“The Translation Bureau is keeping up with Parliament's needs. Demand has dropped, so some jobs will be cut over time as people leave. We will still make sure our official languages meet the highest standards here.”

“Madam Speaker, I want to thank my colleague for his question and for his commitment to official languages. I share that commitment, as does everyone on this side of the House. This also gives me an opportunity to thank the interpreters, who do an outstanding job every day to ensure that we can continue our work. With regard to the Translation Bureau, we are meeting the demand from Parliament. There has been a drop in demand. Some jobs will indeed be eliminated through attrition over the coming years. We will always ensure that the highest standards for official languages are upheld in Parliament.”

• Little substance
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  Government answer in Question Period

  Signal 41 of 100

  Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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“We are keeping high standards for our translators and interpreters. We are not lowering our rules to let new interpreters in. Instead, we are spending money on training programs to prepare new interpreters so our work can continue in English and French.”

“Madam Speaker, again I thank my colleague for the question. I want to assure him that we will always endeavour to maintain the highest standards of quality in interpretation and translation at Parliament. As for the interpreters, I want to assure my colleague that there is no lowering of standards in terms of accreditation. In fact, we want to ensure that we have the next generation of interpreters. That is why we are investing in programs to train new interpreters coming to lend us a hand so that our work may continue in both official languages at the highest quality.”

• Answered
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  Government answer in Question Period

  Relevance 100 of 100

  Of this answer, 100% addressed the question that was asked.

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“The Bloc Québécois is confusing interpreters with the Translation Bureau. Interpreters speak for the House and committees, while the Translation Bureau translates documents. Any future cuts to the Translation Bureau will match our work needs and happen only as people leave their jobs.”

“Madam Speaker, first of all, we need to clarify one thing. There are interpreters, and there is the Translation Bureau. They do not perform the same function. I just want to be clear. The Translation Bureau is responsible for translating documents, while interpreters provide services to the House and its committees. I want this distinction to be clear. It seems to me that the Bloc Québécois is not clear on that. I just wanted to clarify that. As for the Translation Bureau, we respond to departments’ needs by translating the documents they provide and by ensuring the timely delivery of high-quality work. Any reduction in staffing over the coming years will be based on operational requirements and will occur through natural attrition.”