Official Languages committee  I would add that the legal aid programs have a very specific objective. Of course, they allow people who don't have the means to do so to access the court system, in such areas as family or criminal law. What we are talking about here is a program that provides Canadians with r

Official Languages committee  I would like to take this opportunity to make a clarification: the commissioner can intervene in a court action intended to uphold constitutional rights, but he cannot initiate such action.

Official Languages committee  It was tabled with the court. We could...

Official Languages committee  It is now.

Official Languages committee  The investigation isn't complete, and the usual practice of the Office of the Commissioner is that we wait until the end of the investigation to see whether the government implements the recommendations. If it appears that is not the case, we consider the possibility of interveni

Justice committee  Currently the Criminal Code does not explicitly recognize the right to be heard in the official language of your choice in the context of the incidental procedures and appeal process. The commissioner has suggested interested governments look at extending the rights of the accus

Justice committee  This provision should only be used in exceptional circumstances. If the point is to allow an accused person to be tried in a judicial district or division of their language, the judicial appointment process should ensure that each district is appropriately bilingual and that the

Justice committee  We're not talking about all personnel. We're talking about institutional capacity. Out of a group of 10 Crown prosecutors working in one district, for instance, you would need to assess the correct proportion to ensure that the accused receives—

Justice committee  At every level, yes. The clerk—

Justice committee  The proposed provisions remain within a criminal context. Under sections 530 and 530.1, language rights would be extended throughout the entire process, not just to the trial itself.

Justice committee  The idea is to extend it to all related proceedings, including motions, but also to appeals, because if an accused chooses French at trial, but on appeal no longer has the right to choose the language in which the appeal is to be held, that could have an effect on the choice of l

Justice committee  In fact, the provision contains an ambiguity. As drafted, the provision could give rise to two possible interpretations. Once the co-accuseds choose to be tried in different official languages, a bilingual trial would automatically be ordered. That interpretation is possible. Wh

Justice committee  We did attach wording to that effect to our presentation.

Justice committee  I would tend to agree.

Official Languages committee  Under the provisions of the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act, the judge had simply ordered that all agencies with the power to regulate Air Canada, including ourselves, would suspend that power for Air Canada. However, Air Canada and the Office of the Official Languages Commi