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Message from the President

Linguistic duality is a fundamental part of the Canadian identity, an invaluable cultural resource and a characteristic of our society and history. It is also a major economic advantage at a time of increasing market globalization.

The Canadian government's commitment to linguistic duality is formally stated in the Constitution and the Official Languages Act.

A large team within the Canadian government is responsible for ensuring respect for English and French as Canada's official languages. Each institution shares responsibility with respect to service to the public, language of work, equitable participation and support for the development of official-language minority communities. The entire federal government, and Treasury Board Secretariat and Canadian Heritage in particular, are actively involved in promoting our linguistic heritage and making it possible for all Canadians to benefit from that heritage.

The last ten years have been marked by profound changes in public administration, preparing for the future in a world undergoing change driven by globalization, the emergence of new technologies and changing labour markets. We clearly understood that government restructuring and new service delivery models posed new challenges, particularly for minority Francophone and Anglophone communities. The Fontaine report, No turning back: Official Languages in the Face of Government Transformations and the Savoie report, Official-Language Minority Communities: Promoting a Government Objective were among the first milestones in a renewed commitment by Treasury Board Secretariat, with its partners (including provincial governments and the private and community sectors) to find new means of enhancing the vitality of those communities. We intend to ensure integrated leadership for the Official Languages Program.

This document describes some recent achievements in the area of official languages. The list is far from complete, and not being content with a single formula, we have encouraged all our partners to work together to find solutions. I believe that these achievements demonstrate that we are on the right track. These are the foundations of our future achievements.

However, we must remain vigilant. We can take nothing for granted. All those who care about the development of Canada share in the responsibility for ensuring that our communities not only survive but prosper. This is obviously a government responsibility, but it is also the task of our partners and, above all, of the communities themselves. They must continue to tell us how we can support them in the achievement of their goals.

New efforts are needed, new initiatives required. I am convinced, however, that our commitment will succeed as long as we continue to recognize that language duality is not only a fundamental value of our Canadian identity but a blessing that we must cherish and build upon.

Lucienne Robillard
President of the Treasury Board

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Background

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The impact of these transformations on the delivery of services
to the public thus warranted in-depth study.

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Government transformations shape the daily lives of Canadians. Whether through privatization, the transfer of responsibility, federal withdrawal, devolution or reorganization, service points are being downsized, moved or eliminated. Public servants are transferred from one level of government to another. In each case, it is the service users who must adapt to change. The impact of these transformations on the delivery of services to the public, and in particular on official-language minority communities, thus warranted in-depth study.

In April 1998, the day after the release of a report from the Commissioner of Official Languages on the subtle but cumulative erosion of language rights in the context of government transformations, the President of the Treasury Board at that time, the Honourable Marcel Massé, created a task force, chaired by Yvon Fontaine. The Task Force was mandated to conduct a critical analysis of government transformations and their impact on official languages, and recommend any improvements needed. In January 1999, the task force published a report titled No turning back: Official Languages in the Face of Government Transformations. Meanwhile, Canadian Heritage, the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Privy Council Office, after consulting with the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, hired a consultant, Donald Savoie, to promote implementation of Part VII of the Official Languages Act (Act) (enhancing the vitality of official-language minority communities) in certain key institutions ¹. In November 1998, Mr. Savoie submitted his study, Official-Language Minority Communities: Promoting a Government Objective (The list of recommendations of both reports are included in Appendix A). Both reports describe the concerns of official-language minority communities about the profound changes in the federal public service in recent years, and the impacts of those changes on their development and on the delivery of services in their language ².

We have grouped the recommendations in these reports under four main themes (see Appendix B):

• reaffirming Canada's linguistic duality;
• developing management tools;
• fostering awareness among institutions subject to the Act;
• implementing innovative ways of reaching and serving official-language minority communities more effectively.

It should be pointed out that the purpose of this document is not to present a comprehensive list of government achievements between April 1, 1998, (the date when the task force on government transformations was created) and December 31, 1999, but rather to reiterate the fundamental value of linguistic duality in Canadian society. The initiatives described below were chosen from among a wide range of measures ³ that, while varied, all have as an ultimate goal the preservation of the richness of our Canadian identity. There is still much work to be done.

Significant progress has been made to reflect linguistic duality as fully as possible in our institutions and within Canadian society. Some specialists are of the opinion that over the past thirty years Canada has experienced a real linguistic revolution. Because of its linguistic duality, Canada today enjoys significant visibility and benefits from even greater economic opportunities, as a member of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie.

