Madam Speaker, I would like to speak to Bill C-13 and the Group No. 4 report stage amendments and specifically submit my comments on Motion No. 61 which reads:
That Bill C-13, in Clause 21, be amended by adding after line 3 on page 15 the following:
“(3) The Official Languages Act applies to the Agency.”
All Government of Canada agencies must and should comply with the Official Languages Act. In this debate, I would like to voice my opinion on a number of sections that appear in Bill C-13 and show why and where the Official Languages Act should be observed.
One of the objectives of the Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada is to protect and promote the health and safety, and the human dignity and human rights, of Canadians. Therefore it is an agency that represents the Canadian public and speaks to the public. Any agency which represents the public and speaks to the public on behalf of the government must speak in both official languages and must be able to be understood in both official languages by the public it is consulting.
With respect to its powers, section 24 provides that the agency may:
(d) consult persons and organizations within Canada and internationally.
Across Canada there are communities which speak English and others which speak French. It makes perfect sense to me to require people who will be consulting French and English speaking communities to be able to do so in the language of those communities.
The agency may:
(e) collect, analyse and manage health reporting information relating to controlled activities;
Again, to collect, analyse and manage information, one must be able to do so with the consent of the public and with information provided by the public.
Paragraph 24( f ) provides that the agency will:
(f) provide information to the public and to the professions—
Again, I am repeating myself a fair bit, but to provide information to the public requires that the public be informed in the official language of its choice, either French or English, one of the two official languages of this country. Further on, we read:
(g) designate inspectors and analysts for the enforcement of this Act;
Again, inspectors and analysts must also represent both publics, who speak both official languages of this country.
Subsection 26(1) provides that:
There shall be a board of directors of the Agency consisting of not more than 13 members—
It seems to me imperative that the board of directors consist of people who speak French or English. Again, these people must be able not only to communicate with people who speak these languages, but also to understand the reality and culture behind the French and English languages across Canada.
In subsection 26(2.1)—and I would like to make a major point off topic, if I may—it is stated that:
The membership of the board of directors shall be appointed in such a manner as to maintain a minimum of 50 per cent representation by women.
I have just heard the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health say that he, and the minister, want this withdrawn. I am opposed to that. This is far off topic for me, since my topic is official languages. In the preamble, there is reference to the principles of this bill. It is stated in 2( c ) that:
while all persons are affected by these technologies, women more than men are directly and significantly affected by their application and the health and well-being of women must be protected—
It strikes me as totally obvious that at least half of this board must be female, since women—I will point this out despite how obvious it strikes me—will have experienced or could experience the consequences of this bill.
In my opinion, not only must at least half of the board of directors be women, they must also represent the culture and language of the two peoples of Canada.
If these people speak both languages, they will be able to hold consultations and meetings in accordance with clause 27, which are to be held throughout Canada. They will be able to readily meet with people, whether in Quebec, British Columbia or Manitoba, and whether they speak English or French. They will be able to hold meetings and consultations with these people in both official languages.
Clause 28 of the bill asks that the provincial deputy ministers of health be entitled to attend meetings of the board of directors. Once again, in the province that I represent here, the administration speaks French. I fully expect that the deputy minister of health from my province will be able to participate in the meetings of the board in the language of his or her choice.
I could continue on other clauses found in the bill, on advisory panels for example, on the vice chair of the board and on the membership of the advisory panel. I think my point is clear: the agency must reflect Canada. The Assisted Human Reproduction Agency of Canada must reflect the bilingual reality of our country, a reality for which we have fought hard. It has become a reality today. This agency must respect the founding people of this country, who spoke English and French, and it must also respect the Canadian tradition that was translated into the Constitution and this country's Charter or Rights and Freedoms.