More than three months after filing the public inquiry report into the 2022 state of emergency, Paul Rouleau continues to stir the conversation.
Issues include delays in translating testimonies into French, which were deemed inappropriate, and the lack of a French translation of several key documents submitted by the government to justify its decision to use the Emergency Measures Act to put an end to truck convoys set.
This is despite nearly $324,000 spent on translations out of the total $21.6 million budget approved for the State of Emergency Commission for fiscal year 2022-2023.
Conservative Senator Claude Carignan, a member of the Joint Special Committee to declare a crisis situation, believes these language problems have affected his and his team’s ability to do their jobs well and violated their rights.
It’s been several days of hearings, several documents are only in English… Not everyone is bilingual and we have the right to work in the language of our choice. I’m French, my team is French and I have employees who don’t necessarily have the same level of bilingualism. There are nuances, there are still legal texts in certain situations, testimonies… We want to see the contradictions. It is therefore important that words in English and French have the same meaning and that we do not have to lose these subtleties of the language, he criticizes.
“We are Francophones. When we work for a federal agency, especially in Ottawa, we don’t have to compromise on our language. »
– A quote from Claude Carignan, conservative Senator from Quebec
The senator also regrets the lack of translation into English of testimonies given in French before the commission, which limits their scope, he said.
Anglophones cannot read it, so the Francophone is at a disadvantage in reaching his embassy as he spoke in French and not English. And that might explain why Justin Trudeau testified almost entirely in English during the Rouleau Commission. He was criticized, but clearly, for the technique at the Rouleau Commission – certainly if you wanted to have the greatest possible impact – [c’était de parler] in English.
Franco-Ontarian judge Paul Rouleau headed the Commission on the State of Emergency.
Photo: Radio Canada / Benoit Roussel
Mr. Carignan hopes his approach will make a difference, both in terms of the Rouleau Commission and possible future commissions.
I’m expecting the commissioner [aux langues officielles] takes the complaint, investigates it and makes recommendations for the future to prevent it from reoccurring. And I hope that the committee [Rouleau] can correct and secure the documents [et] […] credentials […] can be translated into English or French so that they remain in the archive.
A recurring problem
The conservative senator, who has been in the upper house for 14 years, believes the issue raised is not new.
Working in French in Ottawa is always complicated. It’s not the first time this has happened. […] It’s happening in meetings with ministers, it’s happening in stages in Ottawa… It’s a matter of culture. The culture has to change. And it is important to demand that this change.
“Too often there are events, especially in Ottawa, where the French language is at a disadvantage compared to English. »
– A quote from Claude Carignan, conservative Senator from Quebec
The senator’s complaint is not the first to affect the state of emergency commission.
When asked by Radio-Canada, the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages said it had received two more complaints a few months ago about the absence of French at the hearings, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau himself admitted.
Radio-Canada attempted to contact the State of Emergency Commission team but did not respond to a request for interview as work was completed.
“An unacceptable situation”
The Office of the Minister for Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, replied by email on Sunday afternoon. He stated that while the Rouleau Commission was independent, the situations described by Senator Carignan were unacceptable. All parliamentarians should have access to equivalent information and translation services in French and English.
The Office of the Minister further adds that we are committed to promoting and ensuring the full implementation of the Official Languages Act.
On the government side, none of the other ministers involved — Public Safety Secretary Marco Mendicino, Emergency Preparedness Secretary and Privy Council President Bill Blair, or the Prime Minister’s Office — had responded to requests from Radio-Canada at the time to publish this text.
Will the commissioner conduct an investigation?
It remains to be seen whether the commissioner will actually investigate Senator Carignan’s complaint.
Despite being deemed admissible, the first two complaints received about the Rouleau Commission remained dead letters, Commissioner Raymond Théberge said in an email exchange.
Since the commission ended in February 2023, I was unable to conduct a proper investigation before its dissolution. In fact, by law I must be able to communicate my reports and conclusions and give the parties the right to reply, which was not possible in this case. The end of the commission means that it is no longer a federal institution within the meaning of the law, he explained.
The Commissioner for Official Languages, Raymond Théberge. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio Canada / Angie Bonenfant
However, the Commissioner for Official Languages mentioned that he had written to Privy Council Secretary and Cabinet Secretary Janice Charette on February 9 to remind her of the importance of future commissions that more fully integrate the country’s linguistic duality into their communication.
That letter was also sent to Minister Petitpas Taylor and Minister Mendicino, Mr Théberge said.
“You have to remember that the Official Languages Act allows people nationwide to negotiate with the federal government in French or English where required by law.”
– A quote from Raymond Théberge, Commissioner for Official Languages of Canada
However, Mr Carignan’s complaint raises new elements, the commissioner’s office added. An analysis is currently being carried out to determine admissibility.
For his part, the senator is by no means assuming that his request will not be complied with.
It would be disappointing, but I’m sure I’ll have quite a lively conversation about it because these aren’t the kinds of excuses I’ll accept to overcome violations of this nature, he promises. . It was the Privy Council Office, it was Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who created this commission, who appointed her, so he had to give her all the tools and make sure she was up to the official of the Languages Act. […] Ultimately, I think the government has to react.
With information from Daniel Leblanc