LANG meeting 37 · 2026-06-02 — Committee Evidence — LegisWatch

Summary

The committee was studying the draft regulations for the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act (UFPBA), with Kelly Burke, Commissioner of Official Languages, appearing as the sole witness.

Commissioner Burke stated that the draft regulations are complex and contain significant ambiguities regarding terminology, application, and the scope of rights and obligations, and therefore do not meet the standard needed to implement Parliament's intent. She recommended mandating a reliable, regularly updated public registry of federally regulated private businesses to aid the public and her office, and argued that the regulations should identify at least one region with a strong francophone presence in every province and territory, using qualitative criteria beyond a simple population formula. She noted that the terms "consumer," "service," and "communication" are ill-defined, and that third parties providing services on behalf of businesses should have obligations, drawing on the Official Languages Act. She also called for additional financial resources for her office to oversee the new legislation, and emphasized that the minister should be required, not merely permitted, to provide a list of businesses to the commissioner.

The committee's discussion included procedural exchanges and questions from members, but no motions or votes were recorded in the transcript.

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Witnesses · 1

Kelly Burke

Commissioner of Official Languages, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Opening remarks

Mr. Chair, honourable members of the committee, hello. First, I would like to acknowledge that the land on which we are gathered is part of the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people, an indigenous people of the Ottawa Valley. I am pleased to be here with you today to talk about the draft regulations that aim to provide a framework for and ensure the implementation of the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act, or UFPBA. This new legislation was introduced to foster and protect the use of French in federally regulated private businesses operating in Quebec and in regions with a strong francophone presence outside Quebec. Achieving this objective requires clear, consistent and practical regulations. As currently drafted, however, the regulations do not meet this standard.

Full testimony ↗