Statement made on 29 June 2010 by Senator Claudette Tardif
Hon. Claudette Tardif (Deputy Leader of the Opposition):
Madam Leader, we have learned that no interpretation service was provided during the press conferences of foreign leaders at the G8 and G20 summits.
The promotion of dialogue between delegates and healthy and transparent communication are among the objectives of these summits. It is therefore utterly unimaginable and unjustifiable that no interpretation service was provided during the foreign leaders' press conferences. What good are the leaders' speeches if journalists and the general public cannot understand them? Some Canadian journalists were furious at not being able to understand what the G8 leaders were saying, especially in the case of President Sarkozy, who spoke in one of Canada's two official languages.
How can you justify the absence of interpreters at the foreign leaders' press conferences?
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