THE STANDING SENATE COMMITTEE ON OFFICIAL LANGUAGES
EVIDENCE
OTTAWA, Monday, December 13, 2021
The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages met this day at 4:01 p.m. [ET] with videoconference, for the purpose of organization, pursuant to rule 12-13 of the Rules of the Senate.
[Translation]
Gaëtane Lemay, Clerk of the Committee: Honourable senators, there is a quorum. As clerk of your committee, it is my duty to preside over the election of the chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
Senator Gagné: I nominate Senator Cormier as chair of the committee.
Ms. Lemay: The Honourable Senator Gagné moved:
That the Honourable Senator Cormier be elected chair of this committee.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
Ms. Lemay: I declare the motion carried. I invite Senator Cormier to take the chair.
Senator René Cormier (Chair) in the chair.
The Chair: Thank you very much, Ms. Lemay. Thank you very much, fellow members of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. Thank you for your confidence you have placed in me; it is an honour for me to serve again as chair of this committee. We have worked very co-operatively in the past and will continue to do so. You can count on me. You can also contact me if you have any concerns, suggestions or comments to make during our working sessions. I invite you to contact me at any time. I hope we can work in a collegial environment, as we have always done. I am very, very happy to be here and to see you around this table.
Senator Mockler, do you have a question?
Senator Mockler: I wanted to make a proposal.
The Chair: Okay. Please go ahead, senator.
Senator Mockler: Has the motion to elect the deputy chair been moved?
The Chair: We will get to that shortly, senator.
Senator Mockler: Thank you.
The Chair: Before we move on to the various motions, including the one about deputy chairs, I also want to tell you that, as chair, I will work with the steering committee to ensure that all members of the committee are considered in our work.
We are now ready to move on to motion 2, namely the election of the deputy chair. I am ready to receive a motion to that effect.
Senator Mockler: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. First, I would like to join the many people here in expressing my congratulations to you.
I would now like to nominate Senator Rose-May Poirier as deputy chair of our committee.
The Chair: Thank you. The Honourable Senator Mockler moved:
That the Honourable Senator Rose-May Poirier be elected deputy chair of the committee.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried. Congratulations and welcome again, Senator Poirier. Would you like to say a few words?
Senator Poirier: Thank you for this nomination, Senator Mockler. It is greatly appreciated.
Mr. Chair, I too would like to congratulate you on your election as chair. I am happy to be back on the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. I took a little break from the committee, but I told my colleagues that I was ready to come back, so I am happy. I just met with Senator Clement, who is a new member of our committee, and I see that many of the committee members were on the committee during our previous work. It is an honour to be here again, because we all worked very well together, and I am sure we will work very well together again, for a good cause, in this new session of Parliament.
Senator Cormier, I am eager to work with you, and I am also eager to work with all members of the committee. I hope we will be able to accomplish good things, as in the past.
The Chair: Thank you very much, Senator Poirier.
[English]
We now have some routine motions to adopt. These are standard motions that are consistent with past practices.
[Translation]
First, let’s move on to motion 3 to create the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, better known as the “steering committee.” For this session, it was determined that the four recognized parties and groups would have a representative on the steering committee.
Do I have a proposer for motion 3?
Senator Mégie: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Mégie moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be composed of the chair, the deputy chair and two other members of the committee, to be designated after the usual consultations; and
That the subcommittee be empowered to make decisions on behalf of the committee with respect to its agenda, to invite witnesses, and to schedule hearings.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
I would like to take this opportunity, colleagues, to advise you that after some consultation, it has been determined that the other two members of the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure will be Senator Jean-Guy Dagenais of the Canadian Senators Group and Senator Raymonde Gagné of the Progressive Senate Group. Welcome also to Senator Dagenais and Senator Gagné. Thank you for your commitment.
We are now ready to move on to motion 4 on the motion to publish the committee’s proceedings. Do I have a proposer for motion 4?
Senator Moncion: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Moncion moved:
That the committee publish its proceedings.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Motion 5 deals with research staff.
Do I have a mover for motion 5?
Senator Poirier: I so move.
