Evidence of meeting #20 for Official Languages in the 45th Parliament, 1st session. (The original version is on Parliament’s site, as are the minutes.) The winning word was burke.
A recording is available from Parliament.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Ms. Burke, there's 20 seconds left, so please give a very short answer.
Lawyer, As an Individual
As I mentioned before, the commissioner's role is, of course, to ensure that the implementation of the regulations isn't devoid of substance. It is essential to maintain consistency in how they are applied.
I see some opportunities to make public the interpretation I'm going to give to the regulations implementing Part VII of the act, or to make public how the person in that position would interpret those regulations. We can investigate the implementation of positive measures, we can make recommendations to the government, and the annual reports will also help raise awareness of the concrete effects of regulations on communities. I believe there are possibilities there.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Colleagues, I'm normally a little stricter on speaking time, but because we have Ms. Burke with us, and this is an important topic, I'm being a little more flexible.
I now give the floor to Mr. Deschamps for five minutes.
Conservative
Jim Belanger Conservative Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Ms. Burke. Thank you for being with us today.
What is your perception of bilingualism, and what would be your top priority as Commissioner of Official Languages?
Lawyer, As an Individual
Bilingualism is at the heart of Canadian identity. As I mentioned in my earlier remarks, it's one of the four pillars of Canadian identity. It is therefore essential that we preserve this richness across the country. To do that, we need to return to the issue of priorities, namely, truly understanding the communities and their frustrations with the situation they face across the country.
I bring an Ontario perspective, as I've already mentioned. I want to listen and be present to learn more about the vulnerabilities within official language minority communities. In Quebec, as we discussed earlier, questions of identity and belonging come up, and increasingly we're also talking about socio-economic imbalance. The same issues apply to francophone official language minority communities in other regions of the country.
So the priority is really to translate the realities of official language minority communities into recommendations that will produce concrete results, to improve the circumstances of official language minority communities. I think it's important to emphasize concrete, sustained actions on the part of the government, which must introduce mechanisms through funding, programs or other measures that will allow these communities to flourish. One of the biggest priorities, therefore, is tied to the communities themselves.
Conservative
Jim Belanger Conservative Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON
Thank you.
I noticed from your remarks that, like me, you grew up in a completely bilingual environment. You also said that you did your schooling in French, both in elementary and secondary school.
I assume you then chose to pursue your post-secondary studies in English. Why?
Lawyer, As an Individual
I didn't complete all of my post-secondary studies in English.
My bachelor of arts and science from the French studies department at Queen's University was the first step toward my training in education, in order to teach French across the province in immersion programs. I then pursued my studies in law at the University of Ottawa in the French common law program. After that, I went on to practise law in Toronto. That work was mainly in English, but the practice required me to use my French language skills, especially in terms of continuing education in order to be a lawyer at the Ministry of the Attorney General.
So I continued to work and study in French after high school.
Conservative
Jim Belanger Conservative Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, ON
That ties in nicely with my next question.
In the greater Sudbury area and in my riding of Sudbury East—Manitoulin—Nickel Belt, there are at least three francophone or bilingual post-secondary institutions: Laurentian University, the University of Sudbury and Collège Boréal.
Post-secondary education in a francophone minority context is an essential link in the continuum of education in French.
What structural changes do you suggest to support these institutions?
Lawyer, As an Individual
Post-secondary institutions are very important to me. When I was an assistant deputy minister and commissioner in Toronto, I had the opportunity to influence the leadership of French‑language post‑secondary institutions, and I contributed significantly to the establishment of the Université de l'Ontario français.
At the University of Sudbury and Laurentian University, I launched an investigation when I was the French language services commissioner to assess the merits of the decisions that brought an end to French-language programs. Thanks to that investigation, we were able to identify potential solutions and make recommendations. Those recommendations were put forward to protect French-language programs at Laurentian University.
My vision for these institutions is that they survive and be able to flourish further. In my previous roles, I strongly influenced members of their leadership and helped ensure the survival of these institutions.
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Bélanger.
