Official Languages Committee on Dec. 10th, 2020

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Dalton, from British Columbia.

My first question to the witnesses is this: Were they consulted in preparation for the white paper the government plans to release?

Let's go in the order in which the witnesses spoke, and I believe Mr. Jolin was first.

Mr. Jolin, were you consulted regarding the white paper?

[Carol Jolin]

We were not consulted on the white paper itself.

However, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne released a document quite some time ago indicating the changes we'd like to see.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Yes, we have done several studies on this, and the FCFA was also not consulted.

I will now put the same question to Ms. Martin-Laforge of the QCGN.

Were you consulted regarding the white paper?

[Sylvia Martin-Laforge]

I'd like Ms. Jennings to answer that question.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Okay.

Ms. Jennings, was the QCGN consulted regarding the white paper?

[Marlene Jennings]

The answer is simple: no.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Okay.

Was that also the case in New Brunswick? Were the Acadians consulted?

[Alexandre Cédric Doucet]

No, but we submitted a brief to the Senate—

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Yes, we know what that takes, as you said.

The word “modernization” is weak. What the Official Languages Act needs is a revolution, a bit like the one Brian Mulroney did in 1988, to give it some teeth in order to adapt it to our new reality.

We still have to hear from British Columbia. Ms. Chundunsing, were you consulted on the white paper?

[Padminee Chundunsing]

Categorically, no.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

That's fine.

I know I'm sharing my time with Mr. Dalton, but I would like to thank you. Your testimony suggests that the pandemic is a catalyst for and exacerbates the problems that already exist.

Mr. Jolin, what happened with the CBC? A national broadcaster is expected to play its role in a pandemic.

I'd like to know what happened. It sounds like you were given the run-around.

[Carol Jolin]

We worked with the Government of Ontario to get simultaneous translation for the media briefings. We then approached the CBC about broadcasting these briefings. Of course, the press briefings were held at the same time as the ones in Quebec, but they could be broadcast later in the day or at a later time.

We wrote a letter to the president of the CBC. It took over three months to get a response, and ironically, we were turned down just before the public consultations.

We found that entirely unacceptable. We're going to be part of the CRTC's public hearings for the renewal CBC's licence very soon, and we'll bring it up again at that time.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Mr. Blaney, you have 10 seconds left.

[Steven Blaney, Conservative, Bellechasse—Les Etchemins—Lévis, QC]

Mr. Dalton, could you please send us the content of your request and the letter from the CBC? I think the committee members would like to know what happened.

In closing, I'd like to add that national languages are a health and safety issue, as the QCGN representatives said.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. Blaney, vice-chair of the committee.

Let's now go to Mrs. Lalonde for the next six minutes.

Go ahead.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. I will be sharing my time with my colleague, Mr. Arseneault.

I'd like to thank our guests for agreeing to appear before this committee.

In the early days of the pandemic, it became apparent how vital it was to disseminate information through the Prime Minister's daily press briefings to get relevant information out to Canadians. You've all referred to this in various ways.

Some of you, including Mr. Jolin for example, talked about the challenges we faced here in Ontario. Ontario has the largest pool of francophones outside Quebec. I was very disappointed because, as a federal MP, I received many complaints about the lack of availability. It took more than a month before we got press briefings in French. In terms of health and safety, it was up to the provinces to provide that information.

I congratulate Mr. Legault. As some of you pointed out, he respected the anglophone minority in Quebec by ending his press briefings in English.

My question is for you, Mr. Jolin.

The pandemic has taught us to work with other tools, like the ones we're using this evening to meet virtually. I know not everyone has access to these technologies. I'd like to hear your point of view. How could we use today's technology to improve the delivery of services in French, at the federal level, but also at the provincial level? I would like to hear your recommendations, which I strongly support.

[Carol Jolin]

Thank you for the question.

The report from the Commissioner of Official Languages suggests creating an express translation service. It's important to note that with today's technology, you can have three or four people working together on the same document, as we sometimes do at the AFO, for example. I don't see why, with the knowledge we have and with what's available, someone couldn't translate a text while someone else is composing it. I'm thinking of press releases, for example.

A good reason for this is the urgency involved. We want to produce documents as quickly as possible. I saw a presentation by the federal Translation Bureau indicating that, these days, with the technology and the quality of translation tools available, it is not necessarily translators that we need, but people who simply proofread. It's also much faster.

It's time for us to get with the program and produce documents in both official languages, in emergency and normal situations, so that we can receive communications simultaneously. As you mentioned, this is a matter of respect and public safety. We have to go that route, we have no choice, and technology allows us to do that.

[Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans, ON]

Thank you very much, Mr. Jolin.

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

Thank you, Mrs. Lalonde.

I don't have much time to ask my question and hear the answer.

I'd like to take an impartial and objective look at Acadia and New Brunswick, and specifically the youth, the next generation. Mr. Doucet, you gave an excellent speech earlier.

In 2015, when I first joined the Standing Committee on Official Languages, at the same time as Bernard Généreux, we heard exactly the same thing. In fact, the pandemic has served to accentuate the gaps and weaknesses. All the examples heard this evening speak volumes.

If modernizing the Official Languages Act could change only one thing to improve and ensure these communications in a pandemic or emergency situation, such as forest fires or flooding, for example, what would you change and why?

[Alexandre Cédric Doucet]

If it were up to me, of course I would like to see the specificity of New Brunswick recognized in the Official Languages Act.

We made several requests to that effect in 2018 when we submitted our brief to the Senate. Without going into detail, there is also the urgent request regarding Part IV, and there is also immigration. Of course, there are several aspects, but in our case, recognizing the specificity of New Brunswick remains our priority in terms of modernizing the Official Languages Act.

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

You talked about the specificity of New Brunswick. I often talk about that, too. Perhaps you could draw a parallel between official languages legislation [Technical difficulty].

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Mr. Arseneault, you might have to turn off your video, because we can no longer hear you.

I'll therefore ask Mr. Doucet to try to answer.

[Alexandre Cédric Doucet]

I would say in response that subsection 16(1) of the Charter and Part VII of the federal Official Languages Act are national in scope.

I would even go as far as saying that these are constitutional and legislative provisions that are of national interest, and they must be given priority for the sake of national unity.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you very much for keeping the ball rolling.

We'll now hear from Mr. Beaulieu for the next six minutes.

Mr. Beaulieu, go ahead.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you to all the speakers; it was very interesting. I was stunned when I heard the report from British Columbia.

My question is for Mr. Doucet from the Société nationale de l'Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick.

You talked about the specificity of New Brunswick. The Official Languages Act was established on a kind of symmetry. In the 1988 version, while New Brunswick was given special status in the Charter, that was not reflected in the Official Languages Act.

Do you think the recognition of New Brunswick's specificity is realistic? You say the principle of “where numbers warrant” is a hindrance to Acadians. You've managed to obtain services in French in all municipalities, but you can't get them at the federal level.

Could you talk about that?