The Chair: The Honourable Senator Poirier moved:
That the committee ask the Library of Parliament to assign analysts to the committee;
That the chair be authorized to seek authority from the Senate to engage the services of such counsel and technical, clerical, and other personnel as may be necessary for the purpose of the committee’s examination and consideration of such bills, subject-matters of bills, and estimates as are referred to it;
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to retain the services of such experts as may be required by the work of the committee; and
That the chair, on behalf of the committee, direct the research staff in the preparation of studies, analyses, summaries, and draft reports.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
I am very happy to inform you that Marie-Ève Hudon, who will be joining us, will continue to serve as the analyst assigned to our committee. Her extensive experience and skills are a valuable asset to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages. Welcome back, Marie-Ève. We are very pleased that you are here as an analyst.
[English]
Motion 6 deals with authority to commit funds and certify accounts. Do I have a proposer for motion 6?
The Honourable Senator Raymonde Gagné moved:
That, pursuant to section 7, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority to commit funds be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chairs, and the clerk of the committee;
That, pursuant to section 8, chapter 3:05 of the Senate Administrative Rules, authority for certifying accounts payable by the committee be conferred individually on the chair, the deputy chairs, and the clerk of the committee; and
That, notwithstanding the foregoing, in cases related to consultants and personnel services, the authority to commit funds and certify accounts be conferred jointly on the chair and deputy chair.
Is it agreed, senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
[Translation]
We are moving on to motion 7 on travel.
Do I have a proposer for motion 7?
The Honourable Senator Lucie Moncion moved:
That the committee empower the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure to designate, as required, one or more members of the committee and/or such staff as may be necessary to travel on assignment on behalf of the committee.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Let’s move on to motion 8 on the designation of members travelling on committee business. Do I have a proposer for motion 8?
The Honourable Senator Rose-May Poirier moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be authorized to:
1) determine whether any member of the committee is on “official business” for the purposes of paragraph 8(3)(a) of the Senators Attendance Policy, published in the Journals of the Senate on Wednesday, June 3, 1998; and
2) consider any member of the committee to be on “official business” if that member is: (a) attending an event or meeting related to the work of the committee; or (b) making a presentation related to the work of the committee; and
That the subcommittee report at the earliest opportunity any decisions taken with respect to the designation of members of the committee travelling on committee business.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
[English]
Motion 9 deals with travelling and living expenses. Do I have a proposer for motion 9?
The Honourable Senator Marie-Françoise Mégie moved:
That, pursuant to the Senate guidelines for witness expenses, the committee may reimburse reasonable travelling and living expenses of one witness per organization upon application, but that the chair be authorized to approve expenses of a second witness from the same organization should there be exceptional circumstances.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
[Translation]
Let’s move on to motion 10 on communications.
Do I have a proposer for motion 10?
The Honourable Senator Bernadette Clement moved:
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to direct communications officer(s) assigned to the committee in the development of communications plans and products where appropriate and to request the services of the Senate Communications Directorate for the purposes of the promotion of their work; and
That the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure be empowered to allow coverage by electronic media of the committee’s public proceedings with the least possible disruption of its proceedings, at its discretion.
Is it agreed, honourable senators, to adopt the motion?
Hon. Senators: Agreed.
The Chair: I declare the motion carried.
Our communications officer will be Michael Forian. We welcome him to the team that supports the committee.
That concludes the adoption of routine motions. We are now at the stage of discussing other business. First, I would like to inform you that the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages will meet on Mondays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., as proposed by the Selection Committee and in accordance with the motion adopted by the Senate on December 7.
In terms of our future business, I would like to ask for your input and invite you to send us your suggestions for studies. I am proposing that the date to discuss them with you be open. By December 23, I propose that committee members send their study proposals to the clerk of the committee; these proposals will be reviewed during the month of January by the steering committee, which can then review them and come back to you with a decision at the first meeting of the committee, likely in early February at a date yet to be determined. We could then, with all the committee members, go through the suggestions made by the steering committee members in light of what we received from you. A template will be provided for you to submit your study proposals. Also, if I may, colleagues, and I am open to your suggestions, I would suggest only one study proposal per senator, but that is your choice. Since we will have to translate those documents, since we will have to study them, and since we have nine members around the table, that is my suggestion. Just to recap: proposed study draft by December 23; study by the steering committee in January; review by the full committee of the steering committee’s suggestions in early February.
Senator Poirier: I support your suggestion. It is excellent. It also gives us a chance to reflect on what the committee has done over the past few years, especially since I was away and there are new members on the committee. Since we don’t have a meeting before Christmas, we will have a chance to prepare early in the new year, so we can get to work with a study or other work to be done. I support the proposal. It’s a great idea. I agree to proceeding in this way.
