[lg policy] Canada: Fraser Braces for Budget Cuts, Asks PM for More Coherent Official Languages Policy

Wed Oct 19 14:11:30 UTC 2011

Oct. 18, 2011, 10:16 a.m. EDT
Fraser Braces for Budget Cuts, Asks PM for More Coherent Official
Languages Policy

OTTAWA, ONTARIO, Oct 18, 2011 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) --

Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser is calling on Prime
Minister Stephen Harper to amend part of the Official Languages Act to
safeguard the vitality of English and French minority communities
across Canada and support Canada's linguistic duality in a context of
financial constraint. "More than five years since the amendment of
Part VII of the Official Languages Act, the federal government needs
to affirm-unequivocally-that the Act and the obligations and rights
arising from it are a priority," said Mr. Fraser. "I am now
recommending that the legislation be modified to allow for a more
coherent implementation of Part VII."

The Commissioner's recommendation is included in his Annual Report
2010-2011: Leadership, Action, Results. It involves modifying Part
VIII of the Official Languages Act in order to give the Treasury Board
of Canada Secretariat the power and authority to establish policies
for the application of Part VII of the Act.

"I am concerned that budget cuts made by federal institutions may have
an undue impact on official language communities," said Mr. Fraser.
"It is important to make sure that there are no unintended
consequences for Quebec's English-speaking communities and for
French-speaking communities in the rest of the country."

Part VII of the Official Languages Act is the primary tool for
enhancing the vitality of Canada's official language communities and
for fostering linguistic duality, which contributes to our economic,
cultural and social development. This year's annual report focuses on
Part VII of the Act because of the inconsistent way it has been
applied by federal institutions.

Mr. Fraser added that the legislative changes he is proposing might
help prevent situations in which official language communities bear a
disproportionate weight of cost-cutting exercises. He pointed out
that, just last month, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research
quietly announced the elimination of its only official languages
support program. "If each department targets some of its official
languages programs as part as their budget review, the total impact
will be severe," he said.

Examples of the government and federal institutions making decisions
without consulting official language communities or evaluating the
impact of the decisions on these communities include the elimination
of the Court Challenges Program in 2006, the cuts to CBEF Windsor by
CBC/Radio-Canada in 2009 and the replacement of the mandatory
long-form census questionnaire with a voluntary survey in 2010.

As in previous years, the annual report describes investigations,
reports cards and audits that were used to take a closer look at how a
number of federal institutions complied with the Official Languages
Act. It also reports on the number of complaints filed by members of
the public and employees of the federal public service, which is an
indication of compliance issues within federal institutions.

One investigation found that many federal institutions often make do
by assigning the minimum linguistic profile to positions without
conducting an objective assessment. This led to the Commissioner
recommending that a sufficient level of language skills be established
to supervise employees in regions designated as bilingual for
language-of-work purposes.

"There is no miracle solution or universal panacea to ensure that all
federal institutions meet their obligations under the Official
Languages Act," said Mr. Fraser. "Compliance with the Act requires new
approaches and new ways of doing things. Federal institutions must
take positive measures by undertaking concrete initiatives."

The full version of the report is posted on the Web site of the Office
of the Commissioner of Official Languages at
www.officiallanguages.gc.ca .

2010-2011 Annual Report Recommendations

Recommendation 1

Whereas:

        --  the Treasury Board and the Department of Canadian Heritage each have
            specific and complementary roles in the implementation of
the Official
            Languages Act;
        --  the Treasury Board and the Department of Canadian Heritage do not
            currently have the power or authority to provide proper guidance to
            federal institutions in the implementation of Part VII of
the Official
            Languages Act;
        --  the Treasury Board does not currently have the authority to develop
            policies to give effect to Part VII of the Official Languages Act;

Therefore, the Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that the
Prime Minister of Canada amend Part VIII of the Official Languages Act
in order to assign the following responsibilities to the Treasury
Board: establish policies to give effect to Part VII; recommend
regulations to the Governor in Council to give effect to Part VII;
issue directives to give effect to Part VII; and provide information
to the public and to federal institutions relating to the policies and
programs that give effect to Part VII.

Recommendation 2

Whereas it is the position of the Office of the Commissioner of
Official Languages that:

        --  the Government of Canada must clearly communicate its
commitment to Part
            VII of the Official Languages Act, must send a loud and
clear message
            that implementing Part VII of the Official Languages Act
is important
            and a priority for federal institutions, and must make federal
            institutions more accountable for their actions;
        --  the Government of Canada must adopt and communicate a
vision of Part VII
            of the Official Languages Act, and must define the results
it expects
            from all federal institutions;
        --  the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008-2013:
Acting for the
            Future must not be the only proof of the Government of Canada's
            commitment to Part VII of the Official Languages Act,
because this five-
            year plan targets only 15 institutions, whereas all
federal institutions
            must take initiatives to enhance the vitality of official language
            minority communities and promote linguistic duality;

Therefore, the Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that the
Prime Minister of Canada and the Minister of Canadian Heritage and
Official Languages clearly communicate their commitment to Part VII of
the Official Languages Act, and confirm that it is important and a
priority for all federal institutions to take positive measures to
promote English and French and support the development of official
language communities;

The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that the Clerk of
the Privy Council take measures to make senior management of federal
institutions more accountable for the way in which their organizations
implement Part VII of the Official Languages Act, and ensure that they
report the results obtained in this area to the Canadian public;

The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that senior
management of federal institutions implement the Official Languages
Act in its entirety, by including Part VII in their institutions'
decision-making processes.

Recommendation 3

The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that, by November
30, 2012, the President of the Treasury Board establish CBC/CBC as the
minimum level of language skills required to supervise employees in
regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes.

Recommendation 4

The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends that, by March 31,
2013, the Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities make
the necessary legislative changes to clarify the language obligations
of airport authorities and thus confirm the right of the general
public to communicate with them and receive services in either
official language, pursuant to Part IV of the Official Languages Act.

        Contacts:
        To schedule an interview with the Commissioner:
        Nelson Kalil
        Manager, Media Relations
        613-995-0374 / Cellular: 613-324-0999
        Toll-free: 1-877-996-6368
        nelson.kalil at ocol-clo.gc.ca
SOURCE: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fraser-braces-for-budget-cuts-asks-pm-for-more-coherent-official-languages-policy-2011-10-18

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