However, even with the determination and the best efforts of the main actors, the challenges of the Official Languages Program will by their very nature never be fully realised. French in Canada must continually sail against the wind, against the dominant presence of American culture and the rapid development of new technologies. The federal government is not about to give in. On the contrary, it intends to be vigilant and to press ahead in implementing the Official Languages Program in all the spheres of activity in Canada.

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Reaffirming linguistic duality

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The sense of renewal and enthusiasm, of sharing and working together
that the Symposium engendered gave the federal government a unique opportunity
to forge ahead.

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The federal government strongly reaffirmed its support and unequivocal commitment to linguistic duality at the National Symposium on Canada's Official Languages held September 16 to 18, 1998, and organized jointly by the Treasury Board Secretariat, Canadian Heritage and the Department of Justice. That event, held to honour the tenth anniversary of the 1988 Act, also had an international component. Over 700 individuals from across the country representing various sectors (federal and provincial governments, the general public, the private and community sectors and universities) met to define the points of convergence that will help us set official languages on the right path for the next millennium.

The Symposium enabled participants to measure the progress achieved in the area of official languages and to catch a glimpse of a promising future. They deepened their understanding of the diversity of minority communities. The number of people present illustrated the interest there is in language matters in Canada. The meeting also strengthened personal and organizational links. Above all, it gave official languages a new momentum by revealing the partnerships that have been established and showing those that might be built, by suggesting promising new directions and by underscoring an abiding need for communication and dialogue. The follow-up plan to the meeting includes, among other things, workshops on how to actively offer services in both official languages, the production of a video on service to the public (to be released in the spring of 2000) and the organization, in 2002, of an international colloquium on language planning to highlight Canada's leadership role. The honorary chair of the Symposium, the Honourable Marcel Massé, and all participants, declared the event a resounding success.

The sense of renewal and enthusiasm, of sharing and working together that the Symposium engendered gave the federal government a unique opportunity to forge ahead. On several occasions since then, and in a variety of ways, it has reiterated its commitment to linguistic duality, whether in statements made by Canada's Prime Minister, the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, or by means of federal initiatives undertaken specifically to raise the profile of the Canadian Francophonie.

On March 15, 1999, before over 400 guests, including many ambassadors from countries that are members of La Francophonie, Mr. Massé officially launched Rendez-vous with our French Canadian Heritage. The purpose of this initiative developed by Canadian Heritage was to support and to showcase the many Francophone activities and celebrations taking place from coast to coast. Taking advantage of the fact that the VIIIth Francophone Summit would be held in Canada that September, on March 18, 1999, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien, the Honourable Diane Marleau, the then Minister responsible for La Francophonie, and the Honourable Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage, kicked off the Year of La Francophonie in Canada (the Year), the brainchild of provincial and territorial ministers responsible for Francophone affairs. The Year runs from March 1999 to March 2000. Ms. Copps noted that: "This Year is an opportunity to recognize the contribution of Francophones and francophiles in Canada to the growth and vitality of our society, at home and around the world."

Hosted by Canada, the VIIIth Francophone Summit was held in Moncton from September 3 to September 5. The Summit is an international forum where 52 countries and governments using French as a common language meet to discuss issues of mutual concern. The themes of this Summit centred on youth, the economy and new technologies. Countries and participating governments identified five priority areas on which they would concentrate during the next two years: the consolidation of peace, democracy and justice in the Francophone world; the contributions of La Francophonie to the promotion of cultural and linguistic diversity; education and training in French; economic cooperation in La Francophonie; and new communication and information technologies in French.

The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency was responsible for coordinating the economic initiatives surrounding the Summit. An agreement was signed with the New Brunswick Department of Intergovernmental and Aboriginal Affairs to facilitate cooperation between both governments in this area. Because of its involvement and its investments in more than twenty international initiatives, the Agency helped foster direct and indirect economic opportunities in Atlantic Canada, to create strategic alliances and to illustrate the added value that Canadian Francophonie brings to our economy and to La Francophonie at the international level.

Industry Canada played an important role in relation to several activities at the Summit, including the Vitrine technologique, the Forum atlantique sur les communautés ingénieuses and the Conférence internationale sur les collectivités ingénieuses. It also inaugurated the first virtual trade fair during FrancoCom 99, an event that brought together Francophones from the Atlantic region and from La Francophonie.

