CAPE notes the departure of the Translation Bureau’s Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Donna Achimov.
CAPE has no intention of getting involved in the selection of the next CEO. However, we believe that this change in Translation Bureau management presents the government with the ideal opportunity to adopt the recommendations made by CAPE to the Standing Committee on Official Languages, which were endorsed by that committee, and to change the Bureau’s mandate.
These recommendations are:
- Make the Translation Bureau the sole government agency responsible for translation services within the federal public service;
- Give the Translation Bureau the financial and human resources it needs to fulfil its mandate;
- Transfer the Bureau from Public Services and Procurement Canada to Heritage Canada.
CAPE believes that the Bureau must be made responsible for managing translation on behalf of all federal departments and agencies. This would elevate the quality of translated material produced outside the Bureau, reduce administrative costs associated with awarding contracts for translation services and ensure the preservation of linguistic expertise.
Also, the Translation Bureau must be given the financial resources required to fulfil its mandate to support Canada’s linguistic duality. It must stop bearing the brunt of untenable budget cuts.
Only by putting in place these recommendations and the other recommendations of the Standing Committee on Official Languages will be Liberal government keep the promise it made during the last election to ensure that all federal services are delivered in full compliance with the Official Languages Act.
