Mr. Speaker, on April 30, the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages assured this House that the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Games would be entirely respectful of Canada's official languages when it comes to the cultural Olympiad, the opening and closing ceremonies and the torch relay. That same day, the minister even invited me to go to Vancouver myself to see the progress that had already been made by VANOC, the Olympic organizing committee.
I went there, and I am not convinced that the Olympic Games in Vancouver will be bilingual. And I am not the only one. The Commissioner of Official Languages just released a new follow-up report in September 2009, in which he shared his concerns and made recommendations. I rise in this House today to say that the majority of the promises the minister made in April are not in place today, six months later, and the Games are only a few months away.
For example, on April 30, 2009, the minister assured the House that translation services would be put in place to ensure that the Games are completely bilingual.
Six months later, the commissioner not only reports that there is a delay in translation, but expresses concern that the stated objectives for translation have been lowered. He states, and I quote:
...VANOC indicates that “in exceptional circumstances, unanticipated communications will be consecutively broadcasted within a twelve-hour period in the second language, and urgent communications, within a six-hour period.” This clause is not in keeping with the multiparty agreement.
I could go on all evening about the lack of volunteers, the fact that French-language services are not available on the sites of various federal institutions that are to be providing services during the games, and so on.
What I see, what the commissioner saw and what the whole world will unfortunately see during the Olympic Games next February is that French does not have equal status with English in the conduct of the event and that the official languages objectives that were set have not been met.
As a Canadian, I am worried that, once again, Canada will not honour its commitments.
As the critic for la Francophonie, I wonder how the event's organizers, including the Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages, are going to justify all these organizational shortcomings to the thousands of French-speaking athletes who will be visiting a member of the francophonie and a country with French as one of its official languages, yet who will not be able to get an answer in French at most sites, will not see their biographies presented in French for the media and will not have access to the translation and signage services they have a right to expect.