OPENING REMARKS
FOR
THE MINISTER OF TRANSPORT
HONOURABLE OMAR ALGHABRA
TO
THE HOUSE OF COMMONS STANDING COMMITTEE ON
Official Languages
concerning the state of official languages at the Canadian National Railway Company
OTTAWA, ONTARIO
May 9, 2022
460 words (4 minutes)
Check against Delivery
Thank you, Mr. Chair, for inviting me to meet with the Committee today.
I would like to begin by noting that I am speaking today from the traditional territory of the Algonquin and Anishinaabe Peoples.
I am pleased to be joined today by the following representatives from Transport Canada:
- Serge Bijimine, Assistant Deputy Minister, Policy, Transport Canada,
- Tamara Rudge, Director General, Surface Transportation Policy and
- Colin Stacey, Director General, Air Policy.
Mr. Chair, diversity is central to Canada’s identity and its greatest strength.
And our two official languages are at the heart of our national identity.
Therefore, it is an honour to speak today about the Government of Canada’s commitment to protecting both official languages in the federally regulated transportation sector.
The Government of Canada believes that all Canadians deserve to be served in the official language of their choice by federally regulated businesses.
In addition, we agree that employees of federally regulated private sector companies like CN Rail have a right to work in the language of their choice.
In fact, as a former Crown Corporation, CN is subject to the Official Languages Act – although that legislation does not apply to its board of directors.
For these reasons, we agree that the lack of Francophone directors on CN Rail’s board is completely unacceptable.
Mr. Chair, we have spoken with CN and made it clear that we expect them to correct this lapse as soon as possible.
In fact, CN has publicly agreed to address the situation during the next round of board appointments this year, and has already begun searching for a Francophone, Quebec-based board member.
In addition, we are working on modernizing the Official Languages Act to ensure it reflects the current situation in Canada and promotes substantive equality between English and French.
Through Bill C-13, we are proposing changes to several provisions relating to private enterprises under federal jurisdiction in Quebec and in other regions with a strong Francophone presence.
These changes would strengthen official language rights by making sure private companies in those regions:
- provide French-language services to consumers
- respect the language rights of their employees, and
- promote the use of French in their workplaces.
Above all, these proposed changes would give the Official Languages Commissioner new enforcement tools, including the ability to impose financial penalties.
In closing, I want to assure this committee that the Government of Canada believes federally regulated companies like CN should reflect Canadian values and Canadian society.
That’s why we have taken steps to ensure that CN respects the official language rights of its customers and employees.
It is also why we have introduced changes to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act.
With that, Mr. Chair, I conclude my opening remarks.
If the Committee has any questions, I would be pleased to answer them.
Thank you. Merci.