Question Period Note: Reinforcement of the Official Languages Act

On December 14, 2021, the federal government announced in its economic statement a $16 million reserve for the modernization of the Official Languages Act. On August 15th 2021, Bill C-32, an Act to amend the Official Languages Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts, introduced on June 15th 2021, died on the order paper: The Liberal government committed to reintroducing the bill within the first 100 days of its mandate.

• The bill, introduced in the House last June, aimed to achieve substantive equality of English and French by strengthening the Official Languages Act.
• We are committed to continuing this work to modernize the Official Languages Act quickly in the coming months.
• This bill is needed to ensure the protection of French and the promotion of our two official languages, the revitalization of our official language minority communities, and to support Canadians in their efforts to become bilingual.

• On December 14, 2021, in its economic statement, the federal government announced a $16 million reserve for the modernization of the Official Languages Act (OLA). This amount is reserved for Canadian Heritage (PCH), the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS), the Commissioner of Official Languages (COL) and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) at the time of introduction of the upcoming bill.
• The amount of $16 million was requested in a letter to the Minister of Finance in the spring of 2021, when Bill C-32 was introduced. It represents the immediate costs at the time of Royal Assent should a bill similar to C-32 be passed. The breakdown of the funds is as follows:
o PCH: Federally Regulated Private Businesses (FRPB) I - Liaison, Support and Compliance Team ($3.27M) and Federally Regulate Private Businesses II - Promotion to Non-Designated FRPBs ($1.40M)
o TBS: OL Centre of Excellence - Creation of an Integrated Policy Centre + Enhanced Monitoring for Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act ($3.18M)
o COL: Binding Agreement and Order Authority + Anticipated increase in volume of complaints and promotion (including to FRPBs) ($1.2M)
o IRCC: Corridor francophone en immigration (for First official language and French as SL teachers ($2.45M), Obligation to adopt a Francophone Immigration Policy ($3.59M) and Language training and French language learning for newcomers ($0.98M)
• Indeed, the Speech from the Throne delivered on November 23, 2021 reaffirmed the Government of Canada's commitment to reintroduce its proposal for a strengthened OLA, to support official language minority communities and to protect and promote French across the country, including in Quebec.
• The supplementary mandate letter (January 2021) for the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages contained commitments to: "...introduce legislation in 2021 to modernize and strengthen the Official Languages Act and improve its policies and programs to:
o Enhance the vitality of official language minority communities, protect their institutions, and increase bilingualism across the country and in the public service;
o Take concrete steps to recognize the minority context of the French language in North America and the need to further protect it."
• On February 19, 2021, the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages unveiled her official languages reform paper, English and French: Towards Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada, on the government's vision for a modernized and strengthened OLA. This document outlines the federal government's intentions, as well as a series of regulatory and administrative measures.
• On April 19, 2021, the Government of Canada presented its Budget 2021: A Recovery for Jobs, Growth and Resilience. It proposes to invest $389.9 million over three years, beginning in 2021-2022, to support official languages. Among other things, it suggests $6.4 million to Canadian Heritage and $2.3 million to the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat over two years to modernize the OLA.
• On June 15, 2021, the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages tabled Bill C-32, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act and to make related and consequential amendments to other Acts for first reading in the House.
• The Government recognizes that the security and vitality of the French language requires a special approach and measures to promote substantive equality between the two official languages and to continue to protect minority language rights.
• On August 15, 2021, the Governor General proclaimed the dissolution of the 43rd Parliament and called a federal election, which meant that Bill C-32 died on the order paper.
• The OLA came into force in 1969 and gave equal 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 OLA incorporated and clarified the language rights and principles set out in the Constitution Act, 1867 and enshrined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, 1982. The most recent milestone in the evolution of the OLA was passed in 2005, adding obligations to implement the Part VII commitment.

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