Question Period Note: Amended Official Languages Regulations (Communications with and Services to the Public)

Amended Official Languages Regulations (Communications with and Services to the Public) were registered on June 25, 2019 following extensive cross-country consultations. They represent the first review of the Regulations in 25 years.

• The Government is committed to ensuring that federal services are delivered to Canadians in the official language of their choice, in accordance with the Official Languages Act.
• The amended Regulations increase the number and type of bilingual services offered to Canadians and respond to demands from official language minority communities.
• The amended Regulations were registered in June 2019 and will come into force progressively as new Census data becomes available.

• The Official Languages Regulations (Communications with and Services to the Public) (the Regulations) under Part IV of the Official Languages Act (OLA) specify the conditions under which the offices of federal institutions must provide bilingual services. This includes the criteria that determine whether or not there is significant demand in the minority official language. Before the 2019 amendments, the Regulations had not been reviewed since their adoption in 1991.
• A review of the 1991 Regulations was announced in November 2016 by the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The review was conducted after extensive cross-country consultations with stakeholders.
• The amended Regulations were registered on June 25, 2019 and are coming into force progressively. Many of the amendments are to be implemented based on 2021 Census data.
• The 2019 Regulations include several substantial amendments, including:
o The inclusion of all immigrants and bilingual family members using the minority official language at home in calculating the demand for services in the minority official language.
o Protection of bilingual services in communities where the minority population has remained the same or has increased, even if its proportion with regard to the general population has declined.
o Using the presence of a minority school in a federal office’s service area as a factor in determining the office’s bilingual designation. Communities with a minority school will have access to services in both official languages.
o Automatic bilingual designation of airports and train stations in provincial capitals.
o Services offered to the public by means of videoconferencing in both official languages.
o A strengthened obligation for federal institutions to consult the minority community when the choice of a bilingual office among several has to be made.
o An expanded list of key services with greater impact on community vitality, including regional development agencies, the Business Development Bank of Canada, all services offered by Service Canada, and Passport offices.
o A comprehensive analysis of the Regulations will take place every 10 years to determine whether they still meet the needs and realities of the public.
• The amended Regulations will result in an estimated $77.9 million in additional costs over a 15-year period.
• The amended Regulations were generally well received by official language minority community stakeholders and the general public. They respond to stakeholders’ key expectations and allow for targeted improvements in the types and number of bilingual services, while ensuring prudent management of public funding. They will result in an increase in the number of federal offices that are required to provide bilingual services.

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