Official Languages Committee on March 25th, 2021

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

We've noticed the same thing with respect to interpreters employed by the Translation Bureau.

The Official Languages Act has been in force for 50 years. After all this time, Ms. Imbeault, do you think it's normal that you still have to fight to get services in French?

[Louise Imbeault]

Of course not. That's what I was thinking as I listened to my colleagues talk.

If the public service hasn't been able to fix these problems in 50 years, then something's missing somewhere. There's certainly a lack of will. You're right, 50 years is a long time to institute a cultural change. The new act needs to come into force quickly.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you, Ms. Imbeault.

Mr. Boulerice, you have the last six minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I'm glad we were able to finish this round of questions. I'm also glad to see Ms. Fortin appear on our screens.

Mr. Silas, you talked about the need to increase the bilingualism bonus, which has been $800 since the 1990s. What do you think would be a good amount? Should a lump sum still be offered or would it be better to offer a percentage of salary?

[Alex Silas]

I'm not prepared to suggest a figure. The National Joint Council of the Public Service of Canada is responsible for these negotiations. We would like to see the discussions move forward; every time we try to raise this issue, we're threatened outright with the abolition of the bonus.

It would be nice if these discussions were more productive and if there was an honest admission that it's time for the bilingualism bonus to be higher than $800 a year.

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

I'm sorry and surprised to hear that they're threatening to abolish it, when it should really be going the other way.

You also talked about the impact of telework on your members, which then has an impact on services to the public. Has the government given you all the tools you need to work well in these times of telework? I'm talking about laptops and headsets, but also reimbursement for the high-speed Internet connection that is needed to provide good service. Was all of this in place when the pandemic happened?

[Alex Silas]

It was very uneven and unstable in the early days of the pandemic. Some members didn't have all the tools they needed to do their jobs at home. This situation has stabilized somewhat over the past year, but it still differs from department to department. Some decisions are sometimes left to the manager's discretion, when it should be set out in general policies.

So the situation is better than it was a year ago, but there are still gaps.

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

There's still work to do.

Ms. Imbeault, I want to ask you a question about the demise of the public diplomacy program. You talked about the importance, particularly for Acadian artists, of exporting their art to other francophone countries and having ties with them. In fact, the money from these exports represents a large part of the income of francophone artists.

However, for reasons unknown, cultural diplomacy no longer seems to be in the government's plans. Shouldn't it be reinstated in the Official Languages Act?

[Louise Imbeault]

Cultural diplomacy is of the utmost importance for the influence of francophones on the international scene. Canada wants to be a bilingual country on the international stage. It's not a fad, it's not something we invented; it's part of our world.

I want to take this opportunity to come back to the issue of the Internet. I don't know if you know this, but many parts of Canada still don't have access to the Internet. The major providers charge the public for cell towers for Internet services. The service is not equitable across the country.

As part of the review of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act, we made a submission asking that this issue be considered in certain rural and less populated areas that don't even have access to the Internet. Since the beginning of the pandemic, it's clear how important this service is.

Cultural diplomacy allows our artists to shine. However, it needs to be available to small businesses. In recent years, this has benefited large businesses with high economic coefficients, but not small businesses or individuals. New measures or a new program should be included that would be designed with the outreach of the country and the well-being of artists in mind.

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

The economic impact may not be as great for small businesses as it is for large businesses. That said, cultural diplomacy allows individuals and small businesses to make a living from their art in French, so the impact is much greater for them.

[Louise Imbeault]

Yes, it is. And the entire Canadian community benefits from a healthy cultural sector. This sector represents a lot of jobs. We often think of large companies that employ 2,000 or 3,000 people, but the cultural industry is made up of a lot of people who aren't all in one big company, but they are there.

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

This is very important. I'm aware of that.

As part of the overhaul of the Official Languages Act, why is it important to also name representative organizations such as yours, and not just institutions?

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Ms. Imbeault, I'd ask you to answer the question in 30 seconds or less.

[Louise Imbeault]

It's because only these organizations can speak for everyone. Universities and colleges have their own interests to defend. Advocacy organizations, on the other hand, can speak for the community because they don't have personal or institutional interests to defend.

[The Chair, Liberal, Emmanuel Dubourg]

Thank you very much, Mr. Boulerice.

I know the bells are ringing in the House to call the vote, but let me acknowledge the witnesses and thank them for their interventions. If they have a brief to send to us, they shouldn't hesitate to do so.

I'd like to thank both representatives from the Public Service Alliance of Canada, Alex Silas, regional executive vice-president, and Chantal Fortin, alternate regional executive vice-president, both for the national capital region. I also thank Louise Imbeault, president of the Société nationale de l'Acadie.

Dear colleagues, this is the last day of our clerk, Josée Harrison, on this committee. On behalf of all the committee members, I'd like to thank her for her work and support. I'm sure you'll join me in wishing her well in her new endeavours.

I would also like to extend a warm welcome to Nancy Vohl, who will be our new clerk. She's been doing the sound tests recently. I want to wish her success.

Lastly, I would like to thank the staff, technicians and everyone who supported us during this meeting.

On that note, ladies and gentlemen, the meeting is adjourned.