Official Languages committee  This is what we call the problem with section 91 of the Official Languages Act, which says that every position must be evaluated on the basis of the language requirements needed to do the job. This section has always been poorly understood by managers, which has led to a systemic problem.

Official Languages committee  The situation at the RCMP is worrisome, especially in senior management. There are training programs, but for operational reasons management is unable to let people take them. Saying it is not possible for operational reasons is a ready excuse. For a long time, the RCMP has had trouble living up to its official languages obligations in terms of communicating with the public and employee training.

Official Languages committee  Still, there's an interesting situation I'd like to point out. Many young cadets don't speak English when they go to Depot Division, which is the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Academy based in Regina. The RCMP does a lot of work in western Canada and the Maritimes. In the west, they very often work in English, so they have to give training to these young cadets from Quebec.

Official Languages committee  This is a percentage that concerns me. As I said earlier, you have to ask yourself whether this is an anomaly or whether it's a downward trend that's going to continue. When you see something like that, you have to react immediately. For example, this year, the number of appointments is not up to the mark.

Official Languages committee  The objective of the new act is the protection and promotion of French, not only in Quebec, but across Canada. We recognize that the French language is a minority language in Canada and North America. That said, we're still in the very early stages of implementing the new act. However, if we look at the 2021 figures for the French-speaking population, I think it's important for the government to take action to support French.

Official Languages committee  For the time being, no.

Official Languages committee  You have to remember that, wherever you are in Canada now, there is diversity. That diversity includes both official languages. There is a short-term approach and a long-term approach. The long-term approach is to have programs that give students access to second-language training.

Official Languages committee  First, you have to really understand how things are now. There are hundreds of appointments. To what extent was bilingualism a definite or important asset? What is the rate of those appointments? It would also be helpful to identify the trends in those appointments over a certain period.

Official Languages committee  Thank you.

Official Languages committee  If section 34 regarding deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers is properly implemented, the answer is yes. Yet there are many issues involving the implementation of that section of the act.

Official Languages committee  That's right.

Official Languages committee  The act does not apply to the appointment of the Governor General of Canada or the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. So the simple answer to your question is no.

Official Languages committee  As I said, it is important for all senior federal leaders to be able to communicate in Canada's two official languages and for Canadians to be heard in both official languages. The new Official Languages Act based on Bill C‑13 does not address the examples you mentioned. Two other bills, Bill S‑220 and Bill S‑229 do currently address those possibilities—

Official Languages committee  —but they have not been studied yet.

Official Languages committee  When a person is sent for language training, for various positions they have to reach a certain level and take tests to prove that they have reached a certain level in oral expression, written expression and comprehension. Are senior officials subject to the same tests? In some cases, they certainly would be.