Winnipeg, Manitoba
July 9, 2014
Peter Menzies, Vice-Chairman of Telecommunication
Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission
Check against delivery
Thank you.
A little over a year ago at this time, I flew into Calgary.
What I saw there was a city overwhelmed by flood waters. The CRTC office there was evacuated and would not re-open for three weeks. Downtown was a wasteland.
So I would like to express my thoughts for everyone in this province and in Saskatchewan who has been impacted by this flood. Each of us should offer thanks to all the first responders, military personnel and just plain old neighbours who are pitching in. Theirs is exhausting, often heart-wrenching work.
And I would particularly like to point to the importance during times like these of an efficient and effective local broadcasting and telecommunications system. The ability of the public to access accurate and up-to-date information and to communicate with each other at times like these is paramount. I have great faith that the broadcasters and telecommunications companies in the impacted areas have—as they did in Alberta last year—performed heroically in making sure their services remain intact.
And, so, on to the subject at hand.
Visual-language interpreters play an essential role in promoting sign languages, ensuring Deaf people enjoy the same privileges as those who hear, and helping Deaf people take their place in society as citizens with equal rights.
My colleagues and I at the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission have a great admiration for your work. It is critical for us as a regulatory body to ensure that Canadians have access to high-quality and affordable communications services.
We are mindful to consider a much broader definition of accessibility than one that looks exclusively at issues of location and cost. If Canada’s broadcasting and telecommunications systems are to be truly inclusive and accessible, they must consider the needs of Canadians who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired. This ensures that the rights and aspirations of these Canadians to access telecommunications services are addressed.
As you know, the CRTC announced in April that video relay service (VRS) will become available in Canada to people who use American Sign Language (ASL) and Langue des signes québecoise (LSQ). When it launches, the service will open the door for people who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired to hold conversations with other Canadians in what is often their first language, and vice versa.
Today, I want to talk about the finer points of this decision—including why it’s a uniquely made-for-Canada solution and what you need to do to get ready. First, let’s take a look at how we arrived at this point.
Accessibility and VRS
In 2009, the CRTC issued a decision in which we announced a number of then new requirements to improve access to telecommunications and broadcasting services for the more than four million Canadians with disabilities.
At the time, we were also asked to consider the possibility of implementing VRS. But when we conducted our review, we found there simply was not enough evidence to support its development. Additionally, we could not see a method of delivering the service that made good sense for all Canadians. Technology simply wasn’t advanced enough. So we committed to revisiting feasibility at a later date, and we invited telecommunications service providers to offer their own VRS services if they felt it appropriate.
In the period that followed, two noteworthy things happened. Bell Canada conducted an extensive feasibility study into VRS that offered detailed estimates of the projected number of users and funding requirements. Telus, meanwhile, conducted its own 18-month VRS trial in Vancouver and Calgary that gathered data on the number of calls, their duration and usage patterns.
Both companies submitted their findings to the CRTC and, combined with the feedback we received from the public at large, we were convinced that the time was right to launch a consultation and hold a public hearing on the feasibility of VRS in Canada.
For us, the hearing was a landmark effort. Held over four days last October, it marked the first time that a CRTC hearing was conducted in four languages—English, French, ASL and LSQ. Our personnel who helped coordinate this hearing were recognized by their government colleagues for their innovative ideas and exceptional work.
But to take nothing away from CRTC personnel, the real heroes were the visual-language interpreters. It was quite a sight watching the translation of English to French and vice versa, while at the same time being interpreted in the appropriate sign language. I’m sure the interpreters’ work was not made any easier by the fact that everyone was speaking in what I would call a regulatory dialect. It looked exhausting, both mentally and physically.
VRS decision
At the conclusion of the hearing, our direction was clear: implement VRS. Almost across the board, citizens and consumer groups told us how VRS breaks down the barriers that sign-language users face when accessing basic telecommunications services. And we heard how, when compared to legacy technologies such as message relay service, VRS is a more natural and efficient means of communication that does not depend on a sign-language user’s fluency in English or French.