The Chair: Are there any further comments or suggestions?
Senator Gagné: I agree with what you are proposing. I have a question regarding the suggestions for studies introduced during the last session. For all intents and purposes, I believe that we had made a decision on a study. However, now that we know the circumstances of the committee’s work during the last session, it can be said that no major study was undertaken.
Could those proposals be resubmitted, or would you like us to start from scratch, with one proposal per senator?
The Chair: Thank you for that comment, senator. For the benefit of all members, before the end of the last Parliament, there was a proposed study on postsecondary institutions that was discussed in committee, but not undertaken. Is it legitimate to think that the study could be brought back to the steering committee for consideration, as with the other proposals? If the steering committee members agree, that proposal could be considered as one of the potential studies.
Senator Mockler: Senators will probably move orders of reference. Although we are in the very early stages, when the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act is tabled in the other place, there is no doubt that you, Mr. Chair, will refer it to our committee. What will happen then? Given that the current government has specified that this bill will be tabled within the next 100 days, what would be your recommendation for working on the modernization of the Official Languages Act? In a word, how will the comprehensive study that this modernization will require be initiated?
The Chair: Thank you very much for that question, Senator Mockler. Yes, a bill such as the modernization of the Official Languages Act takes precedence over any other study in our committee. Of course, the steering committee, in its planning work, will have to take these considerations into account before proposing it to the committee. At this time, we do not have a date for tabling the study on the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act.
Let me remind you that we did a brief study on the reform document that was submitted to us, but we did not study Bill C-32 at that time. A new bill will be tabled and we will have to see how quickly the bill will progress and when we will be able to receive it and study it in the Senate. If I understand correctly, your question is: How will the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages follow the work of the House of Commons as the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act moves forward? This is a legitimate question that deserves to be discussed at the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure.
In terms of process, and just so that it is clear to all of you, in order for the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages to begin work on anything other than planning, a general order of reference must first be adopted by the full Senate. My hope, as chair of this committee, is that this general order of reference will be adopted as quickly as possible, because that will allow us to entertain proposals for study.
We need that general order of reference to begin studies. In the sequence of steps that need to be taken, the first is to get a general order of reference passed in the Senate so that the committee can meet, conduct studies and do work.
In a general order of reference, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages also has the responsibility to receive, for example, the Commissioner of Official Languages to study his annual report. The same is true for the minister responsible for official languages. We can do that work while we wait for the bill to modernize the Official Languages Act.
You raise a good point, and I think that, at its January meeting, the Subcommittee on Agenda and Procedure, in addition to reviewing the study proposals, will also be able to reflect on this issue and come back to the committee members with a proposal for the order of business, if that works for you. Is that okay?
Senator Mockler: Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
The Chair: To recap the study proposals, a template will be sent to you to submit your proposal. It’s a fairly simple template that will ask you to indicate your study in 200 or 300 words, describe the project, and then make suggestions for witnesses that we might invite. If you send them to us by December 23, it will be possible to have them translated so that the committee can look at the proposals in January.
If that is agreeable, is there anything else you’d like to bring up or discuss this afternoon? The intent was to have an organizational meeting for the committee. Do you have any other comments or suggestions? If not, I’d like to thank you for being here today. Once again, congratulations, Senator Poirier, on being elected deputy chair. Thank you, members of the committee. I think we have some good momentum to carry out important work on official languages. The committee has an important role to play in the work that needs to be done on the legislation. The Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages also has an important job to do in terms of reaching out to civil society and the organizations that work in it. We like to hear from those organizations, about their concerns and aspirations with respect to official languages.
In closing, I want to thank you for being here. I want to wish you a very happy holiday season. Madam Deputy Chair, I heard you talking about meat pies earlier, and I hope we can all have a good meat pie, because I know yours is delicious. On that note, my thanks to the interpreters and the staff, and to Ms. Lemay as well. I wish you a very happy, healthy and safe holiday season.
Senator Poirier: Mr. Chair, if you are passing through Saint-Louis-de-Kent, in New Brunswick, you can stop at my house and I will give you some.
The Chair: It’s a deal. On that note, the meeting is adjourned.
(The meeting is adjourned.)