Official Languages Committee on Feb. 9th, 2017

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Pursuant to Standing Order 108(3)(f), we’ll continue the study of the Translation Bureau.

We have the pleasure to have with us today Minister Foote, who will probably complete what has been said in the past.

Welcome, Minister Foote. Our understanding is that you'll be here for the first hour and your representatives will stay with us for the second hour.

You have the floor.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Minister of Public Services and Procurement]

Good morning, Mr. Chair and committee members.

Thank you for inviting me. I’m pleased to be here today to discuss the government's response to the committee’s report on the Translation Bureau.

With me is Marie Lemay, the deputy minister, and Adam Gibson.

The Translation Bureau is a unique Canadian institution. Its founding in 1934 was an affirmation of Canada's reality and the rightful place of two languages. From the beginning, the work of the Bureau has been invaluable in fostering respect for our linguistic duality.

Generations of linguistic professionals have dedicated their special skills and talents to helping transform the federal government's capacity to serve Canadians in the language of their choice. This legacy of pride in their place and the quality of their work has been taken up by today's generation of employees, who are making a contribution that is much larger than simply words.

I’m committed to restoring pride and honour to the Translation Bureau.

This is an organization that actively contributes to supporting linguistic duality within the Government of Canada.

Mr. Chair, the mandate of the Bureau is as important as it has ever been. Even though the employees have made and continue to make an outstanding contribution, I think their work has not always been given the recognition it deserves. A new approach is long overdue.

As a champion of official languages, I am determined to lead by example by reinforcing the value of bilingualism to Canadians. I am committed to renewing the Translation Bureau as a centre of excellence ready to embrace innovation, adopt leading-edge practices, and recruit the best in class.

As home to one of the largest French-speaking populations in the world, Canada is a world leader in maintaining the highest standards in terminology, translation, and interpretation.

I am grateful to the committee for having undertaken this study and for formulating its recommendations. Your work has highlighted some of the key issues around the Official Languages Act and the role of the Translation Bureau in support of Canada's linguistic duality.

With respect to roles and responsibilities, the Official Languages Act, the cornerstone of federal language policy, recognizes English and French as equal languages in all federal institutions and obliges these institutions to do their part in promoting linguistic duality.

Further, the act clearly assigns specific responsibilities to Treasury Board Secretariat and the Department of Canadian Heritage. Minister Brison and Minister Joly have met with your committee to discuss those responsibilities as well as the commitments in their mandate letters regarding official languages.

In November, Ministers Brison and Joly announced a review of the official languages regulations related to communications with, and services to, the public. In her appearance before you, Minister Joly described the consultations with Canadians that she is leading in respect of this review. I work closely with both of my colleagues to support their efforts and ensure my department's actions are complementary.

The Translation Bureau gives meaning to the Official Languages Act by providing high-quality translation, revision, and interpretation services for Parliament, the judiciary, and federal departments and agencies. It is also the terminology authority within the federal government.

Since our response to your report was tabled, I have requested that officials at the Translation Bureau make progress in relation to your recommendations. Today I am announcing further measures that are consistent with the direction and spirit of your report.

One of those actions concerns the issue of optionality. The Translation Bureau manages, in terms of volume, 80% of the federal government's translation needs. The common services policy set by Treasury Board specifies that organizations such as the Translation Bureau must conduct periodic reviews to assess whether their services should be optional or mandatory. These reviews are done in collaboration with the Treasury Board Secretariat.

I have written to Minister Brison to request his support in considering reverting to a mandatory service delivery model for the Translation Bureau as a complement to other initiatives in support of official languages.

I now turn to other measures that I have instructed my department to take.

A hiring process is under way for a new chief executive officer, who should be in place by the end of March. The process was open to the public and promoted to the linguistic profession, and the selection committee will include an external expert from academia. The priorities of the CEO in the first few months on the job will focus on quality, hiring, and training, which align with the committee's concerns.

I will now take a few minutes to address each of these priorities.

