Official Languages committee  I don't remember receiving specific instructions--

Official Languages committee  Exactly; there are none in the Management Accountability Framework.

Official Languages committee  I will answer the second question, and Ms. Kennedy can tackle the first one. I have always wanted the members of my team to feel comfortable and be proud of speaking French or English. Around my management table, I have never been aware of any language-related tensions, and I wo

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  I will let Ms. Lorenzato answer that question, Mr. Chairman, but I would like to correct one point I mentioned earlier. One of the numbers I gave you was incorrect and that has been bothering me. We have 8,000 bilingual positions in the department out of a total of 13,000. I talk

Official Languages committee  I'm thinking of both this committee and others as well. I also sit on the Deputy Ministers Committee on Public Service Renewal. There we talk about bilingualism, and we talk about the importance of the French fact and the English fact in Canada. Commitments are translated into ac

Official Languages committee  No. As far as I'm concerned, official languages do not correspond to a specific program. In our department, it is a way of operating. I obviously have projects, but they are not affected by budget reductions. It's important to keep them in place. It is also a whole way of working

Official Languages committee  Second-language training is offered to all our employees, whether they are Francophone or Anglophone.

Official Languages committee  Yes. I referred earlier to 9 teachers and the agreement we entered into with the School of Public Service. I did not want there to be a line-up for training. So, I discussed it with Ms. Lorenzato. The fact is that people were waiting for their turn to arrive, something that can b

Official Languages committee  Yes.

Official Languages committee  No. Often it's connected to the position. Approximately 80% of our positions in the department are considered bilingual. When people move from one position to another, they have to meet the language requirements of the new position, whether they are Francophones interested in a p

Official Languages committee  The most recent public service survey that my employees took part in showed that 80% of our employees were satisfied and that they are able to communicate in the language of their choice. I was a little surprised because that percentage is a little lower than the one for the publ

Official Languages committee  I would just like to make one final point, Mr. Chairman. I had an idea that came out of my own personal experience when I was younger. I asked Ms. Lorenzato and the management team whether it would be possible for an Anglophone from Vancouver, Alberta or Ontario who is interested

Official Languages committee  The ones I saw who were able to do it learned French very quickly. We're really talking about complete immersion both culturally and linguistically, and they don't lose their French. I remember that. Unfortunately, it is not always easy to arrange. Often it is because of the fam

Official Languages committee  No.