From the moment they enter the gates until they board the plane, travelers passing through the country's busiest airport are entitled to service in French. But in a difficult recruiting context, Pearson Airport has a policy that a lawyer says is at odds with the principles of the Official Languages Act.
On December 12, Radio-Canada visited a dozen restaurants at the airport. Nobody could offer the service in French.
Most restaurateurs didn't even know Molière's language. What language do you speak? For example, the manager of a café asked.
However, the official language law is clear. It is the responsibility of the federal institutions to ensure this […] We can read about the administrative services offered to travelers by third parties approved by them for this purpose, in both official languages, in the federal law.
These regulatory services include the offerings of restaurants, car rental companies, exchange offices and duty-free shops.
Open in full screen mode
The lease agreements that the manager of Pearson Airport signs with his restaurateurs require them to provide bilingual signage.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Yanick Lepage
In response to a recent complaint filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, the manager of Pearson Airport claims that the restaurant owners' leases require them to make an active offer for bilingual services and to provide the services provided for in the law in both official languages to provide languages.
What is an active offer?
The active service offer is an invitation to the public to use one of Canada's two official languages: French or English. The active offer includes a bilingual greeting, such as hello-hello.
In a statement sent to Radio-Canada, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) explains its expectations for its dealers.
If a person is unable to provide this service [en français]Retailers must offer a service with 24/7 access to a real-time translation application, writes Karen Mazurkewich, GTAA vice president of stakeholder relations and communications.
During Radio-Canada's visit to Pearson Airport, only two restaurant employees reported using a telephone translation service. Two additional institutions mentioned using simultaneous translation tools available on smartphones.
SSP Group, which owns many restaurants at the Toronto airport, said via email that if no staff member speaks French, staff must call a central phone line to have a manager take the order or ask the manager for unit assistance can.
However, these practices do not respect the principle of genuine equality enshrined in the Official Languages Act, according to Gabriel Poliquin, lawyer and language law expert.
Open in full screen mode
Lawyer Gabriel Poliquin believes that the use of simultaneous translation violates the Official Languages Act. (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada
The English-speaking customer is never in a situation where he has to call a telephone number to be served in the official language of his choice. As a result, clients who seek services in French actually end up in a situation of inequality, explains the lawyer.
The GTAA did not respond to our interview requests or answer our questions about its restaurateurs' use of a translation service. Radio-Canada was unable to obtain interviews with the companies that own the restaurants visited.
Despite all this, Me Poliquin recognizes that the challenges of recruiting bilingual personnel in environments where French is a minority language place federal agencies in an extremely difficult situation.
Looking for bilingual candidates
In its most recent annual report (New Window), the Commissioner for Official Languages reported that the country's airport authorities are facing difficulties in recruiting bilingual staff, which would partly explain the increase in complaints from travelers who were unable to receive the service French.
Start of the widget. Skip widget?
End of widget. Return to the top of the widget?
Raymond Théberge claims in an interview that this is an issue that affects almost all federal institutions. The latter preferred not to comment on Pearson Airport's policy as investigations into complaints against the company are ongoing.
According to Greg Benadiba, president of recruiting firm Source Bilingue, between 10 and 15% of jobs advertised in Toronto are for candidates who speak French and English. Companies are competing for the handful of workers who have the necessary language skills.
It's a big problem. It is certain that the demand for bilingual people is greater than the candidate pool, claims Mr. Benadiba.
He explains that he has to make significant efforts to fill certain positions. The recruiter also asks its clients to expect a 20 to 40% higher salary for a bilingual candidate.
We need to do real recruiting. It's not enough to just place an ad on LinkedIn or Indeed, he explains.
Open in full screen mode
Greg Benadiba is president of Source Bilingue, a bilingual recruiting firm in Toronto.
Photo: Radio-Canada / Yanick Lepage
Bilingual candidates still need to know that they are in demand. Among the dozens of job postings posted online by restaurateurs at Pearson Airport earlier this week, Radio-Canada found none that listed knowledge of French as a required or desired skill.
The GTAA has not responded to our questions on this matter.
Lack of effort or impossible task?
Despite the challenges, Benadiba firmly believes that Pearson is capable of meeting his language needs.
But it must be required and it must [faire] an effort, he adds.
According to the human resources expert, to achieve this, the airport manager must work with French-speaking organizations in the region, continue to promote its job offers for bilingual workers and, if necessary, use the services of professional recruiters.
For his part, Me Poliquin, language lawyer, judges that, above all, we must increase the pool of bilingual people in the country, otherwise federal institutions will always have difficulty meeting their linguistic needs.
He particularly highlights the importance of French immersion programs, which, due to their popularity, do not always manage to recruit enough teachers.
The lawyer sees encouraging signs in the recent reform of the Official Languages Act. According to Me Poliquin, Ottawa is particularly committed to protecting and promoting the French language, which could force the government to fund more Frenchization programs.
The reform also gives the Commissioner for Official Languages expanded powers. The latter can, among other things, impose administrative penalties of up to $25,000 against companies that do not comply with the law.
Commissioner Théberge hopes that this will lead to better compliance from federal institutions.
Open in full screen mode
The Commissioner for Official Languages, Raymond Théberge (archive photo)
Photo: Radio-Canada / Angie Bonenfant
In addition to increasing the pool of bilingual workers, this compliance, in his opinion, also requires training, a route particularly preferred in the public sector.
Currently, federal institutions, including airports, are instead focusing on a different solution: technologies.
Technologies are not a panacea, warns the Commissioner
“We believed ten years ago that the use of digital technologies would allow federal institutions to fill certain gaps in official languages, for example, automating certain processes to compensate for the lack of bilingual resources,” we read in the latest annual report of the Commissioner for Official Languages .
It must be admitted that this vision has not yet been fully realized, he added.
However, in an interview he expressed doubts about the ability of technological tools to ensure the provision of services in French.
You have to pay attention to the technology […] This is not a miracle solution.
This is because federal agencies cannot rely solely on technology to meet their linguistic obligations, Mr. Poliquin points out.
ICI Ontario Newsletter
Subscribe to the ICI Ontario newsletter.
If there is a lack of technology, someone has to be there to help [les clients], he explains. If there is no one to offer help in French, this is a violation of the Official Languages Act.
Open in full screen mode
An example of a technological tool in the transport sector is terminals for receiving boarding passes. (archive photo)
Photo: Portal / Carlos Osorio
He also recalls that neither technical problems nor recruitment difficulties represent an acceptable legal defense for an institution that does not comply with the law, with which Commissioner Théberge agrees.
It is always up to the federal institution to equip itself with the necessary resources to fulfill its obligations regarding the official languages, he emphasizes.
It's really about the culture within the organization. If you want […] “If we provide the best possible service, which includes service in French, I think we will take the means to achieve this,” the Commissioner added.
The GTAA says it is making the necessary efforts to provide bilingual service to the tens of millions of travelers who visit Pearson Airport each year.