Official Languages committee  With pleasure. I will ask my colleague from the Human Resources Branch to add to my comments, if necessary. One of our major concerns for a number of years has been to make sure that we have measures, policies and practices in place for our officers, in order to ensure that serv

Official Languages committee  Certainly, Mr. Chair. That's an excellent question. In my 29 years—and this is all I've done, as I started as an officer on the front lines and have been with the organization ever since—I've never seen the type of escalation of border measures that we have in the last 12 month

Official Languages committee  My thanks to the member for his question. For us, it is a constant effort. As you know, at the moment, during the pandemic, all incoming flights are limited to four airports. By moving staff to new positions, we have made sure that we have the people we need to carry out the bor

Official Languages committee  I can assure you that there is an ongoing commitment. As a francophone and someone who has worked for the agency for 29 years, I certainly appreciate the importance of having all the necessary measures in place. Our president is also committed to ensuring bilingual services are

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I will ask my colleague to comment in a moment. That amounts to a review of the findings made by the commissioner, with whom we are in constant contact. We introduced a three-year action plan encompassing a series of initiatives that are based on f

Official Languages committee  In regions designated as bilingual, where service must be provided in both languages, we have to make sure staff can provide the service at all times. In certain other areas where we have more than one lane, we also make sure to have a designated bilingual lane.

Official Languages committee  I can assure you that we will continue striving to have individuals designated as bilingual at bilingual points of entry. We have put procedures in place. As a result, when a traveller looking for a French-speaking officer comes to a booth that is not designated as bilingual, we

Official Languages committee  I would have to check with my colleague. We may have to get back to the committee with that information.

Official Languages committee  We will do our best.

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. I can give you a partial answer. A significant number of travellers returned to the country between March and May 2020. When people were being repatriated from various places around the world, things were changing rapidly, and we were trying to keep

Official Languages committee  Thank you for your question. Wherever our programs are available, we provide them in both official languages. The active offer should always be made, but not necessarily by the officer in the booth at the time the traveller is crossing the border. Other procedures are in place t

Official Languages committee  When it comes to senior management meetings, we undertake to hold management meetings and regional management meetings in both official languages. All of our executives are bilingual. Rest assured that people can speak in the language of their choice.

Official Languages committee  Meetings take place in the language of the individuals they are speaking to or the language of the person who asked the question. For example, as a francophone, I strive to answer in French when I am asked a question in French, and in English when I am asked a question in English

Official Languages committee  My colleague, Ms. Youdale has the data on hand.

Official Languages committee  To complete this answer, I would add that, in Quebec, all our positions are designated bilingual. That is why the numbers are so high. Concerning your question about correspondence, people who address us in French should receive a response in French. It is not out of the questio