Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
www.tbs-sct.gc.ca
You Have the Floor: Using Both Official Languages in Meetings
Treasury Board Mandate
As stipulated in section 46 of the Official Languages Act which came into force on September 15, 1988, the Treasury Board is responsible for the general direction of the policies and programs relating to language of service to the public, language of work and participation of English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in all federal institutions. Among other responsibilities, the Board:
- recommends policies and regulations to the government and issues directives;
- ensures that federal institutions comply with their obligations regarding official languages;
- evaluates the effectiveness of official languages programs and policies;
- informs the public and federal employees about official languages policies.
When languages come alive
This brochure on language of work has been designed for employees of federal institutions working in regions designated under the Official languages Act as areas where federal institutions must ensure that their work environments are conducive to the use of both official languages (bilingual regions). Employees from other areas who occasionally work in bilingual regions will also be interested in this brochure.
In recent years, the Treasury Board Secretariat has helped managers to better understand the importance of their role in bilingual meetings. To this end, the Secretariat has produced a booklet, Chairing meetings and a video, First Item. We believe that it is now time to encourage the participants at these meetings to also consider this matter.
In the first part, You have the floor briefly presents an overview of the main elements of the Official Languages Act which apply to language of work. The document then looks at factors that favour or hinder the use of both official languages in meetings.
Finally, it suggests several measures conducive to greater freedom in the use of both official languages at meetings attended by English-speaking and French-speaking employees.
Whether your workplace is already conducive to the use of both official languages, or whether it hasn't yet arrived at this point, this brochure will be useful to you. I am confident that you, like myself, will enjoy working in an environment where both official languages are freely used in an atmosphere of self-respect and respect of others as well as a commitment to working together.
I. D. Clark
Secretary of the Treasury Board
Language of work: has the cat got your tongue?
The 1988 Official Languages Act consolidates various policies and practices that have guided federal institutions over the years. With respect to language of work, the Act includes several provisions that recognize the right of employees in federal institutions to use either English or French in specified work situations in prescribed regions.
The Act requires that federal institutions create work environments, in these regions, "conducive to the effective use of both official languages", while allowing their employees to use either official language.
This obligation applies only to those regions prescribed by the Act: the National Capital Region; certain parts of Quebec, including the Montreal region; certain parts of northern and eastern Ontario; as well as the province of New Brunswick. These are the regions where English and French are most commonly spoken. Elsewhere, the language of internal communication will normally be either English or French, depending on the predominant language in the province where the federal office is located.
To achieve these conducive work environments, and to give employees the real possibility of working in the official languages of their choice, federal offices must put in place certain basic measures in bilingual regions. They must provide employees with personal and central services, as well as with regularly and widely used documentation, work instruments and automated systems in both official languages. They must also ensure that where appropriate, supervisors are able to communicate with their employees in both official languages. In addition, the senior management of all institutions must be able to function as a whole in both languages in order for language of work provisions to take full effect.
Furthermore, federal institutions have the responsibility of taking whatever other steps would contribute to the attainment of work environments conducive to the use of both official languages.
The creation of conducive work environments does not force employees to use one official language in particular during bilingual meetings. Rather, it is a matter of implementing measures which allow individuals to choose to work in one or the other official language, or in both.
Finally, the Act specifies that in any conflict between the right of the public to be served in the language of its choice and that of an employee to work in his or her preferred official language, the right of the public always prevails.
Meetings where you can spread the word
According to federal government policies, meetings that are held in prescribed regions and that include English-speaking and French-speaking employees can be conducted in either English or French or in both official languages at the choice of participants.
Thus, each employee should feel free to choose either English or French or to switch from one to the other is so inclined.
However, it is evident that simply calling a meeting "bilingual" does not necessarily lead to a greater use of both official languages. This situation is due to several reasons, such as a lack of leadership by the chairperson, the small proportion of the minority language group or an insufficient number of bilingual employees in both language groups. In such cases, it is not surprising that the meeting is held in only one language.
On the other hand, meetings are conducted with ease in both official languages when the chairperson truly assumes his or her role with respect to official languages and the proportions of anglophones and francophones as well as the number of bilingual persons in both groups are sufficient to ensure a good bilingual interchange.
One can easily imagine a wide range of situations between the opposite poles described above where English and French would be used to varying degrees in meetings depending on the combination of factors that facilitate or hinder bilingual meetings.