Various activities were initiated at the time of the Summit and throughout the Year. Organized under the honorary chairmanship of the then Governor General of Canada, the Right Honourable Roméo Leblanc, the first Jeux de la Francophonie canadienne brought together a host of young Canadians in Memramcook, New Brunswick. The Grand train de la Francophonie, which crossed the country from West to East, celebrated the dynamic qualities of Francophone youth. The Village de la Francophonie, located in Dieppe, New Brunswick, grouped Francophone and francophile organizations from all regions of the country. They exchanged views and made a name for themselves both nationally and internationally.

 

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"Each of our actions and each governmental intervention must reflect our willingness
to allow communities to develop and remain healthy and strong."

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A conference on Languages and the Law, organized under the sponsorship of the National Program for the Integration of Both Official Languages in the Administration of Justice - a joint program initiated by Canadian Heritage and the Department of Justice - was held May 5, 6 and 7, 1999, at the École de droit of the Université de Moncton. The conference had two components, a seminar on jurilinguistics and a colloquium, "Harmonization and Dissonance: Languages and the Law in Canada and Europe." The goal of the event was two-fold: to report on Canadian expertise and know-how in civil law in French and common law in English, and to learn from European jurists how they operate in a "multilingual" and "multijural" context.

The Department of Justice also sponsored a conference on La Francophonie held May 21, 1999, in Ottawa to highlight the Year of La Francophonie in Canada and introduce the international Francophonie to Department employees, Canada being the host of the VIIIth Francophone Summit in September 1999. At the conference, distinguished guests shared their experience. Victor Goldbloom, former Commissioner of Official Languages, Huguette Labelle, former President of the Canadian International Development Agency, Peter Leuprecht, Dean of the Faculty of Law at McGill University, and Michel Doucet, Dean of the École de droit at the Université de Moncton, among other guests, stressed the importance and richness of La Francophonie in Canada.

The federal government's reaffirmation of linguistic duality extends well beyond the Year of La Francophonie in Canada. The federal government is a proud organizing partner of the IVe Jeux de La Francophonie, which will be held in Ottawa-Hull in 2001. The Jeux serve as a forum for dialogue and provide an unparalleled sport and cultural event designed to highlight the vitality and solidarity of Francophone countries around the world. Both as an incubator for Francophone excellence and a venue of choice for implementing North-South solidarity, a fundamental principle of La Francophonie, the Jeux afford an excellent opportunity to lay the groundwork for a true solidarity among nations, founded on sharing and mutual respect.

The activities described above are merely an overview of the efforts of various federal departments and agencies to promote the French language. The federal government recognizes that enhancing the vitality and dynamism of the Canadian Francophonie requires constant effort and vigilance on its part. However, as pointed out by the President of the Treasury Board, Mrs. Lucienne Robillard, in her address delivered at the departmental official languages champions meeting, in Winnipeg: "If we want to conserve the richness that is our common linguistic duality, we cannot rest on our laurels. We must remain conscious of the fact that each of our actions and each governmental intervention must reflect our willingness to allow linguistic communities living in minority situations to develop and remain healthy and strong so that Canada may remain the great country it is today."

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Developing management tools

Joint action mechanisms

The implementation of all the federal commitments stated in the Act is not the responsibility of a single agency, but requires the cooperation of all institutions subject to the Act. However, some federal departments have an important role to play in this respect under their respective mandates. To ensure consistent action and stimulate a new collective effort, joint action mechanisms were created or renewed at various hierarchical levels. We refer to this as integrated leadership. (See diagram Appendix C.) Effective joint action ensures better support, broader consultation and more effective coordination of government activities for fostering the vitality of official-language minority communities.

The following is a brief overview of the joint action mechanisms initiated during 1999.

First, the mandate of the Committee of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Official Languages was expanded to respond more fully to changes in the area of official languages. As the point of convergence for integrated leadership, the Committee directs and provides a framework for action by all federal institutions, particularly key departments and agencies, but does not act in their stead. The Committee's expanded mandate, among other things, requires that each year it develop integrated priorities as well as an implementation plan, and that it set strategic objectives to guide all federal institutions with respect to institutional bilingualism, the promotion of linguistic duality, and the development of official-language minority communities.

Chaired by the Deputy Minister of Justice and the Deputy Attorney General of Canada, the Committee is composed of representatives from the Privy Council Office, Treasury Board Secretariat, Intergovernmental Affairs, the Canada Information Office, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, the Public Service Commission and Public Works and Government Services Canada. A position of Official Languages Program Coordinator was also created at the Privy Council Office. This coordinator acts as advisor to the Prime Minister, Cabinet and the entire Privy Council Office, and provides leadership and ongoing liaison within the Privy Council Office to optimize the impacts of government initiatives on the Program's objectives. The coordinator also acts as a liaison between the Privy Council Office and the key institutions responsible for the Program.

