Official Languages Committee on May 2nd, 2016

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

I was not paying that much attention.

[Graham Fraser]

I used to work in an environment where what we wrote appeared in next day's newspaper. After 10 years, I learned to be patient.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Commissioner, you said that the number of complaints has increased by 33%. To which part of the Official Languages Act do those complaints pertain? How do you explain that increase?

[Graham Fraser]

We are seeing a sharper increase of complaints filed under section 91. According to that provision, the language assessment of a position should be appropriate to the role and definitions of the position's functions.

The Treasury Board is increasingly using generic task descriptions. There is a tendency across government to apply the BBB level by default. In that case, people look at the positions posted and their functions in a region designated as bilingual, and figure that the selected individual, if they only have a BBB as their linguistic profile, will be incapable of supervising someone who has the right to work in their language. So they submit a complaint. That causes problems for us.

Ms. Saikaley, do you want to add anything to the explanation?

[Ghislaine Saikaley, Assistant Commissioner, Compliance Assurance Branch, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages]

For that category of complaints, the rate has gone from 9% to 22% in the past year. So the increase is sharpest in that area.

When it comes to other parts of the act—for instance part IV, which has to do with services to the public, or part VII—we have noted an increase of about 20 complaints. So we can't talk about an upward trend, as the situation is relatively stable.

A significant increase in the number of complaints has really been noted when it comes to section 91 of the act, which concerns the language of work and directly affects public servants.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you.

Mr. Samson, go ahead.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Thank you very much.

I have four questions to ask and five minutes to do so. So I have to be quick about it.

I will first address Ms. Lagacé, whom I thank for her presence today.

What happened in the 2013-2014 budget compared with budgets for other fiscal years? There was a huge increase in the budget, and then an equally huge decrease. How do you explain that difference?

[Colette Lagacé]

Most of the difference is due to the fact that we asked the Treasury Board Secretariat for a cash advance to cover our moving expenses. Our offices, which were on Slater Street, in Ottawa, are now located at 30 Victoria Street, in Gatineau.

To cover the cost of that move of approximately $2.9 million, we asked Parliament for a credit advance, which we will pay back over nine years.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

So that was not really an additional government investment in official languages, but rather an advance to deal with a specific issue. It's important to point that out.

[Colette Lagacé]

That's right.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Fraser, you said that you were promoting official languages in the provinces, including by making presentations.

Have you noticed, over the past 10 years, a difference in the way the premiers and ministers of various provinces have been fulfilling their official languages obligations? Can you tell us which province is doing the best job of meeting its obligations?

You have 59 seconds to answer.

[Graham Fraser]

We have noticed that some provinces have been showing a special interest in official languages. New Brunswick has provincial obligations that are part of its constitutional obligations. Nova Scotia has adopted an official languages policy. Ontario has its French Language Services Commissioner. As for Manitoba, the premier, who was the member for Saint-Boniface, was also the minister in charge of French language services. He had a special interest in that.

It is still too early to know whether Manitoba's interest will last, given that the province has a new government. I hope that the new premier, who used to be a federal MP, will use his knowledge of language duality at the federal level in the fulfillment of provincial responsibilities for official languages.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Mr. Fraser, thank you for that overview of the situation.

I would now like to talk about additional funding being requested for additional projects. You mentioned that you have not put in such a request this year. What are the additional projects for which you will soon have to request additional funding?

[Graham Fraser]

We are currently in the preparation phase. That is why I hesitate to provide more specific information. We are looking into our funding needs to improve our processing of complaints. We are trying to avoid robbing Peter to pay Paul. There are some proposals, but we are at the preliminary stage and we are preparing the request. I would be hesitant to put it more clearly than that.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

Do I have enough time for another question?

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Yes, go ahead.

[Darrell Samson, Liberal, Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS]

When we met a few weeks ago, you talked about the major challenge we are currently facing—the digital transition.

Can you tell me what can be done quickly to get up to speed in that area, so as to ensure that minority communities have maximum access to those opportunities? In a minority setting, the digitization aspect becomes problematic if it is not structured in such a way as to support communities.

[Graham Fraser]

I think we should consider a key issue, that of minority press, which plays the role of traditional media, as it serves the community and is part of it. It finds itself in a fairly vulnerable situation in the face of this general digital transition. That's not only the case with minority press; traditional press is also in a unique situation. It is becoming increasingly important for minority communities, which don't always have access to high-speed Internet.

It is also very important to plan upstream when it comes to introducing new technological tools. If the government is doing business with producers of new systems and lets them know, at the last minute, that its employees must be able to work in the official language of their choice, that may lead to a system where the use of the minority language is botched. So the government must ensure that, from the beginning of the planning process for new instruments or in the call for tenders, there is an obligation to make the use those instruments in both official languages possible. We have already had an issue with a new IM/IT system, whose use in French was problematic. We had to work with consultants again to reformulate templates and category titles. In short, the instrument had to be reworked.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Ms. Lapointe, the floor is yours.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you very much.

The document that has been prepared for us talks about different priorities for the 2016-2017 plan. Whether we like it or not, someone will replace you this fall. I think that you have a proud record of service after 10 years.

An effective management of the organization must be ensured during the transition period. In October, inevitable changes will have repercussions on the management, as well as on the organization. How can we ensure sustainability and continuity? What is your take on that?

[Graham Fraser]

At the end of last year, I explained to all the employees and the management team that this year will be marked by three transitions. There is a new government, some management personnel will be replaced, and there will be a new commissioner. So we have created a transition committee.

The director of legal affairs, who is part of the management, will gradually retire from her position, but she will continue to work three days a week for a year. She chairs that transition committee. She reports on the committee's work on a weekly basis. That includes the preparation of binders. Part of the organization will prepare information for my successor.

When I was first appointed as commissioner, I told myself that, when I left, I wanted to leave behind an organization that would be as healthy as the one I inherited from my predecessor, Dyane Adam. She worked with me discreetly. From the time the name of the successful candidate is announced to the moment that person assumes the position, we are in a sort of a grey area, as we do not have official authority until the appointment has been approved by Parliament. However, there are informal ways to operate. Ms. Adam worked with me during that period. She provided me with a lot of detailed information on the office's operations. I mean to do the same with whomever is selected by Parliament.

[Linda Lapointe, Liberal, Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC]

Thank you.

I think that's a good method that helps properly transfer the files.

While you were talking, I was watching your colleagues to see whether they were smiling or not, to figure out whether they were expecting things to get better or worse.

You are facing a series of changes: a new government, the replacement of managerial staff, and the arrival of a new commissioner. I don't know in which of those areas things will get better or worse, but I am happy to see that the situation is under control. I understand that you will work with your successor to ensure a smooth transition period.

[Graham Fraser]

We are developing a transition strategy. We are very aware of the situation. We have tried to prepare all the necessary information and are taking the transition seriously.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you.

We will now go to John Nater and Bernard Généreux, who will share their time.

Mr. Généreux, go ahead.

[Bernard Généreux, Conservative, Montmagny—L'Islet—Kamouraska—Rivière-du-Loup, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I will first address Ms. Lagacé, whom I thank for being here today, given her condition.

Compared with the 2013-2014 budget, we see a drop in the expenditures for 2014-2015, as well as in the expenditures planned for 2015-2016. As for the spending anticipated from 2016 to 2019, it is the same. The Commissioner was saying earlier that there is no request for additional funding for the current year. March 31 is behind us, and there has been a decrease. Does that decrease come directly from the government or is it due to choices you have made that have resulted in you spending less money?