Official Languages Committee on June 8th, 2022

[Jacques Gourde, Conservative, Lévis—Lotbinière, QC]

Thank you. My question will be too long and won't leave enough time for an answer.

[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.

[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?

[Liane Roy]

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.

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

Okay. So you are not proposing any other changes with respect to consultations.

[Alain Dupuis]

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.

[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?

[Alain Dupuis]

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.

[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?

[Alain Dupuis]

I think it's up to Quebeckers and Quebec stakeholders to address that issue. It doesn't apply to us.

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

I understand that, but I was just asking for your opinion.

[Liane Roy]

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.

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

How will Bill C‑13 help to modernize part V of the Official Languages Act?

[Alain Dupuis]

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.

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

So you like the wording of part V of the act as it is?

[Alain Dupuis]

For now, yes.

[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?

[Alain Dupuis]

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.

[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?

[Alain Dupuis]

We do not unfortunately have an answer to that question, but we could provide the committee with a complementary document dealing with this issue.

[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?

[Liane Roy]

Yes. We strongly advocate, suggest and recommend that they also be extended to part VII of the act.

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

Okay.

What new powers would you like to see in the act?

[Alain Dupuis]

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.

[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.