Question Period Note: Annual Report on Official Languages 2021–2022

Canadian Heritage’s 2021–2022 Annual Report on Official Languages was tabled in Parliament on July 19, 2023. The Report showcases the Government’s results with respect to Part VII of the Official Languages Act for a given year—including the financial reporting on Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023—as well as the horizontal coordination efforts on official languages within the federal administration.

• The Annual Report on Official Languages showcases achievements of all federal institutions in support of official languages.
• 2021–2022 marked the fourth year of Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023, which represented an official languages investment of more than $2.7 billion over five years, in addition to the $389 million over three years announced in Budget 2021.
• The Report reflects the breadth of positive measures taken by federal institutions to protect and enhance the vitality of the official language minority communities and the attention given to the respective needs, challenges and realities of those communities.

• The Official Languages Act (the Act) provides that “the Minister of Canadian Heritage shall … submit an annual report to Parliament on the matters relating to official languages for which that Minister is responsible.” This responsibility was entrusted to you following your appointment as Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages (July 2023).
• The 2021–2022 Annual Report on Official Languages (the Report) was tabled in Parliament and released on July 19, 2023. This Report focuses on the mandate of the Minister responsible for Official Languages, which includes:
o implementing Action Plan for Official Languages 2018–2023;
o implementing Canadian Heritage’s Official Languages Support Programs;
o coordinating Part VII of the OLA within federal institutions; and
o exercising governance and horizontal coordination in relation to the Act (e.g. efforts to modernize the Act).
• The Report presents the achievements of federal institutions in relation to the three pillars of Action Plan 2018–2023 (Strengthening Our Communities, Strengthening Access to Services, and Promoting a Bilingual Canada).
• Concerning the implementation of Action Plan 2018–2023, the Report presents a number of results, including:
o the success of the “by and for communities” approach, which includes organizations acting as third parties (this approach was welcomed by the Commissioner of Official Languages);
o spending on the new initiatives:
 100% of the new Action Plan initiatives were implemented;
 in 2021–2022, total spending on the initiatives amounted to $582.9 million, or 105% of planned spending (the increase is due to carry-overs resulting from the pandemic and the new funding in Budget 2021);
 over four years, actual expenditures amounted to 100.4% of planned spending, despite the challenges posed by the pandemic.
• In terms of horizontal coordination, the Report describes how Canadian Heritage worked to provide federal institutions with targeted support in implementing their official languages obligations, for example:
o organizing regular dialogue sessions with stakeholders to keep abreast of emerging needs and priorities in the communities they represent;
o intervening proactively to reinforce and generalize the application of an official languages lens in policy and program development as recovery funds were rolled out.
• The 2021–2022 Annual Report highlights several achievements, including the following:
o 40 community organizations in the arts and culture sector received additional temporary financial assistance thanks to $6.5 million from the Recovery and Reopening Funds for official language minority communities (PCH).
o Bill C-13—An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts—was introduced (PCH).
o 23 approved community educational infrastructure projects for a total of $20.6 million in funding (PCH).
o The Government continued its efforts to reach the 4% target for Francophone immigration by 2023. For example, 300 Francophone immigrants were admitted under the Atlantic Immigration Program, more than in the previous three years combined (IRCC).
o $245 million was granted to the provinces and territories to support minority-language education (PCH).
o 938 youth jobs were created and 153 internships occurred thanks to an additional investment of $3.8 million for the Young Canada Works Program (PCH).
o A total of 19 community radio and newspaper projects were supported by the Community Media Strategic Support Fund (PCH).
o 482,772 students were enrolled in French immersion outside Quebec, an increase of 70.7% since 2003–2004, the year of the first Action Plan (PCH).

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