Evidence of meeting #43 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 departments.
A recording is available from Parliament.
11:40 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Are we talking about an increase of 1%, 2%, 5%, 10% or 20%?
11:40 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
I can give you some quite interesting data.
Between 1978 and 2015—
11:40 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
That's too far back. Tell us about the last 10 years.
11:40 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
That's the data I have for you today, but I can forward the information for the past 10 years.
11:40 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
The number of bilingual positions is included in the data I have for you today. How many are there in the public service? In 1978, 25% of positions were bilingual. In 2004, there were 39%, and in 2015, 43%. This suggests that there's a constant upward trend.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
There are ratings used to determine bilingualism, but what does it mean to be bilingual to you?
The federal government has a way to assess a person’s level of bilingualism. For instance, I’m francophone and my second language is English.
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
It depends on the requirements of the position. In some cases, level A may be required, meaning a level of bilingualism making it possible to carry on a conversation. Level B is a little more advanced and level C allows for a very good conversation.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
It depends on the position and the related requirements. People meet the requirements of the position. That’s how bilingual positions are designated.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Okay.
I will now turn to the oversight of official languages. I would like to ask you a more specific question about that.
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
May I add something?
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
I have an interesting figure for you. You talked about employees not meeting the requirements. In 1978, the percentage of those meeting the requirements was 69%. This means that not everyone was meeting the requirements.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
In 2004, the percentage was 82%.
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
In 2015, the percentage was 95.5%. That’s why I think the program is working well. We have reached 95.5% and that’s not all.
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
We have also raised the profile.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Yes. I would like to move on, given that I don’t have much time.
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
So the objective is even harder to achieve, but we are nonetheless achieving it.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Yes.
In terms of the 95.5% you mentioned, let’s suppose that it’s based on self-assessments. According to the information I have here, there may be something going on with the Royal Canadian Mint. People there apparently have a hard time achieving the objectives. The large institutions seem to do better; people have answered “almost always” or at least “very often”.
Am I mistaken in saying that the Royal Canadian Mint is in the Ottawa region?
11:45 a.m.
Assistant Deputy Minister, Governance, Planning and Policy Sector, Treasury Board Secretariat
Yes, it is.
11:45 a.m.
Liberal
Linda Lapointe Liberal Rivière-des-Mille-Îles, QC
Okay.
It would appear that its situation is more difficult. Let me read the following:
It is interesting that the Royal Canadian Mint stands out from all other small and large institutions with a generally low score for language of work.
That's referring to people's preferred language of work.
It answered “sometimes” for the four following statements: incumbents of bilingual positions are supervised in their preferred official language;
In other words, it is not always the case, or it is very rarely.
managers and supervisors who occupy bilingual positions in bilingual regions supervise each employee in the language chosen by that employee;
We are in a bilingual region. However, it seems more challenging here.
meetings are conducted in both official languages and employees may use their official language of choice during meetings;
This is still the Ottawa region, and it seems that the Royal Canadian Mint is having trouble.
employees can write documents in their official language of choice.
Have you noticed that, especially at the Royal Canadian Mint?
I have no particular grievance against that agency, by the way.