With regard to quality, the Translation Bureau has a strong reputation for excellence, not only across the Government of Canada, but internationally. The Bureau has developed a quality framework that includes a quality-control system, a rigorous process to recruit world-class employees and freelancers, and world-class training programs for its linguistic experts. I support this process.

Therefore, to further guarantee the quality of its linguistic services, the Bureau is creating the new position of chief quality officer. This position will be held by a language professional who will report directly to the Bureau's CEO. The chief quality officer will oversee all Translation Bureau activities affecting quality and take part in decision-making on training, technology, staffing, and other issues.

In addition, the Bureau is setting up a service line that departments can call to obtain advice on linguistic services. Callers will be able to get information on things such as their obligations under the Official Languages Act and standard clauses they can use in their contracts.

In renewal and hiring, loss of staff through attrition in recent years has created the need to manage lost corporate knowledge and expertise. I assure all committee members that I take this matter seriously. Our mandate is to provide federal departments with access to high-quality linguistic services. Gaps in capacity put this mandate at risk, and we are taking action and monitoring the situation.

This year, the Bureau hired 19 new employees to provide linguistic services in specific domains such as parliamentary proceedings, national protection, and meteorology. Aligned with the Prime Minister's youth strategy, and as part of the Government of Canada's ongoing engagement with students and universities, the Bureau commits to hiring a minimum of 50 students per year in each of the next five years.

As well, ongoing projects are bringing experienced professionals together with the next generation of translators, interpreters, and terminologists. Initiatives are under way to increase the number of interpreter graduates from recognized universities to support additional hiring by both the Bureau and industry.

We are restoring a co-op program. Many Canadian universities, including the Université de Moncton, the Université de Montréal, and the University of Ottawa, have already indicated their interest in participating.

The Bureau's regional presence is important, providing key expertise to better understand the specialized needs of Canada's diverse regions. It will continue to operate its network of regional offices, which employ about one quarter of the Bureau's 1,300 employees. As well, there are staff on site at certain military bases, such as CFB Gagetown and CFB Borden.

Mr. Chair, the Translation Bureau's role in helping parliamentarians and the federal government to listen to and communicate with Canadians is critical. To increase awareness of the Bureau's role and in line with a committee recommendation, the Bureau is collaborating with the Canada School of Public Service to include this information in courses offered to all new public servants. The new curriculum will be rolled out this spring.

I now turn to the language comprehension tool.

With your study, the committee advanced an important conversation about how official languages and innovation intersect. The government agrees with your recommendations regarding the language comprehension tool and has acted on all your recommendations. A plan was developed to ensure the content in the tool is regularly reviewed by professional translators. The terms of use have also been modified.

As we embrace innovation, we must do so in a way that supports and advances our government's priorities related to official languages. The online Language Portal of Canada is an example of how technology can be used to provide accessible innovative tools to help Canadians from coast to coast to coast communicate in French and English.

I now turn to the Bureau's interpretation services and, in particular, efforts to put in place a request for standing offer for hiring freelance interpreters. Concerns have been expressed that the new approach does not respect official languages and, in particular, the quality of our services. Following careful consideration, I have cancelled the request for standing offer. I have asked officials to reset and to develop a new approach based on further consultations with representatives from across the interpretation industry.

Mr. Chair, any new endeavour in this area must reflect our commitment to official languages and the quality of our services. In the meantime, I assure you and committee members that all interpreters hired by the Bureau are fully accredited, based on a world-renowned, proven accreditation process.

We're the proud party of the two official languages, and we'll continue to promote, support and defend bilingualism in Canada.

As we mark Canada's 150th birthday and the things that make our country great, your report is a reminder of the Translation Bureau's contribution to linguistic duality in the public service and Parliament, and ultimately for all Canadians. The measures we are taking will enhance the Translation Bureau's ability to provide high-quality linguistic services, as it has done for over 80 years.

I am committed to work with this committee, my cabinet colleagues, and everyone who is interested in ensuring the Translation Bureau continues to deliver on its mandate effectively.

