During her appearance before the House of Commons standing committee on official languages on February 9, the Hon. Judy Foote, Minister of Public Services and Procurement, made some firm commitments regarding the future of the Translation Bureau.
These measures included:
- Hiring a new chief executive officer and a new senior quality manager to improve the linguistic services provided by the Bureau;
- Hiring at least 50 university language program students per year over the next five years;
- Conducting an internal review, in cooperation with Treasury Board, to restore the Bureau’s place as the mandatory supplier of translation services to the various federal departments and agencies; and
- Cancelling the implementation of a new automated procurement system for freelance interpretation services.
CAPE President Emmanuelle Tremblay was pleased with the Minister’s commitments. “The Minister’s response indicates that CAPE’s recommendations to the standing committee on official languages were clearly heard. It also shows that our February 2 meeting with the minister to discuss the problems at the Translation Bureau was a success. The proof is in the pudding: our union is not only the best possible vehicle for conveying the concerns of its members, it is a valued intermediary that has both the ear and the respect of the government.”
For more information, read the article by Catherine Lanthier [available in French only] published February 9 on the radio‑canada.ca website.
