Official Languages Committee on Feb. 16th, 2021

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

I want to come back to the headsets. I was stunned to learn that the headset we use, the Plantronics EncorePro 310, doesn't meet ISO standards.

Don't you think we should have a headset that meets ISO standards?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

That question should be put to the technicians and officials of the House of Commons.

I'd ask Ms. Séguin or Mr. Ball to provide more information.

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you very much.

That's a good clarification. Headsets with an integrated microphone compliant with ISO standards will ensure better sound quality and, therefore, a better interpretation service.

As Mr. MacKinnon mentioned, I think this is an issue that will be addressed by our House of Commons colleagues.

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

I have one last question for you.

When the clerk came in, he told us that he had conducted tests with you to assess the quality of the audio systems, and health and safety protocols. We would have liked to have seen those results, but he told us that he had to have authorization from the Translation Bureau.

Would you agree to send us the results of the tests that were done last summer?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Would you like to respond, Ms. Séguin?

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you very much for your question.

We'll be pleased to send you these results. The study was conducted by the National Research Council of Canada. We must first inform the authors and then we will be pleased to share them with you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Ms. Séguin.

Thank you, Mr. Beaulieu. You kept to your speaking time.

Mr. Boulerice, you have the next six minutes.

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

Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

Good evening, everyone. I'm very pleased to be with you.

Mr. Parliamentary Secretary, you said you were very attentive to the concerns of our colleagues the interpreters. I hope you have all the equipment so you can listen and hear well.

My question concerns the organization chart. I'd like to know exactly who is responsible for setting the levels of exposure to potentially dangerous sounds that the interpreters face. Is it the responsibility of your department, Public Services and Procurement Canada, the Translation Bureau, or a House of Commons committee, such as the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

I'll let Ms. Séguin answer.

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you for your question.

I'll hand it over to the chief interpreter, Matthew Ball. That said, the standards we meet are set by the ISO international standards bodies.

Mr. Ball, can you continue?

[Matthew Ball, Director, Interpretation and Chief Interpreter, Translation Bureau, Department of Public Works and Government Services]

The bureau does meet several standards in its interpretation work. These include the ISO standard, which deals with maximum noise levels. We also comply with the Canada Occupational Health and Safety Regulations. We comply with both of these standards with respect to noise exposure.

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

Thank you very much for your answer, Mr. Ball.

I wasn't really looking for a technical standard. Rather, I wanted to know who is responsible for ensuring that these standards are met for the health and safety of the interpreters. Is it the responsibility of the Translation Bureau, Public Services and Procurement Canada, various departments or the Treasury Board as the head of the public service?

That's what I'd like to know.

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Thank you for your question.

We are the suppliers at Public Services and Procurement Canada. In many cases, we are responsible for government procurement and real property, and the list goes on. As service providers, we have a responsibility to ensure that our clients are held to a certain standard and we have collective agreements. We strictly adhere to these guidelines.

For the rest, I'll ask Ms. Séguin to reply.

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you very much for your question.

As the employer of salaried interpreters, the bureau is responsible for ensuring that health and safety standards—both health and hearing—are met. We have a responsibility to provide a professional service, so people, and we work with our colleagues in the House of Commons to inform them of the needs of interpreters to be able to provide quality services while ensuring their health and safety.

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

Thank you.

Two weeks ago, Prof. Stoll demonstrated quite clearly that it's the Zoom platform that affects sound quality. I'm not sure that the interpreters' equipment, or that of members, which barely meets ISO standards, will be able to overcome the problems with the platform.

What solutions are being considered to specifically address the problem of sound through the Zoom platform?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

That question is obviously outside my expertise, Mr. Boulerice.

However, I can assure you that we're working with various authorities from around the world, such as NATO, the European Union and the United Nations, who all use simultaneous interpretation. We are doing this to ensure that we meet the standards, but also to keep up with the latest trends. We want to be a leader.

It's up to Canada to act as an example in this field.

Perhaps Mr. Ball could let us know more about the work that is being done internationally to meet the standards.

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

Thank you, Mr. MacKinnon. I'm sure that, internationally, the work is being done very well, but I'm talking about the work of the national interpreters.

As an employer, Mr. MacKinnon, don't you think that three hours a day working with potentially toxic sound is a lot?

As an employer, do you promise that the next contract that will be awarded on February 19, I believe, will in no case and without any loophole allow you to exceed four hours of work per day?

[Steven MacKinnon, Liberal, Gatineau, QC]

Once again, Mr. Boulerice, our consultation and active listening process is under way with our partners and with freelance interpreters.

We'll continue to be very attentive, as we have been since the beginning of the pandemic and teleworking, to satisfy them on the one hand, and on the other hand, to adopt all possible measures in terms of technology, equipment and workplace standards to ensure the health and safety of interpreters.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Mr. MacKinnon.

As agreed with the committee members, we've just completed this round.

We'll now have a period with Ms. Séguin, who is the CEO of the Translation Bureau, and Mr. Ball, who is the director of interpretation and chief interpreter of the Translation Bureau.

This gives me an opportunity to acknowledge and thank two witnesses: the parliamentary secretary, Steven MacKinnon, whom I thank for his presentation, and Michael Vandergrift, the associate deputy minister.

So we're going to continue without disconnecting with Ms. Séguin and Mr. Ball. I'd like to know—

[Michael Vandergrift, Associate Deputy Minister, Department of Public Works and Government Services]

Mr. Chair, I can stay too.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We accept with pleasure, Mr. Vandergrift.

I'd like to know if the Public Works and Government Services Canada representatives have a speech or if you're prepared to answer questions from committee members.

[Lucie Séguin]

We're at your disposal to answer members' questions to maximize the time for questions.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

We're very happy about it. Thank you.

We're going to start a six-minute round.

Mr. Blaney and Mr. Williamson will be up first.

We're listening, Mr. Blaney.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

My questions are for Ms. Séguin.

I have three questions for you about the equipment.

Can you assure us that MPs will have better equipment?

Do you agree that when there is a person in virtual mode during a meeting, it's a virtual meeting?

What about the pool of interpreters working from English to French? Is there a shortage of these interpreters? If so, how can you assure us that the French interpretation is of high quality?

[Lucie Séguin]

Thank you for your question.

With respect to the equipment, we communicate the requirements to ensure health, safety and sound quality to our partners in the House of Commons, who are responsible for providing the equipment to you, honourable members. So we'll be communicating to our colleagues in the House of Commons that headsets must be compliant.

At the beginning of the pandemic, we adjusted fairly quickly. New generations of headsets have already been deployed, and we're trying to keep up with this evolution.

As for the pool of interpreters, there are 74 salaried interpreters at the Translation Bureau. Sixty-three of them are assigned to official languages, five to foreign languages and six to sign languages. With respect to official languages—which is of most interest to this committee—25 of our interpreters work in English booths and 38 work in French booths.

With respect to the shortage, we rely heavily on the contribution of freelance interpreters from the private sector. This includes AIIC members, but also unrepresented or independent freelance interpreters. More than 100 interpreters in Canada have passed the Translation Bureau's rigorous accreditation process.

With respect to your third question, which was on the definition of virtual mode, I'll let my colleague, Matthew Ball, provide you with some information on that.