Official Languages Committee on Oct. 25th, 2011

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Just one moment, please....

We haven't received a full response yet.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

I note that we're also waiting for a response to my question to the parliamentary secretary as to whether or not the final evaluation of the road map,

mid term,

would be made public. We're waiting for that.

I just wanted to remind my colleagues of those pending questions.

Mr. Commissioner, I know you met the leader of my party. I suspect that you also met the leader of the official opposition. Did you also get to meet the Prime Minister prior to tabling your report?

[Graham Fraser]

Yes, I did.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

And the Treasury Board president?

[Graham Fraser]

Yes, I did.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

The Minister of Transport?

[Graham Fraser]

Yes, I did.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

And the Clerk of the Privy Council?

[Graham Fraser]

Yes.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

So they're all personally aware of your recommendations specifically directed to them.

[Graham Fraser]

Yes.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

Thank you.

Are you open to other studies, new studies, new areas...? Are you open to considering suggestions?

[Graham Fraser]

I am definitely open to suggestions. The one thing I would remind the committee of is that in my obligation that I expressed, to treat the spirit and intent of...we are going to have to be very, very precise in our priorities for embarking on studies. There are certain things we have in mind for further studies, but I'm always open to suggestions.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

There is one area I find a growing concern for, and it's throughout the country. This relates back to the very first action plan, the 2003-08 action plan.

Incidentally, I attended the Senate committee meeting yesterday, where you were asked certain questions.

At the time the government introduced the 2003-08 action plan, it also said that it would follow up with a subsequent one, because there was a 10-year planning horizon over specific objectives vis-à-vis education--in particular, those who have the right to an education. There was a hope that the objective of 80% would be reached and that there would be also a 50% increase in terms of....

[Graham Fraser]

Bilingual graduates from high school.

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

That's correct.

I am curious, sir, to know the use of the billions of dollars that are being transferred to the provinces for minority language education and whether or not that money is being used as efficiently as it could be. That's an area where I think you might see a growing concern from a number of associations, from minority community associations across the country. If there were a time or an interest in that, I would be certainly one to encourage you to consider that. I'll leave it at that.

[Graham Fraser]

I think Monsieur Bélanger has put his finger on one of the paradoxes of the general situation of official languages, in that it is--

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

I'm sorry, but I have to go to recommendation 3. This is the one where you've asked the government to go from BBB, which is the level of

second language proficiency,

to another level.

I think you've made a dreadful mistake there, sir. If you had suggested BBC instead, you might have had some success, given the government's tendency to support things British. But as for going to CBC, forget it. It's not going to happen.

[Voices]

Oh, oh!

[Mauril Bélanger, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier, ON]

You really have to review that recommendation, sir.

But joking aside, what would be the timeline required, in your view, to reach that objective of the CBC level in the

senior official category?

It would be expected that those to whom the public servants report would be able to understand what the public servants are talking about. You asked that it be implemented on November 12, 2012. It may be, but it's going to take a while to happen. What's your time horizon for it to come into effect?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Bélanger.

Mr. Fraser, please.

[Graham Fraser]

There is a department that, in response to our giving it a very bad note on its management ability, has introduced a three-year plan to reach a state in which its EX minus 1 supervisors are at the CBC level.

I'm going to be meeting with that department to discuss that plan in detail, but the recommendation to the Treasury Board Secretariat is to adopt the level of CBC in November 2012. I've had some conversations about what that may involve, but that conversation will continue, and I am looking with interest at the three-year plan that has been introduced by one other department.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much, Mr. Fraser.

Mr. Galipeau, please.

[Royal Galipeau, Conservative, Ottawa—Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

I would just like to mention something in passing. I am sure that the previous government's decision to shut down the Royal Military College of Canada in 1995 was mitigated by the fact that we opened it.

[Graham Fraser]

I would just like to clarify something. It was reopened as a CEGEP with the intention—according to National Defense Headquarters—of once again turning it into a university. However, it is not yet at that level--