Question Period Note: Reinforcement of the Official Languages Act

A November 25 article in La Presse suggests that the Minister of Official Languages plans to release a framework for the language regime (White Paper) that will propose a comprehensive roadmap for modernizing and strengthening the Official Languages Act.

• The Government of Canada will modernize and reinforce the Official Languages Act and related instruments, so that it may better serve Canadians.
• Details regarding the modernization of the Official Languages Act will be known in the near future, as soon as the preparatory work is completed.
• Our priorities include the protection and promotion of the French language, both in Quebec and in the rest of Canada, the compliance of federal institutions, the strengthening of Part VII of the Act, and the engagement of Canadians across the country with their official languages will guide us in the proper conduct of this fundamental work.

• A November 25 article in La Presse suggests that the Minister of Official Languages plans to release a framework for the language regime (White Paper) that will propose a comprehensive roadmap for modernizing and strengthening the Official Languages Act.
• The Speech from the Throne presented on September 23, 2020 reaffirmed the Government of Canada’s commitment to reinforcing the Official Languages Act, notably by taking into consideration the unique reality of French across the country, including in Quebec.
• On September 9, 2020, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA) issued a press release demanding that, in the Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada commit to tabling a draft act to modernize the Official Languages Act by the end of the year.
• The mandate letter for the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages includes the commitment to “Modernize and reinforce the Official Languages Act. As part of these modernization efforts, you will protect CBC/Radio-Canada’s role in better reflecting Canada’s linguistic duality and minority language communities across the country, ensure that Air Canada provides fully bilingual services to its customers, and review and strengthen the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages. Further, undertake an enumeration of rights-holders and a thorough post-census survey to better account for and better serve minority language communities.”
• On June 6, 2018, the Prime Minister stated that “the Official Languages Act is important to our party and also to our country. Protecting Canada’s linguistic minorities is at the core of who we are as a country. […]. I can confirm that we are preparing to modernize the Official Languages Act. We will work with all Canadians to ensure we get it right.”
• In 2019, which marked the 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act, a public engagement exercise was conducted to gather the views of the population on its modernization. Canadians expressed their views by email, online or in person at one of 12 round tables and five forums held across the country. Nearly 1,500 Canadians took part in this exercise and shared their ideas on the future of the official languages. These engagement efforts culminated in a major symposium on official languages held in Ottawa in May 2019. In August 2019, Canadian Heritage published a document summarizing the views expressed during the public engagement exercise.
• In 2019, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, the House of Commons’ Standing Committee on Official Languages, and the Commissioner of Official Languages all released reports requesting the modernization of the Official Languages Act.
• On March 5, 2019, the FCFA, with the support of the Quebec Community Groups Network, released its proposed bill for modernizing the Official Languages Act.
• An interdepartmental working group on the modernization of the Official Languages Act was established in July 2019. It is co-presided by Canadian Heritage, Treasury Board Secretariat, and the Department of Justice, with participation from the Privy Council Office. Eight sub-groups are conducting detailed reviews of specific themes:
1) Preamble and purpose
2) Governance
3) Powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages
4) Administration of justice
5) Communication with and service to the public
6) Language of work
7) Advancement of English and French
8) Miscellaneous proposals that do not fall under any of the previous categories.
• The Official Languages Act came into force in 1969 and granted equality of status and use to English and French not only in Parliament and the courts, but also throughout the federal administration. In September 1988, the second Official Languages Act incorporated and clarified linguistic rights and principles set out in the Constitution of 1867, and enshrined in the 1982 Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The most recent milestone in the evolution of the Official Languages Act was adopted in 2005, with the addition of obligations to implement the commitment contained in Part VII.

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