Question Period Note: Process for the Modernization of the Official Languages Act

On June 6, 2018, the Prime Minister committed to modernizing the Official Languages Act. Consultations were held and a review is underway towards modernizing the Official Languages Act.

• The Government of Canada is committed to modernizing the Official Languages Act, so that it may continue to serve Canadians well.
• Over the course of the year, we have gathered the views of many Canadians on line as well as at round tables, forums and a major symposium. We have also taken note of the work of the two parliamentary committees on official languages and of the Commissioner of Official Languages on modernization.
• We are working hard to prepare for the next steps in the modernization of the Official Languages Act.

• 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 marks 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 Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada, 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 has been established. 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, and 8) miscellaneous proposals that do not fall under any of the previous categories.
• The Official Languages Act came into force in 1969 and granted equal status 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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