Official Languages committee  Yes. Obviously, being a French-speaking public servant is a disadvantage. Often, in a hiring process, a unilingual English-speaking candidate is given a position and then trained to become bilingual. This does not work the other way around. Indeed, a unilingual French-speaking candidate is not offered the same opportunity to be considered for a position and then receive training in English.

Official Languages committee  Yes, that's my mother all right.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. One negative impact of the pandemic has been the further decline in opportunities to communicate in French and break the ice, such as the chance to run into each other in the office or chat in a second language. Our members are also reporting that they often receive messages in only one language and that, when they ask managers to send the messages in both official languages, the request is denied.

Official Languages committee  In conclusion, if the Government of Canada really wants to preserve our bilingual identity and improve its ability to communicate and provide services to Canadians in both official languages, it will take work, investment and a concrete mandate. As part of this discussion on our country's official languages and colonial languages, we mustn't forget the importance of preserving indigenous languages.

Official Languages committee  Mr. Chair, members of the Standing Committee on Official Languages, thank you for inviting us to testify about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the government's ability to provide information in both official languages. My name is Alex Silas, and I am the Regional Executive Vice-President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada for the National Capital Region.