Official Languages Committee on May 9th, 2013

[Graham Fraser]

It's the expenses of our offices. It's the human resources. It's finance. It's internal audit. It's access to information. It's the various support elements that enable us to do our work.

[Corneliu Chisu, Conservative, Pickering—Scarborough East, ON]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Chisu.

Mr. Benskin.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Thank you.

It's always a pleasure to have you here.

Now, $120 million is allocated by the new road map, in terms of Citizenship and Immigration, into language training for economic immigrants. I'm assuming that's language training in the majority language, for the most part, no?

[Graham Fraser]

I am making the same assumption, but I'm waiting to see the details. I have exactly the same question about the relationship of that $120 million to the goals and objectives of the road map.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

As a follow-up question on the promotion capacity—you've kind of answered it—what kinds of sums, or what kind of action, is being taken to ensure that new arrivals, and I'm speaking particularly in the west, have access to the second language, and to training in terms of it?

[Graham Fraser]

One of the challenges we have as a country is that, while there is a constitutional right clearly defined in section 23—the right to access to minority language education—there is no constitutional right to second language education. The result is that there's very uneven access for people to language training in the other official language. You raised the fact that this $120 million has been identified as part of the road map. The road map has gone through a change of name from being a road map for linguistic duality to being a road map for official languages, which I assume is the reason why this funding, which is about funding the learning of what I, like you, assume is the majority language, is.... I have certain questions as to whether that really is in continuity with the goals and objectives of the previous road map.

The road map was renewed, and the figure went from $1.1 billion to $1.124 billion, which is a 1.3% increase. If you subtract that $120 million, you're looking at a 9.5% decrease in funding for the previous programs. Like you, I have some questions as to what purpose that $120 million is going to go to and what the relationship is to the original goals of the road map, which this purports to be renewing.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Thank you.

For me, it seems like a bit of a contradiction in what “official languages” is supposed to be. If people coming in from another country wish to learn the second official language in the west, assuming it's French, but don't have that opportunity or are not supported in that quest to learn the second language, how does that help the promotion of French in the west, if the largest growing part of the population is immigration?

[Graham Fraser]

All I can say is that I think that's an extremely good question. I will be taking note of it.

[Tyrone Benskin, NDP, Jeanne-Le Ber, QC]

Thank you.

I'd just like a quick discussion about the minority press. Your predecessor, I believe in 2003 and 2005, put out two studies talking about the importance of the minority press and laying out recommendations about the importance. We're seeing, in print in particular, a rather disturbing decrease in the amount of advertisement taken out in minority press newspapers, particularly community newspapers in the minority official languages.

Have you been following that? Is that something that concerns you?

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you, Mr. Benskin,

Go ahead, Mr. Fraser.

[Graham Fraser]

I am concerned about the state of the minority press, because I think the minority press plays a critical role in the vitality of minority language communities. One of the things I have noted and have become very aware of is that there has been a change in the criteria for funding small community newspapers that would depend upon the post office to distribute their publication. This has had a very deleterious effect particularly on La Liberté in Manitoba, because it serves the entire province.

The minority press is not unique in facing an advertising problem. The written press everywhere in North America is facing particular challenges, but I think the written press still plays an extremely important role for the vitality of minority language communities. I think it's important that role be recognized and supported.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Okay, thank you.

Go ahead, Mr. O'Toole.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Mr. Fraser, welcome. Thank you for your report.

I was going to start with a question on the estimates, but my colleague, Madame Michaud, decided to bring more political issues into this. I thought I'd take advantage of the clarity you might be able to provide.

While I was in the air force, I had the good pleasure of serving at a rescue coordination centre in Trenton, Ontario, with the Coast Guard and with air force officials, many of whom were francophone. In-house, the ministers repeatedly said that language services would be a priority.

But on that issue, I'm wondering if you, as the official languages commissioner, could comment on the geography of a location.

When I was at Trenton, our rescue centre had responsibility for Ontario, parts of western Canada, and the Arctic. Certainly I think from a language perspective the priority would be service in both languages for people in distress, whether the call was in Trenton, Halifax, or Victoria.

From your point of view, is it really the language service that's the priority and not necessarily the location where the bilingual, francophone, or anglophone Coast Guard official or air force official is present?

[Graham Fraser]

I'm a little hesitant to answer in detail, because these are some of the issues we are dealing with specifically in our follow-up to the recommendations we made on our investigation into the proposal to move the search and rescue centre.

What I would say is that it is critical, when vessels are in distress, that the people who are on the other end of the radio are able to understand them, and that time is of the essence. As you know from your own experience, a successful rescue is often a matter of responding in seconds or minutes rather than hours. So a clear understanding of what is being said by somebody who is in a position of extreme stress is extremely important.

[Erin O'Toole, Conservative, Durham, ON]

You made a very good point. Thank you. The example of a vessel was a good one. Obviously a vessel, whether at sea, or on a lake or a river, would be using radio or cellular to get through to a coordination centre, whether Trenton or Halifax. In my experience, having worked in Trenton with some outstanding francophone Royal Canadian Air Force officers, we had that ability. But I think the minister has said that it's good to ensure that consistency across the country.

