Heritage, CANARIE officials defend record of French on Internet as important priority

Officials at Canadian Heritage and CANARIE Inc. are quietly defending their record for emphasizing new French cultural content online after a report was issued late last month that was seen to be highly critical of the federal government for failing to act on the issue. The report, French on the Internet: Key to the Canadian Identity and the Knowledge Economy, singled out CANARIE’s new Applied Research in Multimedia (ARIM) fund for its lack of criteria mandating French content, though the report’s author says special mention in the report of Heritage’s new Canadian Culture Online Program should be welcomed as a strong endorsement for the department’s policies. The report, which gives the government poor grades for failing to act on a series of recommendations for ensuring adequate cultural content and government services online in both official languages, has evoked some quiet disappointment within the department that its initiatives haven’t received proper credit. René Bouchard, director of innovation and multimedia at Canadian Heritage, is circumspect in responding to the report’s lack of in-depth examination of his shop’s initiatives including the new Canada New Media Fund, new web gateway portal, digitization initiatives, and other Canadian Culture Online (CCOP) programs. While praising the report, Bouchard is careful to point out the department’s philosophy. "For the department, French on the Internet is key…It transcends all of our programs," he tells Canadian NEW MEDIA. "Even though it’s not there within each application guideline, it’s applicable to all of our programs. (Canadian Heritage) minister Sheila Copps has come out strongly on that on numerous occasions and so there shouldn’t be any debate as to whether or not there’s going to be room for French on the Internet through the programs that we administer. We have pointed measures for the provision of French on the Internet." Trends in Internet and Computer-Related Complaints Filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Official LanguagesThe number of complaints lodged with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages with regard to the Internet and computers is increasing. In 2001, the Office received 102 complaints as compared to 73 in 2000 and 63 in 1999.Language Industries and Economic Development In Canada, the language industry sector is valued at approximately $1 billion.The world market for language industries (human translation, translation and localization technology) is worth approximately US$8 billion. It is estimated that in 2006, this sector will reach over US$12 billion worldwide. Foreign Embassies in CanadaA preliminary analysis conducted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of the Internet sites of 42 foreign embassies in Canada shows that English and French do not have equal weight in about 93% of the sites examined.French is not present in roughly two-thirds (62%) of the cases studied. English is absent in 5% of cases.Alain Clavet, who authored the report for the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, applauds those measures, and says the report was at pains to highlight those efforts. Though mention of the CCOP was brief, Clavet says it was significant. "It is (a) very strong (approval). We don’t say ‘bravo’ very many times, as you noticed. It’s part of our job to criticize," he says. While it may have appeared to some that the CCOP was shoehorned into the report at the last moment, Clavet says he and Bouchard spoke at length about the department’s initiatives prior to authoring the report and that he’s personally expressed concern about the ARIM fund’s lack of explicit French content criteria."(I told Bouchard), ‘I like what you’re doing. But, when you give money from that program, you have to make sure that requirement for linguistic duality is right in the program. If it’s not there, what’s the point?’…In a sense, we are asking the Canadian government to give them more money to do a good job. That’s very positive." Clavet also disputes the notion that linguistic content rules aren’t applicable to the ARIM fund, which has as its goal the creation of new technological tools, interfaces and market understanding. Saying there is a clear link from the ARIM fund to the creation of content, he stands by the report’s conclusion that guidelines need to be built in. However, Susan Baldwin, CANARIE’s senior director of operations, defends the program by saying that even though linguistic criteria aren’t explicitly built into program guidelines, both languages are still integral to its success. "Basically, what it is, is not really understanding how CANARIE – as a third party deliverer of programs – works," she says. "The language piece is just an integral part of how we do everything. Everything that we have done with the ARIM program, as with others has been in both French and English." "Certainly, in the new media field, we all know that some of the best new media players are in Quebec…I guess all I can say is that there is linguistic duality offered in the sense that we ask for applications, expressions of interest. We get them in both languages. We review them in both languages. The decisions are then made on merit. We will often put partners together, and it may be an English-language application and a French-language application, but it’s coming up with the best research. The second part of that is, to the greatest extent possible, make sure that knowledge is widely available in both languages." Clavet says that the lack of a linguistic requirement in the ARIM program may be a written oversight and that he believes program guidelines may well be re-cast to take French content into account in future versions.

Heritage, CANARIE officials defend record of French on Internet as important priority

News | 04/08/2002 4:00 am EDT

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