Official Languages committee  Thank you, Mr. Chair. Good afternoon, honourable committee members. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in the study on the impact of COVID-19 on the government's ability to provide information in both official languages. Although today's meeting is taking place on a virtual platform, I would like to point out that I'm addressing you from treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of the Anishinabe, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, as well as the homeland of the Métis nation.

Official Languages committee  Our thinking on administrative tribunals is still evolving. Three principles must be respected. The first is to ensure that it really gives the complainant access to justice. Is there a better system than the one currently in place? We must make sure that the system we put in place really meets the needs of complainants.

Official Languages committee  In concrete terms, the regional offices do the promotion in schools and federal institutions. Staff from our Montreal office give presentations in anglophone and immersion schools. They also work with the Quebec Federal Council. They travel to various regions of Quebec, to the remote communities in the north, for example.

Official Languages committee  We promote the official languages and linguistic duality.

Official Languages committee  We are very conscious of the fact that the governance of the Official Languages Act is shared within the federal government. Parts IV, V and VI are primarily the responsibility of the Treasury Board. Part VII falls under the Department of Canadian Heritage, but that is mainly about coordination.

Official Languages committee  It's $21.5 million for everything, including tax!

Official Languages committee  It was until now, but we will be receiving the remaining 25%.

Official Languages committee  We will!

Official Languages committee  We have not allocated any amounts; nothing like that. It is very difficult to conceive of the needs of an organization, given the little information we have on future decisions. If I am told that my 18 recommendations will be implemented, I can work towards that. If there is a regulatory framework on active offer, if there is a regulation on Part V or a regulatory framework for Part VII, it is clear that this will add tasks, but it is too early to predict those things.

Official Languages committee  In my opinion, we should have the opportunity to review our activities and submit any given project to Treasury Board, for example. I am not talking about funding for current programs; I am talking about funding for new programs. I think we need to think about that.

Official Languages committee  The situation you describe is not unusual. It is happening across Canada because of the popularity of immersion programs. Over the last five years, the number of students in immersion programs has increased by 20%. Last year, we began research into the shortage of teachers of French as a second language.

Official Languages committee  Let me tell you about a case we have experienced previously. Let us take the example of an agreement in the media sector. We must ensure that this type of agreement takes into account the needs of the community. We must therefore consult with the community to determine what should be in the agreement in terms of support for the community.

Official Languages committee  I believe that if modernization continues and becomes a reality, and if the recommendations I have made in this regard are taken into account, it will certainly create new needs within our organization. That's clear. In this context, a submission to Treasury Board will have to be prepared.

Official Languages committee  Through the Compliance Assurance Branch, or CAB, we have done a lot of research on compliance. Since legal services are part of this budget, this branch has done a lot of legal research in several areas. Promotion also includes the research and policy component. For instance, if we're dealing with an immigration or security issue, very often that's the branch that will take matters in hand.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for the question. In our positioning document, we refer to two compliance mechanisms: administrative monetary penalties and binding agreements. These two mechanisms are complementary in some ways. We can certainly sign binding agreements and, if they aren't respected, we can impose administrative monetary penalties.