A new tool for employees at the National Arts Centre

In January 2006, the National Arts Centre (NAC) published the first issue of a monthly newsletter on correct French language usage. The NAC Translation Services newsletter Une langue en art illustrates the most common pitfalls of the French language. It includes writing rules, anglicisms, common errors and erroneous turns of phrase. This tool is much appreciated by francophone employees as well as by anglophone employees who have some knowledge of French and want to improve their writing skills in the language of Molière.

Contact: Anne Tanguay, atanguay@nac-cna.ca

«Parlons français» Book club: a Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council’s Official Languages Committee’s initiative

The federal employees at the linguistic B level (intermediate proficiency), C level (superior proficiency) or exempted (E level) are invited to participate in the «Parlons français» book club. Over the course of a few months, interested employees read a pre-selected novel and meet during the lunch hour to discuss the book.

A dynamic initiative that provides federal government employees with informal opportunities to communicate in French.

Networking, capacity building, awareness and understanding, this is the Committee’s leitmotiv.

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

Linguistic link – a Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council’s Official Languages Committee’s initiative to share

In Fall 2003, Fisheries and Oceans Canada was the first department to launch Parlons français. This innovative program contributes to French language learning and retention by providing opportunities to interact in French with colleagues in a relaxed environment.

In the Spring of 2004, Parlons français became an interdepartmental initiative between the Official Languages Committee of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council and the Future Leaders Network of Newfoundland and Labrador. The relationship is such that FLNNL provides the manpower while the Committee provides the funding and support from senior-level managers when required. Nice combination!

Selected Parlons français activities include:

• Informal coffee breaks to facilitate general-interest conversation between employees
• Lunchtime sessions featuring francophone guest speakers, French music and conversation
• Use of the French language in work-related conversations
• Club de lecture Parlons français (B, C and E levels).

You are interested in this project?

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

Toolkit for second official language retention at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) recognizes learning a second official language is a personal and collective asset. It is a good investment and a lifelong process. To this end, a toolkit has been developed to support CFIA employees who use their second official language at work. It offers a wealth of useful examples and references for applying and maintaining a second official language at work and at home.

Various tools are available: sample voice-mail greetings, ways to chair bilingual meetings, how to set up a bilingual signature block; it also provides references and encourages the use of the minority media (radio and newspaper).

The CFIA also recognizes that it is not an easy feat to acquire a second official language and how important it is to acknowledge the accomplishment of its employees. To this end, the toolkit includes a congratulatory letter that is signed by the employee’s most senior manager and the Official Languages Champion of the sector.

Contact: Jennifer Thompson at thompsonj@inspection.gc.ca

Language retention at Export Development Canada

In 2004, EDC Ottawa Toastmasters club was launched. This program is provided to all permanent employees at no charge. The Toastmaster club helps its members in learning the arts of speaking, listening and thinking; it meets once a week with one full meeting in French held every two months. The club has 34 members and welcomes auditing guests from inside and outside of EDC. Ninety per cent of current members are bilingual.

As a result of this good practice, the overall cultural climate related to bilingualism at EDC has been positively impacted.

Contact: Hocine Toufit, htoulait@edc.ca

Skills maintenance at the National Research Council of Canada

The National Research Council has decided to make its workplace even more conducive to the use of both official languages by introducing a Maintenance of Second Language Skills Campaign. The objective of the campaign is to help employees maintain their skills in a relaxed atmosphere, by providing them with a variety of tools to achieve that goal.

Employees can register online to participate in activities that are held in regions as well as in the National Capital Region.

Contact: Christiane Charron, christiane.charron@nrc-cnrc.gc.ca

Mentoring at Industry Canada: A winning formula

Expanding your knowledge of the second language while learning more about your colleagues is a winning combination when it comes to enhancing your speaking skills in a second language. Industry Canada has facilitated this friendly exchange, where an English-speaking employee and a French-speaking one form a voluntary partnership to help each other learn the second language. Their responsibilities are set out ahead of time. This gives each partner a chance to discover the other one's culture, while at the same time improving the ability of both to serve the department's English-speaking and French-speaking clients.

Contact: Philippe Paquette: paquette.philippe@ic.gc.ca

Learn from those who know at the Bank of Canada

Helping each other can work wonders! Learning the second language from a colleague who has mastered it makes the learning easier. The Bank of Canada's Monetary and Financial Analysis Department has decided to foster this experience by setting up a program that encourages practising the second official language with a partner.

Contact: Kevin Moran, kmoran@bank-banque-canada.ca

Réseautage Franco Fun - Pacific Federal Council initiatives to promote the practice of french  

In cooperation with the Canada School of Public Service, Western Economic Diversification and the French-language organization Éducacentre, this project was designed to facilitate and promote the maintenance of Canada's linguistic duality and bilingualism in federal departments and agencies.

Establishing visibility and creating ties between the Francophone community and public servants encourage a commitment to the issues in the Pacific Region.

Led by Éducacentre, the sessions promoted the use of French among public servants and enabled them to maintain their skills. The program contains a number of components, including presentations, dialogues, monologues, ice-breaking games, workshops and all kinds of other activities, designed to encourage the use of French and improve French-language comprehension and oral expression.

This project resulted in the creation of good practices, including a project summary on DVD, designed for employees in the Pacific Region and in other regions across Canada. A promotional poster was distributed to the three levels of government.

Check out the Web site for more information: http://pfc.gc.ca/

These initiatives were made possible through regional funding allocated under the Official Languages Innovation Program.

Contact: Laurette Drolet,

Strategies for maintaining your language skills at National Defence

To a large extent, success or failure in learning a second language depends on the learning strategies acquired and those we develop. National Defence publishes the Official Languages Express in The Maple Leaf journal, with quarterly news on official languages. One of the inserts described learning strategies to help civilian and military employees find the strategy that best suits them. As the article said, "There is no such thing as a good or bad strategy; if it works, use it. ...You have to practice your second official language or you will lose it..."

The department has other ways of helping civilian and military employees maintain their second-language proficiency. A small, discreet, and very useful office calendar lists the Minister's five commitments to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages. Every month, the calendar displays a thought or a statement on the responsibilities of managers and senior officers.

Contact: Nathalie Ferreira, Ferreira.N@forces.gc.ca