Telecom - Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer Letter addressed to The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P., Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Ottawa, 25 January 2024
Our reference: 8000-C12-202306407
The Honourable Francois-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P.
Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
C.D. Howe Building
235 Queen Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H5
Dear Minister,
Thank you for your letter dated January 19, 2024 regarding Canadians having access to emergency services in the official language of their choice. Like you, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) takes the safety of Canadians seriously and is concerned about recent reports.
9-1-1 is a bridge that connects Canadians to emergency services in times of need. In the overwhelming majority of cases, calls are connected directly to provincial, territorial or municipal 9-1-1 call centres. As you know, the CRTC does not oversee these public 9-1-1 call centres, also known as Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs). They are the responsibility of provinces, territories and municipalities, and it is the relevant province, territory or municipality that determines the official language(s) of service.
In limited circumstances where provincial, territorial or municipal governments have not set up a public 9-1-1 call centre, telecommunications service providers have created or contracted with private third-party call centres to act as intermediaries. These third-party call centres determine a caller’s location and transfer them to the appropriate provincial, territorial or municipal 9-1-1 call centre.
Third-party call centres are also used in other circumstances, including when a caller is using voice over IP services that are run over the Internet and where their physical location is not known.
Although the CRTC does not regulate third-party call centres, we are working to help find a solution within the confines of our mandate as an independent quasi-judicial tribunal. Following recent reports, CRTC staff sent a letter to telecommunications service providers to ensure they immediately review their contracts with third-party call centres and provide their customers with access to these call centres in the official language of their choice. Service providers also need to work with their customers to ensure that official language preferences have been recorded correctly.
We are continuing to investigate recent incidents and will use the tools at our disposal to help address this important issue.
Thank you again for sharing your concerns.
Sincerely,
Vicky Eatrides
Chairperson and Chief Executive Officer
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