Official Languages Committee on May 30th, 2016

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Order, please.

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(2), we are proceeding to a briefing on the current roadmap for official languages. I remind you that this meeting is televised.

We are pleased to welcome the Honourable Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board. Welcome, Minister.

Accompanying him are Anne Marie Smart, Chief Human Resources Officer, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, and Marc Tremblay, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer. Welcome.

We will follow the normal procedure. Minister, you have about ten minutes to make your presentation. Afterwards, the committee members will be able to make comments or ask questions. Minister, we are happy to have you. The floor is now yours.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, President of the Treasury Board]

Mr. Chair, it's a pleasure for me to be joining you today. Thank you for the invitation.

I'm happy to be here to speak about our government's commitment to official languages and, in particular, my role as President of the Treasury Board.

As the members of this committee know, our Prime Minister holds both official languages very close to his heart. He has lived across Canada and across our linguistic duality.

I grew up in Nova Scotia in an anglophone community. I did not have to think too much about bilingualism back then. I did not listen to Robert Charlebois much or watch La Soirée du hockey. Like many others, I learned my French in Ottawa.

However, today I have two lovely bilingual daughters, and I often spend holidays with my in-laws who live in the countryside outside Drummondville.

My daughters are named Rose and Claire. We chose names that are easily pronounced in both official languages. We actually speak to them in both languages, but I fear they might inherit my accent in French.

Being married to a Quebecker has made me part of a francophone family and given me the gift of their language and culture.

Nowadays, I like the music of Trois Accords and I like to watch movies such as C.R.A.Z.Y. or La grande séduction.

It's with this mindset in part that I take on my responsibilities as President of the Treasury Board with regard to the Official Languages Act. These responsibilities were made clear to me and also to the Minister of Heritage in our mandate letters, which you've all seen.

Of course, my mandate letter, which is public—as are all the mandate letters—designates official languages as one of my priorities. More specifically, I've been mandated to “Ensure that all federal services are delivered in full compliance with the Official Languages Act, supported by the Minister of Canadian Heritage”.

My responsibilities fall principally within the scope of three parts of the act. Part IV concerns communications with and services to the public. Part V is about the language of work. Within reason federal public servants should be able to work in the official language of their choice. Part VI concerns the employment of both French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians in federal institutions to ensure their full participation.

As President of the Treasury Board, I also report annually to Parliament, outlining the progress made by federal institutions with regards to the application of the Official Languages Act.

I would like to share with you some of the highlights from the latest annual report.

The Government of Canada offers services to the public through more than 11,000 offices and points of service in nearly 200 federal institutions across the country and abroad, and 35% of these offices offer services in both French and English.

The latest report for 2014-15 demonstrates that over 95% of employees who provide front-line services to Canadians, and supervisors across the public service, meet the language requirements of their positions. When it comes to the participation rates of anglophones and francophones, they've remained relatively stable over the past 10 years.

As of March 31, 2015, the participation of anglophones in all federal institutions was approximately 73%, and 25% for francophones.

That closely resembles the 2011 census data where over 75% of Canadians reported English as their first spoken language and 23% reported French.

It tells us that the official language groups continue to have reasonable representation within the public service, and that there are fair and equitable opportunities for both anglophones and francophones to obtain employment within the public service.

The annual report also highlights measures being undertaken by federal institutions to create and maintain a bilingual work environment in addition to ensuring that all services and communications to the public are done in compliance with the act.

Institutions have also established clear performance objectives related to parts IV, V and VI of the act and included these in public servants' performance agreements where appropriate.

Another important step is the establishment of official languages champions, and persons responsible for official languages in their organizations. These people meet regularly to share best practices as they are responsible for the promotion and respect of official languages in their institutions. They discuss performance and develop strategies to maintain and monitor progress.

These are all important steps, but we have to do more. We know that federal departments and agencies face challenges when it comes to implementing the act. For example, best practices and shared knowledge can be lost in the turnover among official languages champions and those responsible for official languages. There is a need to ensure that effective social networks are in place to share and build on good practices and advice.

We are fortunate to have a bilingual public service. It is essential that language skills remain valued at work and that new employees take measures to acquire the necessary language skills early in their careers. Institutions must continue to promote a workplace that encourages the use of both official languages and the maintenance of acquired language skills.

Adapting to the evolution of technology and social media presents a challenge for federal institutions, but also an opportunity. Social media is one of the most effective and popular communication methods, as we all know, to reach the public, and it's important that communications be done in compliance with the act.

