Official Languages Committee on Feb. 16th, 2021

[Lucie Séguin]

Okay.

In terms of the Bureau's initiatives to increase capacity, we are working with, and providing experienced interpreters as professors for, the only two universities that offer master's degree programs in interpretation: Glendon College at York University and the University of Ottawa.

The Bureau's employees will therefore be teaching the courses. We hire all the graduates who pass our accreditation test, but there are very few graduates. It's a rigorous program. There's not a lot of enrolment in Canada either. So we work with academic institutions. We recruit and we handle the accreditation process to ensure superior quality.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Ms. Séguin.

The last round of questions belongs to Mr. Boulerice.

The floor is yours for six minutes.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Thank you again to the witnesses for making themselves available and for being with us this evening.

However, I am rather worried and a little perplexed by the answers we have just heard during the last round of questions.

Ms. Séguin, you say that you haven't solved everything with respect to the sound quality issues for the interpreters. Mr. Ball, you say that you are still studying the impact of the platforms that are currently being used.

One question comes to mind fairly quickly. Are you putting the health and safety of the interpreters at risk? You actually have no idea what the repercussions are.

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you for your question.

The pandemic has propelled us into a virtual mode a little faster than we would have liked. The Translation Bureau and its interpreters were already providing remote interpretation services, but to a lesser extent.

Since then, we have had to adapt quickly. Since May, we have reduced the hours of work expected of our interpreters, both permanent and freelance, to compensate for the risks and higher cognitive load of remote interpretation. We are not downplaying the risks; the risks are real.

One of the objectives of the contractual mechanism we have in place is to have a legal basis and to codify the working conditions in their contract in order to protect the health and safety of the interpreters on an ongoing basis.

It is in our interest to listen carefully, to consider the uniqueness of the profession and the health and safety issues, because we absolutely need freelance and Bureau interpreters to be able to keep providing the service.

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Exactly. You need them and we need them too in order to uphold both official languages.

I am sure you understand that, if you tell the committee that you are in the process of studying the issue and you don't know too much about the repercussions, it kind of gives the impression that the current interpreters are guinea pigs, in a way. According to the surveys, people are saying that they have suffered injuries and that the sound is toxic.

I am also concerned about the definition you are giving for in-person meetings and distance meetings. One day, members will be meeting in the same room as they did before. If all the witnesses appeared and provided their comments remotely most of the time, you would still consider it an in-person meeting because all the members would be in the same committee room. That's very troubling for the interpreters. In my opinion, if most, if not all, of the witnesses appear remotely, that does not meet the definition of an in-person meeting.

Can you tell us more about that?

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you very much for your question.

In Canada, at the Translation Bureau, the long-term effects and impacts of exposure to sub-optimal sound quality have not been fully documented. Our AIIC colleagues who appeared before you made the same comment.

First, the Translation Bureau is investing resources to gather statistical evidence to help not only Canada and the Translation Bureau, but also to be ready to collaborate with the AIIC and with independent interpreters by sharing those results with them. That is a commitment. Our commitment is to share the results once the research is done.

Second, we have adopted new measures. Previously, when interpretation was done in person, we required interpretation for six consecutive hours. We have now reduced that to a maximum of four hours. On average, our freelance interpreters and our employees spend three hours in active interpretation.

So we have reduced the hours of work, because we recognize the inherent risks involved. At the same time, we have also implemented other measures such as sound limiters. We support our employees and our freelancers who make the decision to interrupt their service by giving them the right to do so. As you will have noticed, that does happen. If interpreters cannot hear you, they can't interpret what you are saying.

We do provide these protections, this support. We are delighted to see that members and honourable senators are fully aware, and are understanding and patient. We want—

[Alexandre Boulerice, NDP, Rosemont—La Petite-Patrie, QC]

Ms. Séguin, let me add something. Right now, the Chair is indicating to me that I have one minute left.

I am happy that you have reduced the hours of work. I hope there will be no loopholes in the next contract with the freelancers meaning that they will have to work more than four hours per session.

Mr. Ball said that you were consulting with the European Parliament. According to the European Parliament's definition, a meeting is a distance meeting if only one witness is not in the room. Since you are in consultation with the European Parliament, are you ready to adopt the same definition and apply it to the work of the interpreters in order to protect their health and safety here in Ottawa?

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you very much.

The definition you are referring to was introduced for the first time in a contract document, a request for information, published by Public Services and Procurement Canada on February 5. It is intended to gather feedback like you have just provided. We will be gathering that information.

Tomorrow evening, there will be an information meeting to gather feedback from people in the industry, such as representatives and freelancers. We expect to receive a lot of feedback on the matter and on other aspects of the market we are trying to put into place.

That said, I thank you for your feedback. We heard it loud and clear, thanks to the good headsets.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you very much, Ms. Séguin. Thank you, Mr. Boulerice.

That is all the time we have for questions to the witnesses. I see two hands raised, from Ms. Lattanzio and Mr. Beaulieu. The time will be for something other than asking the witnesses questions.

Go ahead, Ms. Lattanzio.

[Patricia Lattanzio, Liberal, Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

We had a shorter session this evening. I found an article that actually talks about the Zoom platform and I would like to share it with my fellow committee members. First of all, I can give you the title of the article, which is available in French and English. I would like permission to produce it for the committee so that I can share it with my colleagues.

The article was written by an expert in Europe, a European Union accredited freelancer. The title is I would normally trust a German expert...

With my colleagues' indulgence and your permission, Mr. Chair, can you tell me how to produce this article so that it can be shared with the members of the committee?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Ms. Lattanzio.

I am going to hear what Mr. Beaulieu has to say, and I will get back to you about that.

Go ahead, Mr. Beaulieu.

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

On February 2, I tried to make a correction. I used a quotation that I read in a document from the Board of Internal Economy and that was picked up by the interpreters. It was that 86% of francophone witnesses appeared in English. Actually, it's 86% of all witnesses who appear in English.

The correction I made on February 4 could not be accommodated because the committee was sitting in camera. So I propose it once more.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Noted.

As for your article, Ms. Lattanzio, you would have to send it to the clerk in both official languages so that it can be distributed to members. The analysts will be able to see it too.

Mr. Beaulieu, we are not currently in camera, so we will take note of your comment.

Let me thank the witnesses for their testimony this evening; it was very enlightening. Let me start with Lucie Séguin, the CEO of the Translation Bureau. My thanks also go to Michael Vandergrift, the associate deputy minister and Matthew Ball, who is the director of interpretation and chief interpreter at the Translation Bureau.

On behalf of all members of the committee, I also want to thank the entire technical team, the interpreters, the clerk and the analysts for helping us this evening in holding this very important session.

Without further delay, I declare the session adjourned.

(The meeting is adjourned.)