An atmosphere allowing each participant to use his or her first official language in a meeting depends on several environmental factors (availability of bilingual work instruments, relative proportions of English-speaking and French-speaking employees in a meeting and the number of bilingual persons in the majority group) and factors pertaining to the individual (one's attitude, one's determination to use one's first official language or both, etc.).
Whatever the reasons, reluctance to use both official languages at work can come from one language group or the other.
Progress in this area can only be brought about by the combined goodwill and efforts of the chairperson and the participants.
The Chairperson
As pointed out in the booklet Chairing meetings, persons chairing meetings in bilingual regions must convey clearly to the participants, at the outset, that everyone is free to speak in either official language.
This message will have a greater impact if chairpersons encourage the use of both official languages throughout the meeting.
Some federal institutions have taken the initiative of posting their policy on language of work in their conference rooms. Others place notices on the tables, inviting participants to use either English or French. Such visual reinforcements indicate to the participants that the bilingual character of the meeting is not simply the result of the chairperson's own initiative but emanates from the organization's official policy.
The participants
The willingness of participants to use both official languages, their open-mindedness, as well as their sense of humour, all based on respect for others and a desire to work together, can only have a positive impact on the atmosphere of meetings. The use of both languages requires a spirit of cooperation from members of both language groups.
If the context of the meeting is appropriate and the circumstances are favourable, participants could try some of the following suggestions.
Participants from the majority group
A characteristic of the members of the majority group is precisely that they do not have any problem about the choice of language of work as they ordinarily always work in their first official language. By using the other official language more often, they can play a key role in establishing conducive environments. In doing so, they encourage participants from the other language group to use their first official language and increase their own opportunities to achieve a greater mastery of their second official language.
Moreover, members of the majority group are generally much more proficient in their second language than they themselves believe, and often it is only a lack of confidence that prevents them from using it to a greater extent.
The majority group's open-mindedness, based on the acceptance of both languages and on the respect that everyone deserves, will facilitate a greater use of both official languages at work.
Participants from the minority group
- They should use their first official language more often. If they don't, who else will?
- They could encourage their colleagues of the same language group to participate in discussions, or to make all or part of their presentations, in their first official language, when circumstances are appropriate.
- They could make it easier for the participants of the other language group to understand their presentations by using, right from the start, simple and commonly used terms.
As can be seen, the creation of work environments conducive to the use of both official languages requires the participation of members of both linguistic communities.
At a loss for words?
Many wonder whether they are proficient enough to use their second official language in meetings.
Of course, this is not a problem for those who use both languages comfortably. But it is a different matter for those who do not speak their second official language so easily.
The fact that people using a second language may speak with a pronounced accent, make the occasional error in syntax or search for the exact word is not really a problem. It shows two things, however: the language they are using is not their first official language and, even more importantly, they are determined to communicate in their second language. This is why one should not hesitate to encourage and support their efforts by speaking to them in their second language. This reinforces their desire to improve and contributes to creating a climate conducive to the use of both official languages.
Employees who understand the other official language well but are not comfortable speaking it or do not yet dare try may also contribute to the positive atmosphere of meetings. During a discussion, a person could answer in English a question directed to him or her in French by a co-worker. There is nothing to prevent colleagues from conducting conversations in this manner, both expressing themselves in their respective first official language.
Don't trip over your words
Institutional bilingualism does not require all federal employees to be bilingual. However, this does not mean that incumbents of unilingual positions never have to participate in bilingual meetings. This may take place only occasionally, if the employee comes from a unilingual region, or on a regular basis, if he or she works in a bilingual region.
With regard to bilingual meetings where simultaneous translation is not necessary, it is up to the chairperson to bridge the language gap so that all participants can understand the main points of the topics under discussion. The chairperson could assume this responsibility personally, delegate it to someone else, or share the task with the group of bilingual participants.
For example, for the benefit of unilingual participants, the chairperson could suggest that bilingual participants who are willing to do so, summarize their own presentations. This summary would be given using a different official language from that used in the initial presentation.
Recapping in a different official language the main points of a subject raised by another participant can often be very advantageous for all: "I was very interested in the point Jean raised when he mentioned that...".
Above all, the goal is to create an atmosphere of openness toward others so that everyone can benefit.
A word to the wise
While institutional change cannot be rushed, it can be encouraged. To this end, using both official languages in meetings held in bilingual regions can have a major impact on your work environment. You have the floor, so it is now up to you to speak out. Discuss the matter with your colleagues and try out some ideas in your workplace.
If you have any questions concerning language of work, feel free to contact the person responsible for the Official Languages Program in your institution.
Note: This brochure is also available on audio cassette.