Finally, operational links have been established between the Departmental Advisory Committee on Official Languages, the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development, the National Human Resources Development Committee for the English Linguistic Minority Community, and the Section 41 National Coordinators Committee. Within the government, these links contribute to a better horizontal integration of the concerns of official-language minority communities.

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This new funding for Canadian Heritage increases its annual budget
for official languages support programs to $293.5 million.

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Policy on Government Transformations

Treasury Board Secretariat is currently developing a policy on compliance with official languages requirements in the development of large-scale government initiatives and programs, including alternative delivery of government programs and services. The policy would specifically require that institutions subject to the Act conduct a systematic analysis of the impacts of transformations on official-language minority communities and conduct consultations with them. The policy would also provide for recourse in the event of non-compliance. The draft policy will be submitted for Treasury Board approval as soon as the Secretariat has consulted its partners.

Moreover, the Annual Report on Official Languages submitted by the President of Treasury Board now contains a section devoted to government initiatives and transformations in order to better assess their impact on official languages.

Additional funds

In its February 1999 Budget, the government announced an additional $70 million per year for five years for official languages support programs, including $5.5 million for the Interdepartmental Partnership with Official Languages Communities (IPOLC). The purpose of IPOLC is to promote and consolidate links between official-language minority communities and federal agencies by funding activities to renew the organizational culture of federal partners and communities by means of matching funds for community activities. The program begins in the fiscal year 2000-2001 and will run for five years.

This new funding for Canadian Heritage increases its annual budget for official languages support programs to $293.5 million. These funds will be used to strengthen federal support for the development of official-language minority communities and increase the amounts given to the provinces and territories for official languages in education and the delivery of services in the minority official language.

This direct support to communities also enabled the Canadian government to renew its series of Canada-community agreements and to support implementation of Canada-wide projects that have a long-term impact on community development. For example, the creation of a satellite network linking official-language minority community radios promotes exchanges among Canadian Francophones. Agreements such as the Multipartite Cooperation Agreement on the Artistic and Cultural Development of Canada's Francophone and Acadian Communities signed by the National Arts Centre, the Canada Council for the Arts and Canadian Heritage, encourage the creation, distribution and promotion of the cultural and artistic products of those communities. The Canada Council for the Arts has also supported English theatre and publishing in Quebec and the promotional activities of Anglo-Quebec authors.

This major increase in funding will also provide 20% more funding to each of the provinces and territories for minority language education (English in Quebec and French elsewhere in Canada), and instruction in French and English as second languages. The new funds will also be used to strengthen federal support to the provincial and territorial governments for school governance, to consolidate the network of Francophone post-secondary institutions, and to deliver services in the minority language in key sectors such as health, justice, social services and economic and community development. The program has contributed to numerous achievements, in particular the National Health Training Centre, which gives young people in minority Francophone communities access to French-language university programs in the health professions.

Canada Post continues to help promote literacy by supporting organizations working in this area, including minority language associations. Its own literacy projects and its support for existing programs have already helped tens of thousands of Canadians to acquire basic reading and writing skills in English or French. Every year, Canada Post recognizes achievements in this area through its Literacy Awards.

In June 1999, the Minister of Human Resources Development Canada announced funding of $21 million over three years to enable National Human Resources Development Committees to promote economic development, employability and to strengthen the skills of Canada's official-language minority communities. Considered a model of cooperation between the federal government and official-language minority communities, the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development strives to meet specific community needs. Minority communities have identified four key sectors: rural development, the knowledge-based economy, the integration of youth in economic development, and tourism. The National Human Resources Development Committee for the English Linguistic Minority Community of Quebec is currently completing its own needs study.

Key federal departments will continue supporting official-language minority communities via their respective programs in all provinces across Canada. It is our hope that these management tools will have beneficial impacts on community development and vitality.

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Key federal departments will continue supporting official-language minority communities
via their respective programs in all provinces across Canada.

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Auditing and monitoring

Under its mandate, the Treasury Board Secretariat audits compliance with the Act (language of work, service to the public and equitable participation) within institutions subject to the Act. Through on-site observation, audits, telephone surveys and analyses of institutions' annual reports, and other means, the Treasury Board Secretariat ensures that the federal government provides quality services to Canadians in their preferred official language.