Getting back to estimates and your presentation, I have two remaining question in the amount of time I have so I'll put both of them out there. There was some discussion about reductions internally, travel and other things. I'm wondering if you could provide a little more detail. Is that reducing travel between your regional offices?

My second question is in relation to your outreach to the summer games and summer festivals, which I think is admirable and very innovative. My question is this. Do you proactively look at what events of a national nature might be happening across the country, or are many of these organizations coming to you? How is that communication going?

[Graham Fraser]

It's a bit of a combination of both. This was one of the results of our work on the Olympics. Following the Olympics we produced a publication that has a checklist of things that organizations need to take into account if they're going to be able to deliver their events in both official languages. There is a publication within the publication, literally a tear-out, and the person who is responsible for language issues at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke said he found this very valuable. He literally has it pinned on his bulletin board beside his desk.

Our Montreal office has been working very closely with the organizers at the Canada Summer Games in Sherbrooke. I'll be there for the opening. Other people will be there throughout the games.

Similarly, from the outset I've had a series of meetings and our people have had a series of meetings with the organizers of the 2015 Pan American Games. It's been a very collaborative relationship. I think they have found it useful. We have found it useful, and so we have been looking ahead at the various events that are coming down the pipe, and whenever there's an announcement that there's going to be some kind of event we say, “Is there a role? We should be in touch with somebody so that they are able to take advantage of the experiences we have acquired”, and now we are working with these different organizations.

In terms of reducing expenses, we now have audiovisual links to our regional offices, which we didn't have for a long time, so in the past to have a meeting that would include people from the regions, more often than is the case now, they would fly to Ottawa. Now it's much easier just to punch them up on a screen and have that meeting.

Even though I'm travelling as much if not more, my own travel expenses have dropped over the years, because I have made a point of flying economy rather than flying executive and the difference in cost is significant.

[The Chair, Conservative, Michael Chong]

Thank you very much.

Mr. Dionne Labelle, you have the floor.

[Pierre Dionne Labelle, NDP, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Good afternoon, everyone. Congratulations on your work.

I would just like to come back to a point on the issue of the Quebec City marine rescue sub-centre. You shared your concerns as an officer of Parliament. The Auditor General shared his concerns, as well. So, there are two independent officers of Parliament who have shared their concerns about the capacity to provide adequate bilingual services, should the rescue sub-centre be moved. I think we can say that there might be a problem here. Now back to the matter at hand.

I greatly enjoyed your presentation, Mr. Fraser. I see that you have worked hard and will continue to do so. This year, you are going to publish the results of an audit on transfers to the provinces, as well as follow-up on audits of National Defence, Service Canada and the Halifax Port Authority; we will have some nice files to study here. You are also conducting audits on management models, on the role of the Treasury Board Secretariat, on Air Canada and on Industry Canada. And it doesn't stop there. In fact, three other studies are on their way: one on the magistrature, one on public service training and one on appointments made by the Governor General. I think we can draw inspiration from these topics in establishing our agenda for the year.

Point 2.1 in your report on plans and priorities reads as follows: “Determine the trends of federal budget restraint measures and their impact on upholding language rights and advancing linguistic duality.” We know that we are in a period of cutbacks. We have heard from Minister Moore. According to the numbers, at Canadian Heritage, there will be a decrease in investments in developing official language communities and in promoting official languages.

How will you follow up on all of that? Are you going to write a report on the impact of cutbacks on the linguistic obligations of the government or of the various departments? Will you provide us with a report?

[Graham Fraser]

It's an ongoing concern that we take into account in our analyses of the work of the departments. It is an aspect we will study. I think we will also conduct an audit of the Treasury Board, isn't that right?

[Ghislaine Charlebois]

Yes. As Mr. Dionne Labelle said, the audit will be of the role played by the Treasury Board in instructions given to federal institutions at the time of cutbacks.

[Pierre Dionne Labelle, NDP, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

Will we receive it sometime this year?

[Ghislaine Charlebois]

It probably won't be published this year, but next year. The audit will take place this year. The report will be made public because it is an audit report.

In addition, a certain number of files are related to complaints that followed the cuts. We are in the process of finalizing them. Those reports will definitely not be published, but we hope to be able to analyze the complaint files as a whole. Perhaps the commissioner will be able to make some public messages about the findings of those investigations.

[Pierre Dionne Labelle, NDP, Rivière-du-Nord, QC]

We are awaiting that information impatiently.

In the same document, your report on plans and priorities, it states that you hope to obtain a 60% response to the recommendations that the office of the commissioner has made to the various departments. In my opinion, a response rate of 60% to your recommendations isn't much.

Why that target? Is it because it seems that the departments are not reacting to your recommendations?

[Graham Fraser]

No, I wouldn't say that.

We have developed an evaluation grid for the results of our recommendations. Some of them have been accepted, others have been accepted partially, and some have not yet been accepted. That this leaves some leeway. Some recommendations that have not necessarily been implemented in a given year could be in the future.