Yes.
Evidence of meeting #143 for Official Languages in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was directive.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Evidence of meeting #143 for Official Languages in the 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was directive.
A recording is available from Parliament.
12:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Yes.
12:30 p.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
Pardon me for interrupting you, but I don't have much time left. You're doing a good job of answering my questions.
Here's my most important question. Do you currently have the capacity to translate all documents from all federal departments using the new tools you mentioned?
12:30 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
The translation bureau works in partnership with the translation industry and can adapt to an increase in demand. We're entirely capable of adapting in cooperation with our industry partners. From 40% to 44% of translation requests that we receive are forwarded to the private sector. When we receive those translated documents, they are reviewed to ensure their quality. In that way, we can process a larger number of translation requests.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
12:35 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
It has always varied between 39% and 44%.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
Darrell Samson Liberal Sackville—Preston—Chezzetcook, NS
You've hired 400 more employees. Can't you translate more documents in house?
12:35 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
We've hired 100 more employees since 2017. Yes, we can translate more documents in house, but demand has increased over that same period. We're working with our private-sector partners to be able to provide the service.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
12:35 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
Yes. Many of the people we've rehired revise translations in order to deliver high-quality work to the government.
12:35 p.m.
Liberal
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Mr. Déry, I have a question further to that of Mr. Samson.
Do you personally think the departments should be required to use your bureau's services?
12:35 p.m.
Chief Executive Officer, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services
My personal opinion isn't important. I'm a federal employee, and I apply the directives I'm given. The translation bureau is a service organization. As I said, we can definitely do more. We're working hard to do high-quality work, and that's important for us.
As I said in response to a question, artificial intelligence and neural translation have altered the situation, and we must determine the best way to work with those tools. The pilot project we're conducting with Canadian Heritage is helping us clarify our thinking. We recently established the advisory committee of the chief executive officer of the translation bureau, on which are represented the organizations of the official language minority communities, such as the FCFA, and the deputy ministers of many federal departments. The role of the advisory committee is to provide advice to the CEO, to me, on how to work with these new technologies and to help me determine how the bureau should position itself for the future.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
I see.
Thank you, Mr. Déry.
Madame Sultan, you explained quite clearly the difference between the disposal as routine or strategic, which is the third step in the disposal process.
Is step 4, which emphasizes aboriginal consultation, routine disposal or strategic disposal?
12:35 p.m.
Senior Director, Real Property and Materiel Policy Division, Acquired Services and Assets Sector, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board Secretariat
The answer is both.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
Alupa Clarke Conservative Beauport—Limoilou, QC
Yes, because it seems to me that routine and strategic are part of steps 3, 4, and 5, kind of.
12:35 p.m.
Senior Director, Real Property and Materiel Policy Division, Acquired Services and Assets Sector, Office of the Comptroller General, Treasury Board Secretariat
Just to make a distinction, this deck is actually a PSPC product and not a TBS product.
I specifically make that distinction because of two things. In terms of our roles, I'm responsible for setting the policy, which is then operationalized through the departments. For example, PSPC is then going through and actually following through on the process, so they would be better positioned to explain these steps.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
12:35 p.m.
Director General, Real Property Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada
Section 35 of the Constitution Act applies in both cases, routine and strategic disposals.
12:35 p.m.
Director General, Real Property Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada
That's part of the process. Steps 1, 2, 3 and 4 will all apply to what we're going to do, to both routine and strategic disposals.
I'd like to add one point on the subject of the process.
12:35 p.m.
Director General, Real Property Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada
I'd like to clarify the fact that we survey the interests of the various levels of government simultaneously.
We don't send the offer to the federal government, then wait for a response before presenting it to the other levels.
12:35 p.m.
Conservative
12:35 p.m.
Director General, Real Property Services Branch, Public Services and Procurement Canada
We send the offer to all levels of government at the same time, the federal level and crown corporations, the provinces...
