The Newfounland and Labrador Federal Council’s Official Languages Committee

The Official Languages Committee brings together representatives from 14 departments and agencies, the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages and the Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council Secretariat.

The committee encourages its members to think across government on what can be done to advance Official Languages in the province. It also serves as a forum to share best practices and promote interdepartmental coordination.

The Official Languages Committee received funding from the Regional Partnership Fund from the Official Languages Innovation Program in 2006-2007 for its Partners for French Innovation project. This project aims to advance the priorities of the 2003 federal Action Plan for Official Languages.

Contact: Martin Sévigny, martin.sevigny@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Prince Edward Island Federal Council: Province-Wide Support for the Second Language

The key objectives of the Prince Edward Island Federal Council include introducing a mechanism to foster the growth and development of the Francophone minority in Prince Edward Island, identifying the institutions that are capable of combining their efforts, and applying information technologies to improve the level and quality of services. This concerted approach is based on the knowledge-based economy partnership agreement and support from the federal and provincial governments. Thus, the Official Languages Committee was mandated to prepare a list of initiatives that could help departments and agencies support the priorities identified by the community and implement measures involving the collaboration of at least two federal departments or other organizations.

Contact: Guy Labonté, guy.labonte@ccra-adrc.gc.ca

Terms of Reference Committee on Official Languages PEI Regional Federal Council

Whereas the members of the Prince Edward Island Regional Federal Council (The Federal Council) desire to work cooperatively in order to ensure that the Acadian and Francophone community of Prince Edward Island receives the highest possible level of services in the French language in full respect of the provisions of the Official Languages Act; and

Whereas the members of The Federal Council desire to work cooperatively in order to promote the development and foster the vitality of the Island's Acadian and Francophone community as per the provisions of Part VII of the Official Languages Act; and

Whereas by virtue of the Knowledge Economy Partnership (KEP) the governments of Canada and Prince Edward Island are committed to promoting a collaborative approach in finding new, innovative effective and efficient means to deliver government services and programs in both official languages,

The members of The Federal Council have decided to create a Committee on Official Languages. The principal objectives of the Committee shall be to:

• establish a mechanism among federal institutions in Prince Edward Island to share good practices and address challenges with respect to the provision of bilingual services and the provision of support for the growth and development of the Island's official language minority community;
• identify areas where federal institutions, other levels of government, the private and non-profit sectors and the official language minority community can work together to assist the Island's Acadian and Francophone community with the implementation of its developmental priorities;
• identify areas where, consistent with the objectives of KEP, the level and quality of bilingual services may be enhanced by an integrated approach and the use of modern communication and information technologies;
• facilitate liaison between the Committee on Official Languages, federal institution official languages coordinators and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages;
• assist Canadian Heritage in its coordinating role in implementing the cross-government commitment set out in Section 41 of the Official Languages Act.

On the establishment of the Committee on Official Languages, The Federal Council mandated the Committee to:

coordinate the review by federal institutions of the strategic and action plans of the Island's Acadian and Francophone community as identified on September 29 and 30, 1997 at Forum 97 in order to:

1. develop a comprehensive list of initiatives which can be supported by individual departments or agencies in response to the priorities identified by the community, and
2. identify initiatives where there is a need for a cooperative approach by two or more federal departments or agencies (identify the lead department and suggest means to minimize the administrative burden on the community).

Official Languages Committee of the Nova Scotia Federal Council

Established in May 2000, the Official Languages Committee comprises 32 members representing 23 federal government departments and agencies. The main objectives of the Committee are to foster networking and the sharing of best practices, to address challenges involved in implementing Part IV (Language of service) and Part V (Language of work) of the Official Languages Act and to support federal departments in their efforts to promote the development and growth of the Francophone minority, in cooperation with Canadian Heritage (Part VII).

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Membership Listing:

Official Languages Committee of the Quebec Federal Council

The Official Languages Committee deals with a number of aspects: language of work in exchanges with headquarters, service delivery, links with Anglophone communities and associations, hiring of Anglophones in the public service and preferred language of work.

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List of members:

The Ontario Federal Council’s Official Languages Sub-Committee

The sub-committee’s mandate is to work together to help realize the development priorities of the Francophone community in Ontario and share good practices by providing bilingual services and supporting the development of Ontario’s Francophone community.

Among its objectives are:

• To provide a forum to support federal institutions in establishing partnerships to address issues related to the implementation of the Official Languages Act (the Act) in the Ontario Region, including service to the public, language of work, equal participation, and the development and vitality of the Francophone minority community.
• To encourage the delivery of quality services in both official languages.
• To facilitate networking between our members and the French-language service coordinators of the Ontario government.

The sub-committee is chaired by the Federal Council’s Official Languages Champion. It is composed of the representatives from the departments and agencies that are responsible for the implementation of parts IV to VII of the Act in Ontario.

Please visit the Ontario Federal Council’s site to learn more.

Manitoba Federal Council Supports Official Languages

The Steering Committee consists of senior officials from seven federal institutions as well as the Manitoba Federal Council’s official languages champion. It also includes three members of Manitoba’s Francophone community named by the Société franco-manitobaine, a representative from the provincial government named by the Senior Advisor of the French-Language Secretariat at the Province of Manitoba, as well as the provincial Bilingual Service Centres Coordinator, a representative from the City of Winnipeg and a representative from the bilingual municipalities. 