Since the first time we looked at VRS in 2009, the growth and penetration of broadband technology has made it easier for Canadians who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired to communicate – for example, by using online video applications such as Skype or iChat. It is also now providing us with a platform to support VRS.
In fact, the CRTC has set a target for broadband Internet services: Canadians should have access to download speeds of five megabits per second and upload speeds of one megabit per second by 2015.
We are planning to review these broadband speed targets. This will form part of a larger review of our policy for basic telecommunications services. This policy defines the minimum level of service that incumbent telephone companies in regulated areas must provide to Canadians. Broadly speaking, we will want to know what services Canadians need to participate fully in the digital economy. In other words, what exactly are the basic services most vital in the 21st century?
As we all know, however, access to services does not directly equate to service adoption. Broadband may soon be available to all Canadians, but its cost may prohibit those in the most remote areas from adopting the technology. To that end, the CRTC recently launched an inquiry on the satellite services used to provide telecommunications services to northern and remote communities.
Commissioner Candice Molnar, who represents Saskatchewan and Manitoba, is leading the inquiry. She will consider the availability of these technologies as well as their affordability, and report back to the Commission with her findings in the fall.
A made-for-Canada solution
During the VRS hearing, my colleagues and I heard a great deal about how VRS should be implemented. We picked from the best elements of the proposals before us to create a uniquely made-for-Canada solution. Here’s what I mean by that.
Canada is a country with a large land mass, and a relatively small population spread unevenly over that geography. Canadians speak either or both of two official languages; Canadians communicate using both official languages as well as sign language. Our VRS solution, therefore, had to take into account the need to offer this service across the country.
To accommodate this significant task, we created the role of an independent administrator, whose job it will be to oversee the way in which VRS is implemented and delivered across the country. Proposals on the administrator’s mandate and structure are due by July 25.
Once established, the administrator will use a request for proposals process to select the provider that will deliver the VRS service. The administrator will ensure that the provider meets particular goals for hours of operation, quality of service and technology standards. It’s important to keep in mind that while VRS will likely not be offered around the clock initially, it will be offered seven days a week
So what does all this mean for you?
First and simply: get ready. VRS is coming. You and your colleagues will need to recruit and train personnel accordingly to accommodate what we expect will be a significant bump in demand for visual-language interpreters. Given the need to recruit and train the interpreters, this is not something that should be delayed much longer. If the experience during Telus’ trial is anything to go by, the labour supply demands of VRS could have unintended consequences on the availability of interpreters in other areas.
Second, be agents of change. We will do everything in our power to ensure VRS is made available to Canadians by the fall of 2015. But this requires your active and engaged participation. When the CRTC issues its decision on the administrator, you need to be ready to move on to the next step.
For example, when you are approached for advice, be forthcoming and be frank. The VRS administrator will undoubtedly have questions on complex matters such as privacy and confidentiality regarding VRS calls. Although the administrator will turn to key documents such as your association’s code of ethics and guidelines for professional conduct, more information may be required.
Third, leave no one behind. VRS will undoubtedly be an important source of jobs for visual-language interpreters across the country. That’s fantastic, but as you consider your role with this new service, please do not lose sight of the importance of continuing to serve people in other facets of their everyday lives: at schools, in doctors’ offices and at grocery stores.
Conclusion
For Canadians who are Deaf, hard of hearing or speech impaired, VRS represents a significant step forward. It will bring a new level of ease to everyday interactions—from simple ones such as saying happy Mother’s Day or holding a parent-teacher interview to more complex engagements with a lawyer or an accountant.
And while some of us may talk about the importance of giving Deaf people better access to the hearing world, the real benefit of VRS is its ability to give those of us who hear better access to the insight, experiences and wisdom of Canadians who are Deaf.
Thank you.
