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Parliamentary interpreters sound alarm over coming changes to procurement rules
OTTAWA, CANADA, JUL 24 – Interpreters warn that switching to a lowest-bid procurement model and removing hearing protections may reduce service quality and affect access to bilingual government proceedings.
- The Canadian federal government is updating the procurement process for freelance interpretation services used in Parliament and institutions like the Supreme Court as of mid-2025.
- This change follows feedback called for in June and aims to replace the existing contracts, but the government signaled in recent supplier meetings it likely will not reconsider adopting a lowest-bid model.
- Professional interpreters warn the lowest-bid approach overlooks credentials and experience, would lower quality, push experienced freelancers off teams, and eliminate safeguards for hearing damage sustained last year.
- Nicole Gagnon, spokesperson for AIIC-Canada and a freelance interpreter, expressed concern that the new standing offer might lead many interpreters to stop working, as they feel it no longer justifies their effort. She also criticized the proposed shift to hourly pay and the lowest-bid approach, describing them as unacceptable conditions for offering her services.
- The dispute suggests a possible decline in interpretation quality and accessibility for Canada's two official languages, potentially affecting parliamentary proceedings and public access.
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28 Articles
28 Articles
Parliamentary interpreters sound the alarm over coming changes to procurement rules
Professional interpreters are warning that the federal government's plans to cut its procurement costs could compromise the public's access to parliamentary, Supreme Court and other official proceedings in both official languages.
·Canada
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Winnipeg Free Press+23 Reposted by 23 other sources
Parliamentary interpreters sound alarm over coming changes to procurement rules
Breaking News, Sports, Manitoba, Canada
·Winnipeg, Canada
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Professional interpreters warn that the federal government's plans to reduce its procurement costs could compromise public access to hearings in Parliament, the Supreme Court and other official bodies in both official languages
·Saint-Georges, Canada
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Total News Sources28
Leaning Left14Leaning Right0Center4Last UpdatedBias Distribution78% Left
Bias Distribution
- 78% of the sources lean Left
78% Left
L 78%
C 22%
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