Official Languages Committee on Dec. 8th, 2020

[Raymond Théberge]

The governments must be committed to ensuring the safety of Canadians. I would hope that, with the right level of co-operation, safety could be ensured.

The official languages issue isn't just a federal government matter. It concerns all Canadians.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

Your recommendation sparked this entire conversation.

You also said that the different levels of government should be encouraged and supported. What exactly do you mean by “supported”?

[Raymond Théberge]

Let me give you a very basic example.

During the pandemic, the Translation Bureau developed a very specialized lexicon for COVID-19. We can certainly consider making this expertise available to other provinces and territories. I know that the Translation Bureau wants to help create some type of specialized unit with a mandate to facilitate a timely response to emergencies.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

The idea is to share with the provinces the expertise that the federal government may have acquired with respect to alerts, regardless of the nature of the emergency. The expertise could be related to the pandemic or to forest fires, for example. Is that right?

[Raymond Théberge]

That's right.

[René Arseneault, Liberal, Madawaska—Restigouche, NB]

In this pandemic situation, I find it fascinating that the chief medical officers of Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick speak in both official languages. I'm also thinking of Mr. Kenney, the premier of Alberta. He has certain skills, including the ability to speak fluent French. However, these people come and go. They're exceptions in the history of these provinces.

What do you think about the fact that, during a pandemic, public health authorities are given this obligation, or “burden”— since it's often a burden—to provide guidelines?

The emergency situation calls for action. There may not be enough time to get everything translated.

In your opinion, how can we make people understand that everyone needs information in both official languages at the provincial level?

[Raymond Théberge]

You made a good point. Some provinces and territories have tried to better meet the needs of Canadians in terms of communications in both official languages.

At the ministerial conference on the Canadian francophonie, Minister Joly clearly stated that this isn't the time to provide fewer services. Instead, it's the time to provide more services. For a number of years, we've seen an increase in services and in the creation of policies and different units in several provinces.

However, certain items must be prioritized, such as emergencies that require a response. This calls for strong leadership. It's necessary to ensure that all Canadians can receive the information. All the experts will tell you that communication is the most important thing in an emergency.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Théberge.

Your input is extremely important. However, I have the difficult job of managing the timer. You can address this issue a little later.

Mr. Beaulieu, you have the floor for six minutes.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Good afternoon, Mr. Théberge. Thank you for your presentation.

Could you sum up the situation in Quebec?

Have you received any complaints, or have things been running fairly smoothly during the pandemic?

[Raymond Théberge]

One complaint emerged from our study. It involved a French pamphlet sent out to the English-speaking community.

In Quebec, alerts are always sent out in both official languages. They're never an issue.

The issue where we received the most feedback involved a French pamphlet sent out to the English-speaking community.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

However, people can receive information in English upon request. I know that, in my constituency, the same situation occurred. We need to look at the Charter of the French Language. When it comes to safety, things may be different. However, usually mass mailings are in French, and they can be in English upon request. In my constituency, a gentleman asked to receive information in English, and he received it.

Have people told you that they asked for information in English and didn't receive it?

[Raymond Théberge]

I don't have this type of detailed information. All I know is that they received a pamphlet in French.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Other than that, have there been any issues? Have the press conferences, for example, been bilingual?

[Raymond Théberge]

Premier Legault always wraps up his remarks by providing information in English. We haven't received any complaints in this area.

In any event, these complaints aren't admissible for the purposes of the Office of the Commissioner's study. We wanted to see how things were running at the national level, whether we're talking about New Brunswick or Ontario. We wanted to see the big picture. Our recommendations concern the federal government, not the provinces.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

That's right.

In short, basically, things have been running smoothly in Quebec. Is that right?

[Raymond Théberge]

According to my information, we haven't received many complaints, except with regard to the pamphlet.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

I have another comment. In the regions designated bilingual, the reflex is to disregard French. Is that due to the fact that, even though a lot of people are in bilingual positions formally, they took French training only once and do not actually use their French skills? Alternatively, is it due to the fact that the language of work tends to be English, and so it's difficult to work in French?

What do you attribute those challenges to?

[Raymond Théberge]

The Mendelsohn-Borbey report on the language of work in the public service was released in 2017. It shows that public servants' language of work is commonly English and that, very often, French is treated as a language of translation. Certainly, that's a contributing factor, and the problem is exacerbated in emergency or crisis situations.

According to the employee satisfaction survey, 91% to 92% of English-speaking public servants report being able to work in the language of their choice, versus 62% to 63% of French-speaking public servants. That speaks to a certain culture within the public service, which the Mendelsohn-Borbey report noted. It sets out recommendations to address that.

Modernizing the Official Languages Act provides an opportunity to clearly define the language of work issue, as well as everything connected to it, so that both official languages are respected.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Perhaps something more problematic still is when employees who work in regions designated bilingual have to communicate with employees in regions that aren't. In that case, it's not exactly easy to work in the language of their choice, would you not agree?

[Raymond Théberge]

In the current context, with people working virtually, that kind of thing is going to happen more and more, regardless of the region.

[Mario Beaulieu, Bloc, La Pointe-de-l'Île, QC]

Would it help the situation if the requirements for positions designated as bilingual were a bit more stringent?

I'm not sure how true this is, but I was told that some people who are not bilingual are hired on the condition that they take French training. While they sometimes do take the training, they never use their French skills and, therefore, aren't able to work in French.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Mr. Théberge, you have 10 seconds to answer. Thank you.

[Raymond Théberge]

I'll revisit the topic later, when I discuss section 91 of the act and the application of language requirements to a specific position, which really contributes to the situation you described.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you for your co-operation, Mr. Théberge.

Ms. Ashton, it is your turn. You have six minutes.

[Niki Ashton, NDP, Churchill—Keewatinook Aski, MB]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you, Commissioner, for being with us.

My question has to do with comments you made the last time you were here. I asked you about the impact of modernizing the Official Languages Act on government communications in emergency situations.

I know that you already talked about it and that you will be repeating yourself today, but I want to be sure your recommendation ends up in the committee's report.

Do you think there is an urgent need to modernize the Official Languages Act?