Thank you, Mr. Chairman. While we do not have any figures with respect to the percentage of cases which require an interpreter, there are far fewer today then there were prior to division.
Most of the resources for interpreting had been traditionally expended in Nunavut, where there are far and away more unilingual aboriginal people then there are in the west.
The department is aware that this is an ongoing issue. Court interpreters require special training. There is a contract that is expiring at the end of this fiscal year. We are entertaining proposals for a new interpreting contractor.
Special attention will be given to issues such as standards for interpreting and training and also the reliability of interpreters in terms of appearing in court when required, which has been an issue in the past.
It is not just aboriginal languages, Mr. Chairman. We have also seen the need for Cantonese interpreters, Somalian interpreters, Korean interpreters as well as French interpreters. It is something the department used to do some years ago, but then the program was transferred to another department.
We are very aware of some of the difficulties that have been encountered in the past. We are intent upon correcting those difficulties.