Evidence of meeting #26 for Official Languages in the 44th Parliament, 1st Session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was c13.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Conservative
Jacques Gourde Conservative Lévis—Lotbinière, QC
Thank you. My question will be too long and won't leave enough time for an answer.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you.
Our meetings normally adjourn at 5:30 p.m., but there's general agreement that we can continue until 6:00 p.m., since all committee staff, technicians, the clerk, analysts and members are also available until 6:00 p.m.
Ms. Lattanzio, you have the floor for five minutes.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you to our guests for coming.
I'd like to hear your opinion on certain provisions of the new bill.
Do you believe that the consultation procedures set out in the new subsections 41(8) and 41(9) should be clarified?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes, they should be clarified. Our proposal on that is that the wording of Bill C‑11 should be added to Bill C‑13, as I said in my opening remarks about the Broadcasting Act. We did that because all the political parties had already approved it.
As you know, we want to move forward on this quickly, and it had already been agreed to by all the parties. That's why we are proposing that what Bill C‑11 says about everything pertaining to consultations should be reproduced in Bill C‑13.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Okay. So you are not proposing any other changes with respect to consultations.
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
No. For the time being, these are the consultations referred to in part VII of the Official Languages Act. We incorporated all of the text describing what a consultation by a federal institution should look like.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I'd like your opinion on another matter.
Will Bill C‑13 provide enough measures to ensure that federal public servants will be able to work in the language of their choice?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Currently, I don't believe there are enough measures in Bill C‑13 to guarantee the exercise of this right. We would therefore be in favour of any measures that would enable public servants to work in French within the federal public service.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Would you also be in favour of any measures that would enable them to work in English within the federal public service in Quebec?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
I think it's up to Quebeckers and Quebec stakeholders to address that issue. It doesn't apply to us.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I understand that, but I was just asking for your opinion.
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
At the FCFA, the values we support are those of the various minorities around the table. It's not up to us to comment upon what is appropriate or inappropriate for another minority. We have been advocating the “by and for”, as you know, for a number of years now. It's up to them to decide how they see it.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
How will Bill C‑13 help to modernize part V of the Official Languages Act?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
We haven't studied part V of the act very much, and that's why we haven't proposed any amendments for the time being.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
So you like the wording of part V of the act as it is?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
For now, yes.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
All right.
Should Bill C‑13 extend the right to take legal action to all parts of the Official Languages Act?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
We believe that the language rights of official language minority communities should be defended and that the minorities ought not to be excluded from access to a legal remedy if they feel that their language rights have not been complied with.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Let me re‑state my question. Should Bill C‑13 extend the right to a legal remedy to each part of the act?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
We do not unfortunately have an answer to that question, but we could provide the committee with a complementary document dealing with this issue.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
I have a final question for you. Should the new powers enabling the Commissioner of Official Languages to issue orders be extended to other parts of the act?
President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Yes. We strongly advocate, suggest and recommend that they also be extended to part VII of the act.
Liberal
Patricia Lattanzio Liberal Saint-Léonard—Saint-Michel, QC
Okay.
What new powers would you like to see in the act?
Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
In fact, it would be the extension of an existing power. The power to issue orders should apply to part VII of the act. At the moment, it applies only to parts IV and V of the act.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal René Arseneault
Thank you, Ms. Lattanzio. You'll have an opportunity to ask further questions later.
We'll continue now with the next speaker.
Mr. Généreux, you have the floor for five minutes.