Golden opportunities are also available to us. I think about that often when my in-laws use Skype to talk to my daughters. If my francophone in-laws can talk to my daughters across the country, why are we not deriving more benefits from those technologies to build bridges among all Canadians in minority settings? The tools available to us should help us make unprecedented bilingual services accessible.

Not only is our government committed to making all federal services available in strict compliance with the law, but there are also opportunities to go beyond our obligations.

I'm happy to be here with you today to discuss this because I have great respect for, and value, the work of parliamentary committees. I'm hoping that we can collaborate and continue to work together on these important issues. I want to congratulate the committee on its work so far.

I'm very happy to engage in discussion with you and to be able to count on your ongoing commitment.

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you very much, Minister.

We will immediately begin the first question period.

Ms. Boucher, go ahead.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

Thank you, Minister. Welcome to the Standing Committee on Official Languages.

I notice a number of things. Over the past few years, under our Stephen Harper government, we saw the titles of Canadian heritage and official languages everywhere. Even under Paul Martin's government, which you were part of from 2004 to 2006, there was a minister responsible for official languages.

Official languages are now no longer part of any department's official title. They have disappeared as if by magic. How will you ensure that all federal services are provided in compliance with the Official Languages Act if there is no minister responsible for official languages?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you for the question.

In the mandate letter of the Minister of the Canadian Heritage and in my own mandate letter, it is very clear that compliance with the Official Languages Act is a priority for our government. It is of the utmost importance for our Prime Minister, and no one thinks otherwise. We will implement policies to ensure the promotion of our two official languages in Ottawa and across Canada. We will take every opportunity to develop services across Canada in both official languages. That is of the utmost importance to us.

Our cabinet is smaller than that of the previous government, but believe me, the respect and the development of services in both official languages are priorities for our government.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

If that is so important to your government, why is there no minister responsible for official languages?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

The situation is better, as two ministers are responsible for this issue. We have Ms. Joly, who is the Minister of Canadian Heritage, and myself, as President of the Treasury Board. She can also count on an amazing parliamentary secretary. It's better this way, Ms. Boucher, as two ministers are responsible for this matter. That's a good thing. We have doubled the personnel in order to show our respect for official languages.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

I remain very sceptical. This may be clear to you, but Canadians are watching us. If the words “official languages” are removed, it's not clear for anyone.

I would now like to talk to you about the translation bureau, which your government has provided with very little assistance. A loss of 138 jobs at the bureau is forecast within the next two years and, according to an article in Le Devoir, you don't intend to do anything about that situation. Do you have a plan to ensure the translation bureau's future?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you once again for your question.

I think that the decision to cut jobs at the translation bureau was made by the previous government. It's clear that it is very important to invest in the translation bureau. We have a great deal of respect for the work they do. It's very important to support the bureau and make investments.

We also recognize the fact that it is necessary to use technology to increase its capacity to serve public servants and Canadians. So we will continue to use technology.

I think the previous government made the decision to cut jobs, but it is our priority to support the work of the translation bureau, and we will continue to do so.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

You have been in power for seven months. Stop bashing the previous government. We don't want to know what others did not do, but rather what you will do. According to what I am reading in Le Devoir newspaper, you have no plans to ensure the translation bureau's future.

In the Speech from the Throne, the words “official languages” came up only once. The following was stated:

The government will support CBC/Radio-Canada, encourage and promote the use of Canada's official languages, and invest in Canada's cultural and creative industries.

Even as we are learning that the CBC sale process will be done only in English, I would like you to explain to us how official languages are being applied.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Mr. Chair, I really appreciate Ms. Boucher's question again. It is a bit ironic for her, as a Conservative member, to be asking for more support for CBC/Radio-Canada.

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

My question is about official languages.

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Our government recently invested a lot of money in issues related to the two official languages. I really appreciate its support and the investments that are part of the budget. After 10 years of cuts imposed by the Conservatives to CBC/Radio-Canada, it is important to reinvest in those organizations

It's a priority for our government to ensure that both Radio-Canada and CBC continue to have the resources they need to provide services across Canada in both languages. I wasn't aware of her party's passion for Radio-Canada and CBC, but we welcome the support for—

[Sylvie Boucher, Conservative, Beauport—Côte-de-Beaupré—Île d’Orléans—Charlevoix, QC]

I am mostly talking about official languages.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Ms. Boucher, you have gone a bit over your time for asking questions.

Minister, if I may, I will now give the floor to Paul Lefebvre.