The Steering Committee establishes a strategic and pro-active approach to address various challenges of Manitoba’s Francophone community as it relates to its development. It also identifies opportunities for collaboration that will contribute to the advancement of the community and to the access of French-language services focused on community needs. The federal component of the Steering Committee establishes a strategic approach within Federal Council to support official languages initiatives in the federal public service.

Please visit the Manitoba Council’s site to learn more.

The Manitoba Interdepartmental Network of Official Languages Coordinators (MINOLC) is Active in the West!

The Network was established on the recommendation of the Manitoba Federal Council's Official Languages Champion. The Network's activities consist mainly of improving the knowledge of departmental representatives and exchanging information concerning the implementation of the various parts of the Official Languages Act.

The goal of the MINOLC is to promote collaboration and create opportunities conducive to the exchange of models, good practices and initiatives.

The Network is involved in a variety of activities, such as:

• Awareness presentations and the organization and promotion of French clubs, learning sessions and French corners where people can engage in discussions in French. Tools are available, such as glossaries on targeted subjects.
• Promotion of technical courses taught in French.
• Registration for second-language training, taking into account needs and especially succession planning.
• Use and promotion of self-learning kits and Internet and network courses.
• Public satisfaction surveys and quizzes.

For more information, please visit the Manitoba Federal Council's Web site.

The Alberta Linguistic Duality Network in pursuit of its Objectives towards Sustainable Positive Change

The Alberta Linguistic Duality Network (ALDN) is comprised of a Leaders Advisory Group, a Language Training and Retention Committee, a Quality Service Delivery Committee and a Program Services Community of Practice. ALDN works closely with the Interdepartmental Network of Official Languages Coordinators of Alberta (INOLCA) and follows two guiding principles: 1) to make it easier for federal institutions to respond to their OL responsibilities; 2) to shift thinking from ‘obligation’ to ‘opportunity.’

ALDN pursues its objectives in collaboration with many partners: Western federal council colleagues; individual departments/ agencies in the region; central agency stakeholders; other interdepartmental committees and networks; and individuals dedicated to OL and the initiative. By employing a community capacity building approach in the pursuit of our objectives, we expect to institute incremental, sustainable and lasting positive change.

Some Planned 2006-07 Keys Activities

• Meeting with the Edmonton Francophone community.
• Official Languages Forum will covering Official Languages and the new appointment process; and Part V of the Official Languages Act –”What does it mean to work in a unilingual region?”

Please visit the Alberta Linguistic Duality Network’s Web site for more information.

Pacific Federal Council: Union + Action = Results

The Pacific Federal Council Official Languages Committee is not sitting idle! Its dynamic initiatives in support of the Francophone community in the Pacific (British Columbia and Yukon) include exchange networks, the exploration of new ways of promoting the mandates of the different stakeholders, and analyzing complaints to correct weaknesses and find solutions. The results are evident in: 10 minutes of air time on Radio-Canada every two weeks, two-and-a-half hours of air time on Rogers and Shaw, and articles published in Le Soleil (B.C.) and in Aurore boréale (Yukon). These regional activities also include the dissemination of good practices and conferences on official languages. Twenty-six federal institutions are participating in the Committee, which reports to the Pacific Federal Council.

Contact: Jimmy Chung

Pacific Council of Senior Federal Officials - Official Languages Committee

An interdepartmental Committee on Official Languages was created in 1996 thanks to the Canada Revenue Agency's lerdership to better serve francophone communities in the Pacific regions (British-Columbia and Yukon).

The regional initiative consists essentially in supporting departmental operational practices by creating discussion networks, exploring new ways of promoting the stakeholders' respective mandates among the francophone community, and identifying together the shortcomings referred to in complaints in order to develop a consistent approach to improving the situation. By way of example, let us note the results that have stemmed from this initiative: agreements with Radio Canada, which has allocated 10 minutes of air time every two weeks, and the Rogers and Shaw cable companies, which have set aside two-and-a-half hours of air time a month for Francophones. With regard to the print media, articles of general interest are published in francophone newspapers in British Columbia and L'aurore boréale (Yukon). A number of other initiatives have also emerged in connection with this undertaking, such as disseminating information on good practices and circulating a roster of those interested in giving presentations on official languages.

Twenty-three federal institutions are participating in this initiative.

Examples of Pacific region official languages best practices (RTF) (PDF)

This Committee reports to the Pacific Council of Senior Federal Officials. The Committee's minutes are sent to the Council and the Committee makes recommendations to the Council, if necessary.

For more information, please contact Jimmy Chung

Official languages: Focussing on the Strength of Networking

Strengthening connections and sharing information are essential. The Official Languages Branch of the former Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada, in recognition of these priorities, has developed a consultation and communication mechanism between central agencies and institutions to discuss the directions, priorities, and directives related to the implementation of the Official Languages Program. The initiative's three objectives are to survey, identify global trends, and propose solutions. The partners express their concerns and share the ideas that feed the debate and enable the Agency to renew its official languages actions.

A number of committees and networks are looking at the key issues, which include:

• the Network of Official Languages Champions, which looks after promoting the Program within each institution;
• the Departmental Advisory Committee on Official Languages;
• the Crown Corporations Advisory Committee on Official Languages;
• the Interdepartmental Consultative Committee of Contributors in Official Languages; and
• interdepartmental sub-committees, created under the auspices of the federal regional councils, where meetings are held in the regions for consultations on policy development and service delivery issues.

Treasury Board Inquiries info@tbs-sct.gc.ca