[lg policy] Quebec ’s new French-language policy stirs controversy for health and safety

[Harold Schiffman]

Quebec’s new French-language policy stirs controversy for health and safety
Friday, 17 December 2010 12:53 Taylor Fredericks


Following a mandate passed down by the Office de la langue francaise
(OLF), Quebec's provincial workers’ compensation board has implemented
a policy that requires all communications with employers, suppliers
and partners whose head offices are located within Quebec to be
conducted in French, but there has been suggestions that these changes
could create problems for English-language companies in the province.

As a public insurance agency, the Commission de la sante et de la
securite du travail du Quebec (CSST) is legally obligated to comply
with the OLF's directives, and has been implementing the policy since
last spring. This issue came up last week following an article posted
on CTV Montreal's website that detailed the changes. The comments
section of the article exploded soon thereafter, with comments from
both sides of the debate from all parts of the country expressing
frustration with the policy and the way it was being perceived. As of
December 14, visitors to the site were no longer able to comment on
the article.

Pierre Turgeon, the communications director with the CSST, pointed out
that the change in policy isn't exactly a breaking story. "This policy
has been in effect since April 2010. I think it's a situation where it
recently came to the attention of some media outlets in Ottawa, and
now it has become more of a story."

When asked about the factors that went into deciding to refuse
Quebec-based businesses service in English, Turgeon stated that the
decision was simple and boiled down to legal responsibility. "In the
first place, because the OLF recommended it, we had no other choice.
We were obligated to implement the changes they suggested. You have to
understand that as a public service, there are rules, regulations and
laws that we have to abide by. In this case, we are simply following
the law. We are trying to be good corporate citizens. The OLF is
trying to make clear that the language of business in Quebec is
French, and we are abiding by their recommendations."

After conducting research in 2007, the OLF found that 50 per cent of
public service agencies in Montreal were offering English-language
services to business owners in the city, a number that contrasted with
a provincial policy enacted in 1996 to increase the use of French in
Quebec's public administration sector. The results of this study led
the OLF to conduct further investigations into the matter, which
ultimately led to the policy changes recently implemented by the CSST.

Turgeon, however, didn't feel that the CSST's recent change in
language policy would have as much effect on businesses as some might
think. "The policy applies only to employers who have a head office
inside the province. It doesn't apply to employees, and it doesn't
apply to companies who have their head offices located outside of
Quebec," said Turgeon. "We have an English-language website available
for employees and employers, and that is not going to change anytime
soon. It's not going anywhere."

Turgeon also downplayed the effect the new policy would have on
matters of workers' health and safety, noting that the only
communications affected would be those between the board and
employers. "Most of the issues we are dealing with when we deal with
employers are administrative issues and matters of cost." If any
issues did arise where language barriers might jeopardize the health
or safety of an employee, Turgeon was confident that the situation
would be handled responsibly.

"We are human beings. We're not machines. We are able to use our
judgment. If there is an emergency, we would of course respond to it
appropriately."

Turgeon also expressed surprise at the belated reaction to the policy
change. "You would expect that at least one or two people in every
company would be bilingual."

Mitchell Gonzalez, a human resources generalist with a firm in
Montreal, says his company is exempt from the rule because his
company's headquarters are located in Surrey, B.C. Speaking from his
personal experience, though, he doesn't feel that the new policy is
much of an issue — exemption status or not. "I think it's a
requirement of business in Montreal that you speak French as well as
English. Certainly to work in human resources in this province, you're
required to speak French. It's the language of work and the workplace,
and I think it's something you have to accept if you're going to do
business here."

For his part, Gonzalez has no problem engaging the CSST on their
terms, or speaking their language, as the case may be. "Our company
has an exemption because our head office is out-of-province, but I
still try my best to speak French with them every chance I get.
They're very helpful. They try to assist me on the phone when I can't
remember a word or phrase. "

Gonzalez also stressed that the OLF is very accommodating when it
comes to incorporating the French language into the workplace. "They
have a lot of programs and resources to help you improve your language
skills and adapt to a French-language work environment. There are
plenty of courses offered and resources available on the Internet.
It's not like they storm into your office and demand you make changes.
They come and explain themselves: 'This is what we're trying to do.
How can we make this work here?'"

http://www.cos-mag.com/201012172057/legal/legal-stories/quebecs-new-french-language-policy-stirs-controversy-for-health-and-safety.html

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