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Welcome, Minister. I am very happy to have you with us. I am also very happy about the money the government has invested in CBC/Radio-Canada. Last weekend, people came to see us in Winnipeg to thank us for that development. I was very humbled by those people's support.

Your appearance before us is very timely. We are currently preparing a report on the translation bureau. Before we address that issue, I would like to point out that the previous government made cuts to the budgets of a number of programs. I am also a member of the Standing Committee on Public Accounts. It is clear, according to all the reports, that all programs have undergone cuts.

Since I am worried by this situation, I would like to know how the Treasury Board could ensure the equality of the two official languages, given the cuts made over the past few years that have complicated matters.

What does the Treasury Board intend to do to remedy the situation? Will the cuts affect the services provided under various programs?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you for the question.

The Treasury Board, along with the Department of Canadian Heritage, is responsible for ensuring that, in the public service and as part of services provided to Canadians, all departments and agencies comply with the legislation and comprehensive policies. It is important for the necessary resources to be available and for investments to be made. It is also important to ensure that the policy is applied across the board.

There has been progress over the years. We have to continue this progress. The financial resources are part of the equation, and we need to make sure we have the right level of financial resources to deliver services in French and English. I also think we can take a more robust approach to the utilization of technology as well. I think that's important.

I said earlier that my mother-in-law outside of Drummondville uses Skype to talk to her grandchildren, but if she's in, say, Nova Scotia in an anglophone community and she goes to a Service Canada office, for instance, in Kentville, Nova Scotia, she can maybe find a francophone there or maybe not. Perhaps she could use technology to speak to a francophone or to Skype with an audio-visual capacity with a francophone public servant.

These are things that I genuinely want the committee's engagement on as we move forward to find ways to expand, not just to maintain, services in both languages across the country. With a combination of financial resources, technology, and innovation, I think we can actually expand, not just protect what we have but do better.

[Paul Lefebvre, Liberal, Sudbury, ON]

We heard from a number of witnesses from the translation bureau. It became clear that, over the past 10 years, under the previous government's policies, the translation bureau was treated as a business and had to be profitable. That forced several departments and programs to provide translation services internally. Rather than using the translation bureau, departments used people who were part of what is referred to as “phantom translation services”.

Could you tell me how the Treasury Board will consider those internal translation services in the future?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

It is very important to maintain the quality of translation in government. That is why we encourage all public servants, as well as all departments and agencies, to use the translation bureau's services.

We have to ensure that the translation bureau has the necessary resources—in terms of public servants and technology—to provide its services effectively. Across the Government of Canada, public servants use a translation or comprehension tool a million times a week. That tool is often Google Translate. I would personally prefer them using a Government of Canada comprehension tool and government vocabulary, which is safer than Google Translate, for instance.

I know flexibility is needed, but our priority is to ensure that the quality of translation is sufficiently high. We always get quality translations, and that is why we encourage all public servants from all agencies and departments to use the translation bureau's services.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you, Minister.

I now give the floor to Mr. Choquette.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Minister, I want to thank you and your colleagues for joining us today.

My first question is of a general nature, but it is nevertheless important. In the 2016-17 Report on Plans and Priorities of the Department of Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board is mentioned. The following is stated:

Continue the review of the pan-governmental governance for official languages, in collaboration with the Treasury Board Secretariat and Justice Canada.

We talked about this a bit earlier. We are wondering who is in charge when it comes to official languages. We are looking for them, but we unfortunately still don't know who they are. We don't know whether it's you or the Minister of Canadian Heritage. Moreover, if there are two people in charge, whom should we talk to?

There is currently a study on governance. I understand that there is a preliminary report. Will you make it public? When do you think you will complete that study and will you send it to the committee?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

Thank you very much for your question.

I'll repeat what I said earlier that in terms of the delineation between my responsibilities and those of the Minister of Heritage, my responsibilities fall principally within the scope of three parts of the act: part IV concerning communications with and services to the public; part V, which is about the language of work and that within reason federal public servants should be able to work in the official language of their choice; and part VI concerning the employment of both French-speaking and English-speaking Canadians in federal institutions to ensure their full participation.

We are working, and what is very clear by the words and actions of the Minister of Heritage and me...and I can tell you this is a priority for our Prime Minister.

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Very well, Mr. Brison. I don't want to interfere. I just want to know what is going on with the government's study right now. Where is it and what's going on with that?

[Scott Brison, Liberal, Kings—Hants, NS]

For the next report...?

[François Choquette, NDP, Drummond, QC]

Yes. When will we have this, because there is a study going on right now so where is it? What's going on with that? When will it become public?