Official Languages Committee on Oct. 7th, 2025

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Since the COVID‑19 pandemic, and even since our last meeting, how have working conditions changed? Has demand for interpretation services remained stable, or has it increased?

[Alionka Skup]

That is a multi-faceted question.

Obviously, we have to take into account the fact that the work is being done in hybrid format and there is a greater cognitive load involved in working with the sound.

In hybrid format, sound that goes via the platforms is inevitably lower quality. It therefore calls for a higher degree of concentration. In addition, it is very often the case, unfortunately, when witnesses are not present in person, that it is a bit easier for them to forget to send their texts. So we are receiving fewer texts in advance, and this has effects on preparation.

In addition, some of our colleagues have to be on the platform with the technician; these are things they have to do at the same time as interpreting, and this adds even more to the cognitive load. This makes the work more demanding and harder to do.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

On the subject of tenders, will there be a grid or will the lowest bidder be the only one whose services are selected? Have you been told how things were going to work?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

You have 55 seconds of your time left.

[Alionka Skup]

The way the contract is prepared is that under the open contract or invitation to bid, the interpreters selected are those whose pay falls within a certain range from the median. For assignments to various events, however, the interpreter selected will be the lowest bidder.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

I have one last question for you.

You said that if the government decided to implement the new procurement rules, interpreters would stop offering their services.

Is that kind of a threat?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

The answer would have to be very short, because time is already up.

[Alionka Skup]

It isn't a threat.

Some freelance interpreters also work for the private sector, where working conditions are not the same as the government offers. Interpreters therefore no longer have any incentive to work for Parliament if conditions are better in the private sector. So they would simply not offer their services.

[Marc Dalton, Conservative, Pitt Meadows—Maple Ridge, BC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Dalton.

Mr. Villeneuve, you have the floor for five minutes.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

Good morning and welcome.

I would like to thank all the interpreters.

French-speaking Canadians in minority communities, and some who live in Quebec, may experience linguistic insecurity.

How can interpretation services counteract that insecurity?

[Nicole Gagnon]

My answer would be that the best way to counteract insecurity is to honour the nation's desire to be a bilingual nation where people can function in both official languages, English and French. I would also say that your job, as parliamentarians, is to carry out the desire of Canadians to function in both official languages.

It is not sufficient to do it symbolically. The two languages are equal; there isn't a first language and a second language. They are on an equal footing and all Canadians should receive quality service, whether in English or French. With all due respect, there should not be a two-tier system in which parliamentarians are entitled to higher quality than ordinary Canadians, than their fellow Canadians.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

I want to come back to the contract being proposed. I think you said earlier that quality was probably going to decline. Did I understand you correctly?

[Nicole Gagnon]

It's like everything else: The cheapest one ends up being very expensive. You are going to get lower quality. In the existing rules, I would say that the quality index and everything related to quality take up between four and six pages of text. You risk seeing quality decline if you are inevitably going to exclude your most qualified interpreters, who have experience and are going to go and work for the best employers.

You are going to get lower quality because the next generation is still being trained. As I said earlier, I congratulate the translation bureau on hiring new interpreters, but they are just starting their careers. They need mentoring and it is one of our responsibilities, as experienced interpreters, to mentor them in their new positions. That is how it has always been done. However, if you get rid of your seasoned interpreters, these new interpreters will be learning the job at your expense. It makes a big difference when there are experienced interpreters who specialize in the various fields and are members of a team and able to mentor new interpreters.

You are going to get lower quality if you adopt the idea that we are all interchangeable. We are not. Our ranks include people who have degrees in business administration, who have been in the military, who have studied biology. That will all be lost if you decide that Ms. Skup, who is very good and of course is accredited, but is starting out in her career, has to sit in the booth and provide interpretation in a field she has no expertise in. As a professional, she will prepare as well as she can. However, if Ms. Gagnon, who works at it to get more experience than Ms. Skup has, happens to be assigned to this committee, she will obviously do a much better job. That would not stop Ms. Skup from working with Ms. Gagnon. We never work by ourselves when we are in the booth. We work in teams of two or three people.

You are also going to get lower quality if you get rid of the measures for protecting our hearing. At present, we work in groups of three interpreters for four hours, because we are working on platforms. If we go back to six hours a day, which was the case before the pandemic, before hybrid Parliament, you will not only lose interpreters, you will inevitably suffer because quality will not be up to par. You can't work six hours in hybrid format. You just can't do it. The work is too demanding. The sound transmitted to us is not good enough. So that lowers the quality too.

I apologize for giving you such a long answer, but I think the question deserved that kind of answer.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Mr. Villeneuve, your time is up.

[Louis Villeneuve, Liberal, Brome—Missisquoi, QC]

Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Villeneuve.

Mr. Beaulieu has the floor for two and a half minutes.

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

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

Is there quality control for interpretation at the moment?

[Nicole Gagnon]

I think that is a question you will have a chance to ask the next panel, the representatives from the translation bureau.

I can answer in general terms. There has always been quality control. We have what we call TR‑04s, who are interpreters with long experience, whereas the ones who work in the booth are TR‑03s. The TR‑04s check quality. There has always been quality control in the past.

Now, I can't tell you what the future holds, but I am sure the translation bureau representatives will seize the opportunity to address your concerns.

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

In that case, I will save these questions for them.

Was your association consulted about the possibility of a new contract before the changes were implemented?

[Nicole Gagnon]

AIIC, the International Association of Conference Interpreters, is a professional association. We are not a union. The contract is not signed by the translation bureau. The relationship is between PSPC, Public Services and Procurement Canada, which issues the contract, and the individual interpreter. Whether to agree to what is proposed to them by PSPC is up to each interpreter.

No, there was no consultation with AIIC on the new rules. There has never been. It is up to the Government of Canada, as is ordinarily the case, to say that it needs interpreters and propose its terms. The interpreter accepts or rejects them.

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

Up to now, has there been any reaction to your issues or concerns?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

You have 45 seconds.

[Nicole Gagnon]

There was an industry day. Two hours were set aside for us to ask our questions. Freelance interpreters asked more than 400 questions about the new procurement rules. Some have been answered, others have not.

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

That's good.

I have one more quick question. Have all the sound incidents and injuries had an effect on access to interpreters or the availability of freelancers?