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Email from Geneviève Lévesque to the Premier of Alberta (Dec. 28, 2015)

[Français]

From: Geneviève Lévesque

Sent: Monday, December 28, 2015
To: Honourable Rachel Notley
cc. My MLA Brian Malkinson
Subject: French language use and transcripts in Alberta's courts
Dear Premier Notley:
  
I am supporting Santa’s initiative by recalling the following example. In December 2008, while practicing law at the Calgary Family Law Legal Aid Office, lawyer Donnie Doucet made a request for a French language hearing in Provincial Court of Alberta. The transcript of the December 1 and 11, 2008  proceedings in the matter of the child R. O.-A. shows that Justice Alberta treats French as a foreign language.  On three occasions, Judge L.T. L. Cook-Stanhope used the French language. As illustrated on pages 13, 15 and 19 of the transcript, whatever she said in French has not been transcribed. Instead, at each of those three moments, there is the following notation: «Foreign language spoken». Nevertheless, on page 24, there is a Certificate of Transcript confirming that the foregoing pages are a true and faithful transcript of the oral evidence of the proceedings which is evidently not the case as what was said in French has not been transcribed.
 
I hope that, early in the new year, thanks to your leadership, Alberta directions for the preparation of judicial transcripts will be modified to confirm that what is being said in French has to be transcribed just as what is being said in the other language of our Courts.
 
I take this occasion to wish you a Happy New Year.
 
Geneviève Lévesque
 J.D. Candidate 2016
University of Ottawa
​414-1800 14a Street S.W
Calgary, Alberta
T2T 6K3​

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Last Update : 2015-12-28