OTTAWA — A federal union is speaking out against cuts to the federal translation bureau and is accusing the Carney government of hypocrisy as Ottawa defends French language standards in trade talks with the U.S. The translation bureau is a federal government service under Public Services and Procurement Canada that provides translation and interpretation services to departments and private clients. A government document containing highlights of the translation bureau’s business plan for 2025 to 2030 says the bureau plans to drop 339 employees through natural attrition over five years to ensure its financial viability. Attrition is the gradual reduction of positions through retirements and resignations. The document says the plan reflects “an overall drop” in demand for traditional translation services. It also says departments are turning to online translation services “via free internet tools” or are “investing on their own to deploy translation tools powered by artificial intelligence.” Mario Morneau, spokesperson for Public Services and Procurement Canada, said in an email the plan is to accomplish the reduction through attrition and because it’s based on client demand, the final number could vary. “This attrition is expected to occur across a range of occupational groups, including translation, administrative and management positions,” he said. The Canadian Association of Professional Employees is condemning the plan and says the decision puts Canada’s official languages at risk. The union said more than 90 per cent of translations in the federal government are from English to French and that when the quality of translation declines, it is francophones who feel the impact. “The result is a two-tier system by degrading the language services francophones depend on to access public services and Canada’s democratic institutions in their own language,” said the union. After several weeks of intense negotiations, Prime Minister Mark Carney suspended trade talks with the U.S. on Aug. 21 and summoned Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and the rest of the negotiating team back to Canada. In a media conference, Carney accused U.S. negotiators of trying to limit Canada’s ability to negotiate other trade deals, restrict its protections for language and culture and reduce tariffs for cars but not trucks. Carney cited both the visibility of Canadian content on streaming services and French-language product labelling when he described the collapse of the trade talks. Four days later, a government official, who refused to be quoted on the record, told The Canadian Press that French labels were never part of the conversation. LeBlanc then told Radio-Canada that while the U.S. had identified French-language labels as a trade irritant in the past, the issue on the table just before the trade talks ended was online discoverability. Those rules, which are currently under development at the CRTC, would ensure Canadian and French-language content is available and visible on online streaming platforms. U.S. representatives have maintained they don’t have an issue with French language protections. Bloc Québécois MP Yves Perron said in the House of Commons last month that “we cannot use French as a shield against Donald Trump and then turn around and regard it as an unnecessary expense that needs to be cut.” “While being a useful tool, artificial intelligence can never replace human judgment and a nuanced understanding of human language,” he said. “We will not attract the next generation of talent by allowing people’s working conditions to deteriorate. A strong internal capacity within the public service is essential to preserving French.” Kelly Burke, Canada’s official languages commissioner, said in a statement that the government must ensure the substantive equality of Canada’s two official languages in federal services and communications. “This means, among other things, that translation and interpretation services must meet the highest standards of quality in order to respect the language rights of all Canadians,” said Burke. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages’ 2025-2026 annual report said federal institutions must ensure that their language obligations and their employees’ language rights are respected and taken into account during any budget reduction exercises. “I will continue to monitor this situation closely,” said Burke. Burke added that while artificial intelligence can be useful for translation and interpretation when deployed properly, a qualified professional needs to be involved to avoid errors. Morneau said the translation bureau will adjust its plans if demand for translation services increases. “The Bureau remains fully committed to providing quality linguistic services in both official languages, tailored to the needs of our clients, budgetary realities and the expectations of Canadians,” he said. “It will maintain the in-house capacity required to fulfil the demand for high-quality translations while continuing to draw on the expertise of Canada’s language industry when needed.” -- -With files from Anja Karadeglija Catherine Morrison, The Canadian Press
