Unions and third parties question Carney’s commitment to bilingualism
Despite saying it’s a red line in discussions with Donald Trump, a diverse group got together to speak out.
*Update: This morning a new report came out from Radio-Canada showing that AI translators, addressed at length in this report, are making major mistakes in translation. Later in the article we talk about the failings of AI translation, using our own experience as a bilingual journalist as an example. This is a good example of that, coming out at a time when it is pertinent to the discussion. Here is the Radio-Canada report.
“We are many today,” Nathan Prier said, standing in front of nearly a dozen people, from the Bloc Quebecois to unions representing many thousands. “To warn you that the Carney government is hypocritical."
As it stands, the government is planning to cut 25 per cent of the Translation Bureau’s workforce, which will lead to serious problems giving people service in the French language. “This risks creating a two-tier system where francophones are treated as second class citizens,” the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) said in a statement.
Standing beside the president of CAPE were Yves Perron and Mario Beaulieu, deputies from the Bloc Quebecois. On October 21, federal language experts begin negotiations for their next collective agreement. The previous agreement expired in April.
A major concern of CAPE is the use of AI, which they want to add into their new collective agreement as well. Prioritized in their agreements will be “enforceable AI safeguards, manageable workloads, safe working conditions, enshrined quality standards, and language work brought back into a properly resourced public service” according to CAPE’s press release.
Translation is one of the most endangered jobs in the world because of AI. AI is fairly effective at getting translations right, although anyone who regularly does translation work knows how problematic AI has proven to be when it comes to translating.
“Prime Minister Carney is cutting translation services and relying on AI and outsourcing, putting public sector jobs at risk,” Avi Lewis, leader of the federal NDP said.
