QUESTION PERIOD — Internal Economy, Budgets and Administration
Business of the Committee
November 2, 2022
My question is for the chair of the Internal Economy Committee, Senator Moncion, regarding interpreters and headsets.
We all know there was a really unfortunate incident two weeks ago. The members of the steering committee at the Social Affairs Committee had a discussion about it. What strategies is the Internal Economy Committee taking to ensure the proper quality of headsets and interpretation?
My understanding of your procedure is that witnesses are given a choice: Either they purchase their own headset and request reimbursement for it, or the Senate can ship them a headset. My understanding is that the latter is not used very often. In comparison, in the House of Commons, every witness who is called to testify at committee is automatically shipped a set of headphones.
Do you think that the Senate Finance and Procurement Directorate and not the clerks should adopt this practice of sending witnesses the proper headsets to ensure proper quality of translation and the health of our interpreters?
Also, what else are you planning to do to keep the witnesses and interpreters safe?
Thank you for the question, Senator Omidvar, and thank you for providing the question before I arrived at the Senate.
There are quite a few questions within your question, so I will start with the first thing about the headsets. The witnesses have a choice: They can either have headsets that are sent to them, or they can purchase the headsets. It depends upon when they are going to be appearing and how long it is going to take for the headsets to get to them. If they ask the Senate to ship the headsets, the headsets will be shipped to them as long as we have enough time for the shipment to get to the witness. If their appearance is within a limited time that does not give them enough time to receive the headsets, they will be asked to purchase headsets and the Senate will reimburse them.
For the House of Commons, they do not always provide headsets automatically. They do when they are asked, but it is not an automatic situation.
The Senate, right now, for all of the witnesses who are going to be appearing on every committee, there is a 48-hour timeline where they are called by Senate Information Services Directorate employees. They do the sound tests with the proper equipment. If they do not have the proper equipment, they are asked to get it or it is shipped. We do the testing before the witnesses will appear. We check internet connections to make sure that when they do appear at committees, it will be working properly for the interpreters.
One thing that is so important — including for all senators — is to be careful. Just a few minutes ago, we had a colleague asking questions and putting his hand over the microphone. You have to remember that these microphones are directly linked to the interpreters’ ears. We have to be careful. When we shuffle papers over the microphone, that is also going directly into the ears of our interpreters. We have to be very careful when we are using these systems, whether in committee or in the chamber.
Now, with committee chairs, the Internal Economy Committee is bringing forward a set of rules where, if witnesses are appearing and they do not have the proper headsets, they will not be allowed to testify. That is a rule that will be coming forward.
Sound levels are being monitored in every committee room, so we have to be extra careful, especially the committee chairs, to make sure we do not ask the technicians to raise the volume. There is a mandatory volume level that is safe for our interpreters. That level has to be kept in mind.
Also, regarding witnesses having proper equipment, that is going to be on the chairs of the committees to make sure that this happens.
The other portion of this is that we have been working with the interpreters for quite a while to understand all the problems. We are trying to work with the interpreters to make sure they work in a safe environment and that we, as senators, are able to do our work.
