Official Languages Committee on May 7th, 2019

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

It's very important that this translation tool be used by translation professionals and not by ordinary people because that's the problem that arises. Ordinary people use a program like Google Translate, and then they post their translations to the Public services and Procurement Canada website and that results in the absurd situations we see in the media.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you, Mr. Choquette.

Now we will hear from Mr. Samson and then Ms. Lambropoulos.

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

It's Ms. Lambropoulos's turn.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Ms. Lambropoulos, you have the floor.

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Thank you very much for being with us today.

I have a number of questions.

In the document that you gave us about disposals of surplus federal properties, on the last page, it says “In 2017, PSPC modified its priority circulation notices to remind provinces, territories and municipalities to consider official language minority community needs.”

You then said, when answering my colleague's question, that you reach out to minority groups directly. I don't think that's the case, because you probably don't know who these groups are, correct?

[Jessica Sultan]

Treasury Board Secretariat does not reach out to official language minority communities directly. We are responsible for the administrative policy that governs the way in which custodial departments would reach out directly.

I'll let PSPC answer for PSPC.

[Lucie Levesque, Director General, Real Property Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada]

Regarding the changes to the procedures, we've introduced an internal procedure at PSPC to remind the various stakeholders for whom we prepare priority notifications that they must advance the interests of the official language minority communities.

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Let's say that there's a building owned by Canada and it's being disposed of. It goes to the municipality, because that's the next group that's interested in it. It would be up to them to consider the needs of the minority community.

[Jessica Sultan]

It would be up to the provinces to represent the needs of the official language minority community, specifically with regard to educational requirements. For example, if there were a need for schools, they could raise their hands in terms of a priority interest, and the OLMCs would have their voice raised through the provinces.

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Okay.

Now not necessarily related to official language minorities, but let's say that the municipality asked for a certain building or wanted to pay for it.

Is there any way that Canada Lands would be able to make sure it went to the public good by ensuring that a certain percentage of the building could be used for other community services or anything like that? Is there any way that the Government of Canada can ensure that the buildings would be used in the greatest capacity, let's say?

[Jessica Sultan]

I'll answer that. From a policy perspective, I'll make an important distinction in the process. We have two ways that we look at properties. We look at properties as routine disposals or strategic disposals.

In a routine disposal, it goes in the same order: federal, Crown, provincial, municipal. Groups can raise interest in acquiring the property for public purpose. Specifically it has to be for public purpose. If none of the groups are interested, it then is sold on the open market.

With a strategic property, the process is slightly different. Generally, while strategic properties are sold through the Canada Lands Company—and I won't speak further to that; I'll leave that for them—it's still the same idea of groups being able to identify interest in public purpose use of the property. Sometimes the properties that are sold are too big for one custodian, so they would identify their interest in a part of that property. CLC would then consider that as part of their strategy for that site.

Does that answer your question?

[Emmanuella Lambropoulos, Liberal, Saint-Laurent, QC]

Yes.

[John McBain]

From the Canada Lands point of view, the consultation is the same for the custodian, if I look at PSPC as an example. Under the routine, they can sell direct and the policy does allow them to sell it for a public purpose or a public good. If it is a strategic property, it is so noted.

I can quote from the agreement of purchase and sale between PSPC and ourselves for the Heather Street land. It said, “Provincial ministry of education objective: potential interest in acquiring a proportion of property for school sites to be used for francophone education.”

That is a binding part of the agreement of purchase and sale that we have with the custodian. Then we pursue that. The result is the one-acre property for the CSF.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you.

Mr. Samson, you have the floor.

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

Thank you very much.

I'll be very brief because I have two questions.

Mr. Déry, I'm very interested in the translation bureau. I've had occasion to express my views on the subject on many occasions.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that between 100 and 400 employees left the bureau between 2005 and 2015. If that's true, how many employees have you hired since then?

[Stéphan Déry]

It's true that we lost employees until 2015.

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

What was the approximate figure between 2005 and 2015?

[Stéphan Déry]

From memory, it was 400 or 450 employees.

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

I see.

[Stéphan Déry]

Since 2017, with the new vision, we've reconnected with the universities. We've hired more than 300 student trainees and more than 100 full-time employees.

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

Pardon me for interrupting you, but I don't have a lot of time.

You've rehired employees, but what's changed on the ground? If there are 400 fewer employees to do the work, either you're doing less or it's taking more time to do it, or else you're sending work out to freelances. Is that what happened before 2015? Did the departments send out more of their documents for translation to other suppliers than the translation bureau.

[Stéphan Déry]

In the past two years, two departments have resumed doing business with the translation bureau, which has increased the number of words we translate per year.

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

That's excellent.

[Stéphan Déry]

We've hired specialized translators to replace those we've lost over the years. They may be translators specialized in fisheries, meteorology or nuclear medicine.

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

I hope you've rehired those who left.