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Decentralized Democracy

House Hansard - 75

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
May 19, 2022 10:00AM
Context: House Hansard - 75 - May/19/22
Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • May/19/22 8:41:40 p.m.
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Madam Chair, again, that is not an answer, but on another question, does the government purchase any products produced by Nuctech, and has the government purchased any surveillance cameras or other security equipment made in China?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:41:54 p.m.
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Madam Chair, with respect to Nuctech, let me say that the safety and security of embassies is important. No contract has been issued. All issues regarding the security will be—
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The Deputy Chair
  • May/19/22 8:42:08 p.m.
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The hon. member.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • May/19/22 8:42:10 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I want to be very clear, because I am not just asking about embassies. I am asking in general, across government procurement. Has any part of the government purchased products produced by Nuctech or purchased any surveillance cameras or other security equipment made in China?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:42:28 p.m.
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Madam Chair, let me be very clear. There were seven bidders. Three were compliant. Nuctech was one of them, so they are on the standing order but with no call-ups, so there is no contract with Nuctech.
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • May/19/22 8:42:42 p.m.
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Madam Chair, does that include CBSA?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:42:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, would the member clarify the question he is asking me as to whether it includes CBSA? Can he give me more clarification there?
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Mr. Garnett Genuis
  • May/19/22 8:42:57 p.m.
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Madam Chair, that is the third time I have asked this question. Is any part of government procurement happening from Nuctech, and is any part of government purchasing surveillance cameras or security equipment made in China? I hope we get an accurate answer.
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:43:12 p.m.
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Madam Chair, there are none. There are no contracts that we have procured. If we have procured contracts for CBSA, none of them were from Nuctech. We have not procured from them.
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Mr. John Brassard (Barrie—Innisfil, CPC)
  • May/19/22 8:44:49 p.m.
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Madam Chair, our interpreters are truly the glue that holds together our bilingual Parliament, and I will be asking the minister questions concerning parliamentary interpretation. Our bilingual Parliament is the product of a strong Conservative legacy. Sir John A. MacDonald and Sir George-Étienne Cartier made the use of both official languages an essential right in this Parliament when they negotiated Confederation; Richard Bennett established the translation bureau, which has ensured that unilingual parliamentarians have had access to the words of their colleagues; John Diefenbaker introduced the use of simultaneous interpretation into the proceedings of this House, permitting real-time comprehension for all MPs, and Brian Mulroney finally entrenched the right to parliamentary interpretation in the Official Languages Act. Sadly, the Liberal government has neglected the interpretation services for this House, which have regrettably atrophied and been overwhelmed. We live in the consequences every day now, and it is just another chapter in the Liberals' democratic decline. Does the minister agree with me that our interpreters are an absolutely essential feature of Parliament, and that we must do everything we can to support them?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi (Minister of Public Services and Procurement, Lib.)
  • May/19/22 8:44:50 p.m.
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Madam Chair, my thanks to the member for his indication at the beginning of the question of where he was going with it. I agree that we have two official languages, and at all times it is important that we have interpretation, especially during the very exceptional circumstances that we have been experiencing. In budget 2021, we recognized the changing needs of the translation bureau and committed $18 million for the translation bureau to respond to a higher volume of translation and interpretation requests, while continuing to support a remote working environment. This is going to ensure the parliamentarians and Canadians receive timely translation and interpretation services in both official languages, as well as indigenous languages, sign languages and other languages spoken across Canada. However, I appreciate the member's question with respect to the stress that is being put on them during this very trying time, because of remote work and virtual appearances at committees. We are going to continue to support the translation bureau, and I want to thank them for the great work that they are doing.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • May/19/22 8:46:02 p.m.
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Madam Chair, I am glad to hear the minister's commitment, but her department's record speaks to the contrary. The minister was a member of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs in 2018 when it reported to the House that the “Translation Bureau...is mandated by statute to be the exclusive provider of translation and interpretation services...to Parliament.” Does she still stand by the view she helped write in the report?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:46:27 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we want to continuously work with the translation bureau to ensure it can provide the services that are needed. We know there is a stress on the system, and it is actually about hiring interpreters to commit to this. There is a limited pool of expertise in this regard, and we continue to work on it.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • May/19/22 8:46:53 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we have had committees tightly rationed with meeting time in the past few weeks, and we have seen many committee meetings, including very important meetings, cancelled because of a lack of interpretation services. Simply put, our committees cannot do the things they want, and they certainly cannot hold the government to account adequately. If her translation bureau is supposed to be the exclusive provider of services, is she not concerned about the lack of resources she is making available to support the proceedings of this House and its committees, and what is the minister doing to actually make sure Parliament has the resources necessary to hold the government to account?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:47:32 p.m.
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Madam Chair, we are working with two educational colleges in order to tap into the specialized translation services. One needs to have credentials that meet qualifications. There is a skills shortage and there are workplace challenges with respect to remote work, but we have 65 staff interpreters and 56 freelance interpreters.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • May/19/22 8:48:04 p.m.
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Madam Chair, earlier I mentioned the great concerns the opposition parties are having in terms of our ability to hold the government to account, and it is at the mercy of the resources the government makes available for that purpose. Has the government been gaming the system to ensure the resources are unavailable for the committees it does not like, such as the Special Joint Committee on the Declaration of Emergency and its motion to order the production of documents on the Liberals' increasingly flimsy invocation of the Emergencies Act?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:48:31 p.m.
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Madam Chair, let me be very clear. I categorically do not agree with the premise of that member's question, and I am very disappointed he has asked it in that way.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • May/19/22 8:48:47 p.m.
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Madam Chair, she may be disappointed, but those are the facts. Does the minister agree her government's neglect is sabotaging the House's constitutional duty to hold the government to account?
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Hon. Filomena Tassi
  • May/19/22 8:49:00 p.m.
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Madam Chair, this is a skills set shortage. To indicate that this is concocted is absolutely ridiculous.
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Mr. John Brassard
  • May/19/22 8:49:17 p.m.
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Madam Chair, can the minister confirm that there has been a 25% decline in the number of staff interpreters employed by the translation bureau since 2019?
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