Tuesday, 18 October 2011 16:44
Debates of the Senate - Question Period
Hon. Maria Chaput: The Leader of the Government in the Senate said that her government is showing leadership and I agree. She said, however, that an increased number of federal institutions now have to report on how they are meeting their obligations under Part VII of the Official Languages Act.
Is it fair to say that leadership has to go further than simply obliging the institutions to report on their activities? Should leadership not also involve looking at the progress that has been made and if it is not acceptable, turning to the institutions concerned and asking them what they plan to do to correct the situation?
My question is the following: will the government do more than just ask for reports? Will it also require these institutions to take action to correct any deficiencies?
Senator LeBreton: Honourable senators, again I repeat what the Commissioner of Official Languages said when he acknowledged that there has been definite progress. Senator Tardif asked about the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality. As I have stated in this place many times, we strongly support the linguistic duality of our country. We have delivered. We are providing unprecedented support in the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality. We are only in year three of a five-year commitment, yet 71 per cent of the commitments our government made in the road map plan have been confirmed and funded.
Honourable senators, the government has shown by its actions great resolve and commitment to promoting our linguistic duality. We have the record to prove it. It is a given that the government turned to those departments that have not lived up to the requirements of Part VII of the act to ascertain what the problem has been and why these commitments have not been met. Like any good government, we will seek a solution.
Senator Chaput: Part VII of the Official Languages Act talks about positive measures. A few years ago, it became apparent that the federal institutions lacked an understanding of what constituted a positive measure. One department then prepared a guide. That guide was to be distributed to the institutions to help them understand what a positive measure is for supporting the development of the official language communities.
We do not hear much about that guide any more. Federal institutions that do not always meet their obligations will often say that they do not understand or do not know what this means. In my opinion, that kind of excuse is no longer valid. A guide was prepared and handed out. Those institutions should use it.
Why are the offending institutions still not meeting their obligations under Part VII of the Official Languages Act? Could the Leader of the Government in the Senate give us those reasons and describe the corrective measures these institutions plan to take?
Senator LeBreton: Honourable senators, departments should be following the guide, and there is no excuse for not doing so. As I stated in my earlier answer and as the Official Languages Commissioner said, we are making great progress, having improved from 30 institutions to 200. However, that does not excuse those departments that have not implemented Part VII of the Act. The honourable senator is absolutely right that they should be instructed to follow the guide. That is the law of the land.
Honourable senators, by way of delayed answer, I will seek to provide further information as to the actual situation and what is planned as follow-up.