Proceedings of the Standing Senate Committee on
Official Languages

Issue No. 36 - Minutes of Proceedings - Meeting of February 18, 2019

OTTAWA, Monday, February 18, 2019
(73)

[Translation]

The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages met this day at 4 p.m., in room B45, Senate of Canada Building, the chair, the Honourable René Cormier, presiding.

Members of the committee present: The Honourable Senators Cormier, Gagné, Mégie, Moncion, Poirier and Smith (6).

In attendance: Marie-Ève Hudon, Analyst, Parliamentary Information and Research Service, Library of Parliament; Marcy Galipeau, Communications Officer, Communications Directorate; Marc-André Roy, Parliamentary Counsel, Office of the Law Clerk and Parliamentary Counsel; Stéphanie Pépin, Legislative Clerk, Committees Directorate.

Also present: The official reporters of the Senate.

Pursuant to the order of reference adopted by the Senate on Thursday, April 6, 2017, the committee continued its study to examine and report on Canadians' views about modernizing the Official Languages Act. (For complete text of the order of reference, see proceedings of the committee, Issue No. 2.)

WITNESSES:

Translation Bureau:

Stéphan Déry, Chief Executive Officer.

National Capital Commission:

Céline Larabie, Executive Director, Human Resources;

Anne Ménard, Acting Executive Director, Capital Stewardship.

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada:

David Manicom, Assistant Deputy Minister, Settlement and Integration Policy Branch;

Corinne Prince, Director General, Settlement and Integration Policy Branch.

Statistics Canada:

Jane Badets, Assistant Chief Statistician, Social, Health and Labour Statistics;

Jean-Pierre Corbeil, Assistant Director and Chief Specialist of the Language Statistics Program, Social and Aboriginal Statistics Division.

Canada Infrastructure Bank:

Pierre Lavallée, President and CEO;

Frédéric Duguay, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary.

The chair made a statement.

Mr. Déry made a statement and answered questions.

Ms. Larabie made a statement and, together with Ms. Ménard, answered questions.

At 4:58 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 5:03 p.m., the committee resumed.

Mr. Manicom made a statement and, together with Ms. Prince, answered questions.

Ms. Badets made a statement and, together with Mr. Corbeil, answered questions.

At 5:59 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 6:07 p.m., the committee resumed.

Mr. Lavallée made a statement and, together with Mr. Duguay, answered questions.

At 6:46 p.m., the committee suspended.

At 6:52 p.m., pursuant to rule 12-16(1)(d), the committee resumed in camera to consider a draft report.

It was agreed:

That the draft report on the modernization of the Official Languages Act, as amended, be adopted.

That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to:

Approve the final version of the report, taking into consideration this meeting's discussions, including, as needed, the key points, preface and outline of the report, and with any necessary editorial, grammatical and translation changes required; and

Make decisions on behalf of the committee to publish the report with the support of the Senate Communications Directorate.

That the chair be authorized to table the report in the Senate or, if the Senate is not sitting, to request the Senate's permission to deposit the report with the Clerk of the Senate.

At 7:16 p.m., the committee adjourned to the call of the chair.

ATTEST:

François Michaud
Clerk of the Committee