Citizenship and Immigration Canada Web site to encourage potential immigrants to settle in francophone communities

Through this initiative, implemented under the Innovation Fund of the Official Languages Innovation Program, the Department's International Region was able to add a section to its Web site.

As part of the project, the Department created an employee working group to work with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes on developing socio-economic profiles of eight communities.

The section of the Web site entitled Encouraging Immigration to Francophone Minority Communities states that the Department wants to help Canada’s Francophone minority communities benefit from immigration as much as Canada’s English-speaking communities do. By working closely with other government departments and agencies, provinces, territories, municipalities and the communities themselves, the Department has made a lot of progress toward that goal.

Another section of the site, entitled Towards Building a Canadian Francophonie of Tomorrow, outlines projects undertaken with partners to encourage immigration to Francophone minority communities outside Quebec. A five-year action plan is being developed to carry on with this work.

This activity is the first step toward raising awareness among public servants of the true situation in the communities.

Contact: Michael H. Lubetsky, Michael.lutbetsky@cic.gc.ca

An ideal way to reach the french-speaking community: an initiative from the Official Languages Committee of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council

Since March 2006, a bilingual officer from the Service Canada Office in Stephenville has been providing itinerant service in French at Mainland (La Grand’Terre). A few days a week, the francophone community of Black Duck Brook, Mainland and Cape St. George receive federal government services in their native language, in their own community.

This single-window service is an initiative of the Official Languages Committee of the Newfoundland and Labrador Federal Council in collaboration with Service Canada and several other federal departments.

This initiative results from a community consultation held in 2003.

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

Tailored information to serve the public at Export Development Canada

Export Development Canada (EDC) offers a number of on-line tools in both official languages. The on-line format ensures that these services are available to Canadians in all geographic regions of the country in the official language of their choice. EDC’s online initiative is a bilingual questionnaire titled Are You ExportAble/ Êtes-vous prêt-à-l'export? It allows companies to gain a better understanding of exporting realities and when combined with EDC's Online Solutions Advisor/Le Conseiller en ligne, it gives customers fast and convenient 24-hour bilingual access to EDC solutions and service for exporting needs.

Other free online innovative initiatives are also offered such as learning courses and a free online video on exportation, which are offered to EDC’s clients and the general public in both official languages. Online learning provides a free 90-day access to variety of bilingual online learning courses from A Primer on International Trade to Doing Business in the Americas Certificate geared to the needs of small exporters.

Contact: Hocine Toufit, htoulait@edc.ca

More ways to serve you – Canada Revenue Agency weekly radio spots

During the 2005 tax season, radio spots were regularly broadcast on Radio Canada in Vancouver.

Listeners really enjoyed the clear, easy-to-remember, "did you know" messages. They received valuable advice and were kept well-informed. The interest listeners showed in the spots was a reward in itself.

This was a successful initiative for the Canada Revenue Agency and Radio Canada. What an effective way to reach clients!

Does this initiative catch your interest?

Contact: Jimmy Chung, Jimmy.Chung@cra-arc.gc.ca

Health Canada brochure on service to the public

Providing quality service to the public requires that we respect the right of all Canadians to receive services in the official language of their choice. So begins Health Canada's brochure on service to the public.

The brochure addresses various elements of service to the public in order to help employees remain pro-active while ensuring that Canadians receive an active offer of quality service in both official languages.

In order to keep employees up-to-date on departmental directives on service to the public and to help them apply those directives appropriately, the brochure lists several sources of general information on official languages. The Health Canada brochure also promotes some of the official languages publications of the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada and even offers tricks on how to get everyone talking!

Are you interested?

Health Canada is proud to share its good practices with its partners.

Contact: Ginette Pelletier, ginette_pelletier@hc-sc.gc.ca

Parks Canada providing courses on the active offer of services

Since 1999, the Agency has been offering training in western and northern Canada to all of its employees, members of friends of the park associations, volunteers, and vendors. Each module is custom-made, adapted to clients' needs, and provided on site or by telephone. The goal and background of the Official Languages Act, as applicable to Parks Canada, is covered through the use of interactive presentation methods. The training uses demonstrations, application exercises, and reference materials.

Reference tools

Contact: Louis Guyot, louis.guyot@pc.gc.ca

Federal centre in Edmonton: Bilingualism on every level

The Edmonton Federal Centre, under Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), makes a point of taking bilingualism right to the elevators. Elevator passengers hear Going up / Nous montons-First floor / premier étage between floors. This just goes to show that bilingualism is moving up. Still, PWGSC would like to do more and is currently looking at the possibility of creating an electronic bulletin, in association with other federal organizations. The purpose of this tool would be to respond instantly in both official languages to questions from the public and to provide information on available services at the touch of a button. Like the elevator, information technologies are proving to be excellent vehicles for the values embodied by bilingualism.

Contact: Sylvie Jalbert, sylvie.jalbert@pwgsc.gc.ca

Banff National Park: Official languages scaling new heights

Good Morning-Bonjour! This is the greeting heard every year by more than 4.7 million visitors to the majestic Banff National Park, with its bilingual service counter. As soon as they enter the park, visitors are invited to tune their radios to 101.1 FM for information in English and 103.3 FM for information in French. In peak periods, the administration of this public treasure increases its bilingual resources at every service point. Employees make it a point of honour to respect the rights of Canadians to be served in the official language of their choice, and this national treasure naturally finds its place amidst the sumptuous scenery.

Contact: Diane Lépine, diane.lepine@pc.gc.ca

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service focuses on quality in connection with bilingualism

Members of the public can contact the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) in the official language of their choice at any time. Every year, to ensure that it maintains and improves this service, CSIS compiles information through a telephone survey of offices subject to the Official Languages Act.

Contact: Denise Bisaillon, loeole@smpt.gc.ca