About AIIC-Canada
What We Are
AIIC-Canada was founded in 1971. Our parent organization, AIIC, was founded in 1953 in France, hence the French acronym which stands for Association internationale des interprètes de conférence. The name “AIIC” is synonymous with quality, professional ethics and working conditions designed to protect interpreter health and well-being.
AIIC-Canada is a not-for-profit entity created under the Canada Not-for-profit Corporations Act.
Who We Are
AIIC-Canada is made up of some 150 AIIC members who are professionally domiciled in Canada, mainly in Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto, but also in other cities across the country.
Members are professional conference interpreters of both spoken and signed languages, working in the private market or public sector.
All of AIIC-Canada’s elected officers, focal points and committee members are volunteers. Membership in AIIC is purely voluntary and there are no paid positions within AIIC-Canada.
Our Governance
The affairs of AIIC-Canada are managed by an elected Regional Bureau, which is comprised of the following members:
- Advisory Board Member: Lauren Michaels
- Outgoing Advisory Board Member (for a one-year mandate): Linda Ballantyne
- Secretary: Gillian Misener
- Treasurer: Don Sugden
The Advisory Board Member chairs the Regional Bureau, is a member of the AIIC Advisory Board, the governing body of our parent organization, and is the president of AIIC-Canada.
Regional Bureau members are elected to three-year terms and make up the AIIC-Canada Board of ..
The Region holds one business meeting per year, regular or statutory. It may also hold special meetings at the request of members. The Region also organizes at least one “special activity” meeting per year.
What We Do
AIIC-Canada endeavours to promote the highest standards of quality and professionalism for conference interpretation in Canada. To this end, members agree to uphold AIIC’s Code of Professional Ethics and professional standards.
AIIC-Canada advocates to advance the profession and works to defend and improve the working conditions of all interpreters in Canada.
Most AIIC-Canada’s members are accredited by the Government of Canada’s Translation Bureau, the largest employer of conference interpreters in Canada. These members work for the Translation Bureau as staff or freelancers. AIIC-Canada works closely with the Translation Bureau to uphold quality and exemplary working conditions for interpreters who work for the Government of Canada.
Where We Are
AIIC-Canada’s head office is in Ottawa. Its members are located across the country.
Should you wish to contact us, please send us an email.