Thank you for your attention.

I am now happy to answer your questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

Thank you for your presentation, Minister Foote. Thank you also for your comments on the work you did with the committee members.

We'll now move on to the first round table for questions and comments.

We'll start immediately with Bernard Généreux.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I want to thank the minister and her officials for being here this morning.

Minister Foote, I believe the plan was to implement, as of March 9, new procedures that take into account the lowest price factor when translation and interpretation contracts are awarded. Am I to understand that you're completely eliminating this measure and that you'll establish another method that takes quality into account?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Absolutely. If I may, I'll start by thanking our interpreters as well, because they're such an important part of everything we do in the Government of Canada.

Thank you so much to them.

We are intent on making sure that the quality needed to provide both official languages is made available through any process we enter into. That is why we have postponed the request.

It was supposed to be up within a matter of days...?

[Marie Lemay, Deputy Minister, Department of Public Works and Government Services]

Yes, in March.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Yes, March 9.

We want to make sure we get this right, so we want to consult with the various stakeholders across the spectrum. Again, because our focus as a government is to ensure that we provide quality services, we are committed to official bilingualism, so we are going to consult with all of the stakeholders to make sure we get this right.

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

Can you explain the reasoning behind the policy that was about to be implemented, namely, the insistence on obtaining the lowest price?

As recently as Tuesday of this week, witnesses representing various interpreters associations in Canada explained that the planned policy did not really take into account quality, but only the lowest price.

Why was the adoption of such a policy considered?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Like you, I am concerned that such a policy existed. For the past year under this government we have been working really hard to change the face of the Translation Bureau. That is why we have cancelled the March 9 deadline in order to go back out and consult further with individuals to make sure they have a say in how we go forward, and that we go forward in a way that is acceptable to those who we work with, who we engage, and who are so important in making sure this process is one that is effective but is also based on quality, and not necessarily the lowest price.

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

Okay. Thank you.

I want to go back to your presentation. You told us that you're preparing to hire a new CEO. I suppose the process will be held at the Translation Bureau.

Did the former chief executive officer, whose name I've forgotten, plan to retire? Was this process planned? Did a contract finish?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

It was Donna.... I forget her last name.

What was Donna's last name?

[Marie Lemay]

It was Donna Achimov. She's now in another position.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Donna is no longer is that position. She's gone on to an HR position. We're looking to hire someone of the calibre that we think needs to be there to head up the Translation Bureau.

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

You also talked about training, the implementation of measures to build on the potential of all translators in Canada, and particularly the transfer of skills.

You want the Canada School of Public Service to be able to include this information in the courses provided to all new public servants. That was one of our recommendations. However, what about current public servants? Will they also be eligible for these courses?

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

Do you want to elaborate on that, Marie?

[Marie Lemay]

I'm not sure. We'll need to respond later. I think current public servants would also have access to these courses. I don't see why they wouldn't.

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

The reason is that, in the text you said—

[Marie Lemay]

Yes, we're talking about new public servants. The courses are provided at the School of Public Service, so everyone has access to them.

I'm told that the courses are for everyone. All public servants will have access to them.

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

Okay. It's just that, since you're talking about new public servants here, the implication is that the current public servants may not have access to these courses.

You understand that, for us, the committee members, it's essential and fundamental that the entire government be able to benefit from all these courses. It's fundamental.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

I agree with you. In fact, that should be part of our approach on a go-forward basis, but I think they do avail themselves now of—

[Marie Lemay]

Yes, they do.

[Judy Foote, Liberal, Bonavista—Burin—Trinity, NL]

—programs that are available to them.

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

Okay.

Do I still have time?

[The Chair, Liberal, Denis Paradis]

You have 10 seconds left.

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

I want to congratulate you, Minister Foote, on your decision to postpone this change. The witnesses we met with this week were extremely worried about quality.

Let's be clear. We're talking about the public service and not a private company. The price factor is essential and significant, but the value for money must also be fundamental.

Thank you.