second year, and the third third do so in the third year.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I have perhaps a minute or two left.
Mr. MacLeod, I have a question for you.
You said, sir, that the official languages considerations were in every Treasury Board submission. Since you brought it up, I used to be on the board, for a little while, and I have to say that those considerations were a little bit tenuous. How have you strengthened them, sir, with the diminished resources?
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We have worked with our colleagues in the Treasury Board in terms of how they provide analysis to the board in the précis they provide to ministers for their consideration. In every submission to the board, there is a section on official languages implications. We have trained and worked with the analysts and program sectors to ensure that they can provide the appropriate analysis, and they do consult with us on issues.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
Without asking for any particular information, in terms of a particular submission, there must be a grid of some sort that they're asked to fill.
There must be some sort of model.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
Yes. There is a guide for Treasury Board submissions that—
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
Yes, you may have a copy of that guide.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We also provide training for the analysts as well, so they can understand the grid and how it's implemented, to make sure they can provide the appropriate analysis.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We use the guide that Marc mentioned, but we also provide sessions to members of the program sector.
Liberal
Mauril Bélanger Liberal Ottawa—Vanier, ON
I'm sure you're not going to offer me a session, but could we have a...? I wouldn't mind it. Could we have a copy of the guide, of the training they receive?
I'm getting the impression, with all due respect, that the Treasury Board has dramatically changed what it was doing—you've confirmed that. I'm not convinced that the changes are all positive ones in respect of the Official Languages Act. Obviously you believe differently, so I'd love to be convinced.
Executive Director, Official Languages, Treasury Board Secretariat
The training sessions that we offer are mainly based on an examination of that Treasury Board submissions guide. I am not convinced that we will be able to provide you with any other information because it is done orally. We give the analysts a more specific context.
Liberal