Official Languages

The committee was studying the draft regulations for the implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act, as part of the reform following Bill C-13. Appearing were officials from the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) and representatives from the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA).

Vidya ShankarNarayan, Carsten Quell and Annie Proulx of TBS explained that the draft regulations aim to create a common framework for federal institutions to take positive measures that enhance the vitality of official language minority communities, protect French, and advance minority-language learning. They noted that TBS consulted over 60 organizations, including the FCFA more than a dozen times, and that the regulations require institutions to consider positive measures when developing or restructuring programs, consult stakeholders, and document actions. They stated that TBS oversees compliance through annual reports and a compliance framework, and that the regulations are still in draft form, open to further proposals and public consultation before final adoption.

Liane Roy, Alain Dupuis and John Mark Keyes of the FCFA expressed deep disappointment, stating that the draft regulations do not fulfill the promise of the modernized act and cling to a symmetrical approach rather than reflecting the differentiated paradigm needed to protect vulnerable French. They recommended that regulations require positive measures to have tangible, verifiable impacts based on evidence and effective consultation; that institutions develop action plans with specific indicators; and that language clauses be promoted at all stages of federal-provincial agreements. They disagreed with TBS’s approach, estimating that only about 20% of their proposals were included, and stressed that positive measures must be central to an institution’s primary mandate, not peripheral initiatives.

The committee briefly debated scheduling, agreeing to split the meeting into two 30-minute blocks for each panel, with an extra five minutes added to avoid shortchanging the FCFA. Members also unanimously agreed to recommend the appointment of a commissioner in the form of a report.