It’s not just subtleties that sometimes get lost in translation. At the federal level, it is also memory that can fail when it comes to filling a linguistic gap. All of Ottawa was outraged upon reading a report by the Duty demonstrating that Quebeckers who use Internet (or IP) telephony do not necessarily have access to emergency service in French when they contact 911. With all the unacceptable risks that entails.
The Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry did not hesitate. The situation, yes, is “unacceptable”, and his government will “act to correct the situation”, he promised on Tuesday.Because putting a little pressure never hurts, elected officials in the House of Commons added a layer of pressure on Thursday by adopting a motion urging the Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) – which is responsible for the parameters of this service essential — to act “immediately”.
In Quebec, the National Assembly has put its two cents in calling for a “prohibition” of any transfer of 911 calls from IP companies “to call centers located outside Quebec”. Reassured? That would be showing great naivety. We learned this week, still in these pages, that the CRTC has known about the problem since at least… 2013! Ten years, therefore, that he has tolerated the intolerable.
And it’s not because the worst never happens. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada has been called upon to take up the problem many times. In 2020, in his annual report, Raymond Théberge deplored that the absence of bilingual services continued to “jeopardize public safety”. And for good reason: making yourself understood and being understood is the sinews of war in an emergency situation.
In 2023, the CRTC used more or less the same words as in 2013 to justify itself. Basically, the Commission is committed to guaranteeing all Canadians access to 911 “in the official language of their choice” and invites anyone who encounters obstacles in this regard “to inform them”.
This softness — at a time when the CRTC inherits a significantly expanded mandate, with the passing of the new streaming law on Thursday — has gone on long enough. As for the Trudeau government, which has just adopted a new action plan on official languages, let it assume its role as watchdog and pull its teeth out for once.