LANG meeting 18 · 2026-02-03 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee was studying the use of French in government communications and federal institutions, as well as the proposed administrative monetary penalties regulations under the modernized Official Languages Act. Appearing were Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture Marc Miller, and from Air Canada, Vice President David Rheault and Executive Vice President Marc Barbeau.

Minister Miller stated that the Prime Minister’s French has improved and that he has acknowledged he should do better, but Miller would not impose a legal requirement for all members to speak French, noting the challenge for adults learning a new language. He said the government has invested $4.1 billion in the 2023-2028 Action Plan for Official Languages and that the new act imposes more obligations on federal institutions, but he argued that cultural change takes time and that the decline of French requires vigilance. He disagreed with the Bloc Québécois member’s characterization that federal support in Quebec only promotes English, insisting that anglophone communities have constitutional rights and that the government also funds francophone organizations.

David Rheault argued that Air Canada already has a high compliance rate, with 85 complaints against 50 million passengers in 2024-2025, and that the proposed $50,000 per infraction penalty creates an unlevel playing field because no other airline or government agency like CATSA faces the same penalties. He recommended that the regulations apply to all businesses and organizations serving travellers, including government entities, to ensure consistency. Marc Barbeau added that the removal of the due diligence defence is exceptional and that the penalty cap was doubled from $25,000 to $50,000, exceeding Quebec’s $30,000 maximum under the Charter of the French Language, where actual fines have averaged around $2,000. Both witnesses disagreed with the premise that penalties drive compliance, stating that Air Canada’s efforts predate the regulations and are based on corporate culture.

The committee briefly debated scheduling, agreeing to hear four witness groups on the penalties for 90 minutes on Thursday and then spend 30 minutes in camera on drafting instructions, rather than postponing to the following Tuesday.

AI-generated summary — may contain errors; verify against the official evidence.

Witnesses · 2

David Rheault

Vice President, Government and Community Relations, Air Canada

Opening remarks

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thank you, members. I would first like to acknowledge my colleague, Marc Barbeau, who is executive vice-president, chief legal officer and corporate secretary of Air Canada in addition to teaching at McGill University's Faculty of Law for the past 30 years. In other words, Mr. Barbeau is a busy man. I want to thank all the committee members for the invitation to appear today. Air Canada serves 50 airports in Canada and nearly 150 around the world. We operate approximately 1,000 flights per day on over 400 routes and carry 50 million passengers per year. We are proud to connect Canada to the world. Air Canada fulfills its linguistic obligations in the context of a unique, complex operation. On average, each passenger's journey includes five to six points of contact with our staff: buying tickets, checking in, airport reception, boarding, in-flight service and collecting luggage. Each of these stages involves official languages. Using and promoting them is an integral part of our values and priorities. In particular, on each designated bilingual flight, employees are assigned to serve customers in the official language of their choice. In fact, staff on…

Full testimony ↗

Marc Barbeau

Executive Vice President, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary, Air Canada

Opening remarks

I would add that there's another dimension. What's the equivalent in the Quebec environment? The Charter of the French Language provides for a judicial system, that is, appearing before a judge. Those aren't administrative penalties, as the federal government is proposing. In that case, the maximum amount is $30,000. There are distinctions to be made, but, on the face of it, that amount can go as high as $30,000. However, as I told you, there are exceptions in cases of repeat offences and so on. An amount of around $25,000 seemed consistent with what's being done in Quebec. However, the regulations provide for an amount of $50,000. According to statistics from the Office québécois de la langue française, or OQLF, very few fines have been issued in the past five or six years, and the amounts have been around $2,000.

Official Languages

Summary

Witnesses · 2

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