Parliamentary interpreters in Ottawa bracing for anticipated budget reductions
Federal Government's Proposed Changes to Interpretation Services Raise Concerns
The federal government's plans to overhaul the procurement process for interpretation services for Parliament and other institutions have sparked concerns among professional interpreters and their representative organizations.
According to reports, the government aims to replace the existing freelance interpretation contracts with a new procurement process aimed at cutting costs. This includes adopting a "lowest bid" approach instead of the current "best fit" model, which considers interpreters’ credentials, experience, and protections such as hearing safeguards.
The International Association of Conference Interpreters, Canadian branch (AIIC-Canada), warns that such changes will push experienced interpreters off the team, thereby lowering the quality of interpretation services and undermining public access to parliamentary, Supreme Court, and other official bilingual proceedings.
AIIC-Canada also highlighted the severe shortage of accredited and qualified interpreters, suggesting that a lowest-bid policy focused mainly on cost will exacerbate this shortage, as less qualified providers could win contracts.
Nicole Gagnon, a spokesperson for AIIC-Canada and a career freelance interpreter, stated that the shortage of interpreters started before the pandemic and worsened as Parliament went virtual and interpreters like herself sustained injuries.
The government has justified these changes as part of broader procurement reforms to reduce costs and update supplier policies, but this particular shift is seen by interpreters as prioritizing price over quality and public service needs.
In addition to concerns about the quality of interpretation services, Gagnon stated that the government's plan to pay interpreters by the hour instead of by the day is unacceptable. She expressed concern about how MPs who rely on translation services will be affected by a possible decline in quality, noting that most of the interpreters' work is translating English into French.
AIIC-Canada president Alionka Skup wrote a letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney expressing concerns that the proposed new rules would lower the quality of interpretation services and undermine public access to government proceedings in Canada's two official languages.
The department is extending current contracts with freelance interpreters until the end of the year as it works to update the procurement process. Once the new process is in place, interpreters will have to decide whether to submit bids to keep working on Parliament Hill. Gagnon stated that if the hourly pay and lowest-bid proposals are introduced, she won't be offering her services again.
Several Parliament Hill interpreters have experienced hearing damage due to poor sound quality and feedback, and the federal government had to adjust the setup in the House of Commons and committee rooms last year. Gagnon mentioned that when assigning interpreters, it is important to consider additional credentials such as degrees in engineering, law, or administration, and that it would be preferable to assign an interpreter to the Supreme Court if they have studies in law or if that's their field of expertise.
Public Services and Procurement Canada issued a call for feedback from suppliers and industry on the new procurement approach in June. The input gathered will play a "key role" in shaping and refining the procurement strategy going forward, according to the department.
In summary, professional interpreters and their representative organizations are raising serious concerns that the procurement changes will reduce the quality and reliability of official language interpretation services in federal institutions, negatively affecting the accessibility and integrity of Canada's bilingual parliamentary and legal processes.
The federal government's proposed changes to interpretation services, which focus on adopting a "lowest bid" approach and paying interpreters by the hour, have been criticized by the International Association of Conference Interpreters, Canadian branch (AIIC-Canada). These changes, part of broader procurement reforms, are perceived as prioritizing finance and business interests over quality and public service needs in politics. Furthermore, AIIC-Canada contends that these changes may exacerbate the existing shortage of accredited interpreters and lower the quality of interpretation services in official bilingual proceedings.