I will now turn the floor over to Mr. Villeneuve for five minutes.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you very much.
Good afternoon, Ms. Burke. Welcome. I took the time to read about your background. You have quite an impressive CV, to say the least.
I'll start with this question.
What do you think are the most pressing issues for francophone minority communities?
Lawyer, As an Individual
I believe the most pressing issues at the moment are related to the digital universe.
What I'm seeing more and more is that the digital world provides platforms every day, and that the content is mainly in English. What I notice is that the digital universe is heavily oriented toward English. When you use these platforms, you realize there is very little French.
A priority for the commissioner, upon taking office, would be to launch a kind of assessment to learn more about the scope of the situation. I believe that official language minority communities will increasingly have to face this major challenge of the anglicization of the digital world, which is accessed every day, seven days a week. That worries me.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you.
I'm going to continue on this topic because your response resonated with me a bit. I quite agree with you. We're in an English-speaking sea. Throughout the Americas—aside from Latin America—the major platforms are American. Young people are really exposed to that.
How do you think a Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada can counter a phenomenon like that?
Lawyer, As an Individual
That would have to be assessed over time. Very broadly, I think we need to assess how these platforms affect the substantive equality the Official Languages Act seeks to achieve.
As you know, the act determines what the commissioner can do. They can launch investigations and do all kinds of things, but at the end of the day, they have to determine how the digital world affects the efforts we put in place to achieve the objective of the act, which is substantive equality. That needs to be studied more and more.
At this point, I don't have all the answers, unfortunately, but I hope to be able to help solve the problem in the coming months.
Liberal
Louis Villeneuve Liberal Brome—Missisquoi, QC
Thank you.
I didn't expect you to give me all the solutions, but I'm putting myself in your shoes. It's a big challenge.
We have about a minute and a half left.
Lastly, how do you see yourself as an independent officer of Parliament, especially when there can be political polarization about both official languages?
Lawyer, As an Individual
First, the essential role of an officer of Parliament is to maintain independence. I was able to do that when I was French Language Services Commissioner. You have to exercise your powers impartially while being very pragmatic. Confidentiality is also very important.
Independence does not mean isolation. I see opportunities here to interact despite the policy affecting the environment in which we work. However, the commissioner must be able to take a step back, clearly communicate their expectations in a very objective manner and maintain very constructive relations with parliamentarians and the general public. That requires sound, impartial and timely investigations. I believe that all of this together enables the commissioner, as an officer of Parliament, to carry out their duties without interfering in the politics of the day.
The commissioner must not be influenced by the media cycle and must maintain a distance in order to establish credibility in their role as an officer of Parliament.
Liberal
Liberal
Liberal
The Chair Liberal Yvan Baker
Yes, your time is up.
It was very precise.
Thank you, Ms. Burke and Mr. Villeneuve.
We should all follow your example.
We'll move on to the third round of questions. However, before we continue, I want to tell you that I had a discussion with the vice-chairs. I will reserve 15 minutes at the end of the meeting for an in camera discussion. I am telling you this so that you can plan your speaking time.
I will now turn the floor over to Mr. Gill for five minutes.
Conservative
Dalwinder Gill Conservative Calgary McKnight, AB
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Madame Burke, for being here today. I know you have been nominated to become the Commissioner of Official Languages.
How do you define the success for the Commissioner of Official Languages at the end of a mandate?
Lawyer, As an Individual
Success as a commissioner requires that you gain credibility, and gaining credibility means that you support communities in finding some concrete solutions to some very complex questions.
At the end of a mandate, I would hope to have achieved gaining credibility in all communities across the country as someone who delivers results, does so in a very fair and impartial way, and assists Canada in becoming even more bilingual than it is.
I view that as a great accomplishment and success in a role that I know will be demanding, but every effort that is put into ensuring that we protect our identity will be well worth it.
Conservative
Dalwinder Gill Conservative Calgary McKnight, AB
Thank you.
French is declining in many parts of Canada.
How do you see the future of bilingualism in this context, and what practical role can the commissioner play to help reverse this decline?
