Official Languages Committee on May 4th, 2017

Evidence of meeting #58 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 catsa.

A recording is available from Parliament.

On the agenda

Full Implementation of the Official Languages Act in the Canadian Justice System

Audit of Bilingual Services to the Travelling Public Provided by the Canadian Air Transport Security Authority of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

MPs speaking

Also speaking

Ghislaine Saikaley Interim Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Pascale Giguère Director and General Counsel, Legal Affairs Branch, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Mary Donaghy Assistant Commissioner, Policy and Communications Branch, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Jean Marleau Acting Assistant Commissioner, Compliance Assurance Branch, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

12:50 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I would like to return to the Air Canada issue.

The special report contains a few potential solutions. I do not know if you have received a response from the Department of Transport or from another department following these recommendations. Just now, the issue was recommendations concerning CATSA, two of which have not been accepted. However, you are in the process of working on this with the new president.

Commissioner Fraser recalled that he very rarely made a special report and that, if he had submitted one, it was because the situation was critical. He stressed that the situation was very particular and that special measures needed to be taken to settle the problem.

You have certainly received from the Department of Transport a nice letter or a nice response saying that it would examine and assess the situation, especially because there have been recent rumors about the possibility of privatizing the airports. That troubles us greatly.

Have you received a response concerning these rumors of possible privatization of the airports?

12:55 p.m.

Interim Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Ghislaine Saikaley

No, we have not received a response from the Department of Transport, but we were not expecting to receive one. Our report to Parliament was submitted as a last resort. We were asking one of the two committees to study the question, so that it could recommend to the government the measures to take. We have not received a response from anyone about this.

As for your last question, we have also heard this rumor that the government would like to privatize the airports. My only wish is that this not happen to the detriment of language rights.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

Dan Vandal Liberal Saint Boniface—Saint Vital, MB

The services are already private.

12:55 p.m.

Interim Commissioner, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Ghislaine Saikaley

Yes, indeed.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Denis Paradis

Have you finished, Mr. Choquette?

12:55 p.m.

NDP

François Choquette NDP Drummond, QC

Yes.

Thank you very much.

12:55 p.m.

Liberal

The Chair Liberal Denis Paradis

Thank you very much, Madam Commissioner, and thank you to the people who accompanied you. The discussions we have had with you have been very fruitful.

Thank you to the committee members.

Our next meeting will be held next Tuesday.

The meeting is adjourned.