An audit of agencies that have undergone a major transformation has been done to determine if progress achieved in the past has been maintained and if language rights are respected. The results of this audit will be available soon.

Canadian Heritage is undertaking a major task, the development of a framework for evaluating implementation of sections 41 and 42 of the Act by the key institutions specifically identified by the federal government in 1994. The evaluation framework is being developed in consultation with representatives of official-language minority communities and federal institutions. It is in this context that a memorandum of understanding was signed on March 20, 1997, by the former President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It defines the responsibilities of the two institutions in order to:

• ensure that the federal institutions primarily accountable for implementation of section 41 include activities related to the development of official-language minority communities in their strategic planning, activity reporting and evaluation; and
• facilitate and encourage the awareness of ministers and senior officials in the 28 key institutions as well as any other institutions involved in the implementation of section 41.

A new memorandum of understanding will be signed by both institutions in the near future.

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Fostering awareness among institutions subject to the Act

The Treasury Board Secretariat has created effective networks for ensuring greater support, broader consultation and improved coordination of the Official Languages Program. The Secretariat is working closely with departmental and Crown corporations advisory committees on official languages and with airport authorities. The creation of a network was very well-received by the airports authorities, whose official languages officers had felt isolated following privatization. The Secretariat will discuss with them the possibility of transforming the network into an advisory committee of privatized organizations subject to the Act.

These meetings allow the Treasury Board Secretariat to pursue its regular activities: policy advice, training, communications products, meetings with official-language minority communities, etc. The concerns and ideas expressed by its partners provide food for thought and enable the Secretariat to gain new perspectives and propose new solutions.

The Secretariat is also promoting greater awareness among institutions about the various components of the Program, particularly through official languages champions working in the institutions subject to the Act. The key responsibilities of these champions are to increase the visibility of official languages within their institutions and to ensure compliance with requirements relating to institutional bilingualism and the development of official-language minority communities.

The Treasury Board Secretariat is also working with Canadian Heritage on creating official languages sub-committees within federal regional councils. These sub-committees will enhance the regional impacts of federal initiatives on community development.

Four sub-committees have already been created (Prince Edward Island, Manitoba, British Columbia and Nova Scotia) to serve as forums for discussion on policy development and service delivery, and to foster greater awareness among managers of their responsibilities in relation to support for the development of official-language minority communities. Each sub-committee was asked to appoint a champion and a representative to serve on advisory committees.

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Implementing innovative means for reaching and serving official-language minority communities more effectively

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Economic imperatives, technological progress and globalization are transforming
fundamentally the way in which the federal government serves Canadians.

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Economic imperatives, technological progress and globalization are transforming fundamentally the way in which the federal government serves Canadians. These transformations present new challenges to the delivery of bilingual services and the protection and development of official-language minority communities.

To this end, within the Treasury Board Secretariat, the Official Languages Division has strengthened its ties with the Service and Innovation Sector to ensure that official languages requirements are respected. This Sector is reviewing its analysis framework and is preparing an alternative delivery practice guide. This guide will present some best practices in this area of activity, in order to help managers better evaluate the impacts on any affected official-language minority community.

Some have expressed the fear that all the new technologies being created will be used to replace people and that because of it, the government will be tempted not to respect its commitment to provide bilingual service in designated offices. This is not the case. Providing access to a large information network is merely an additional tool enabling us to reach out to official-language communities. Citizens must be free to choose the means they want to use in communicating with the government. If and whenever they want to talk to another person, there will be someone there to answer them, in both official languages.

With the needs and expectations of official-language minority communities as its primary concern, the Treasury Board Secretariat has asked federal departments and official-language minority associations to suggest innovative means of reaching and serving clients. The following pilot projects are concrete examples of an effective partnership between the federal government, provincial governments, and the Canadian public.

Western Economic Diversification Canada has shown exemplary leadership in the area of minority community development. The Department's strategic approach is to give the Francophone communities in the West the systems and tools that will enable them to take charge themselves of their economic development. The four main thrusts in implementing this approach are: the presence of Francophone economic development organizations in each western province; access to capital; the development of the tourism sector; and the promotion of entrepreneurship.

Through Service Canada, the Treasury Board Secretariat is making a financial contribution to the implementation of single-window services in two Francophone communities in Manitoba: St-Boniface and St-Pierre-Jolys. The single window will be located in community service centres, set up by the Manitoba government under its revised policy on French-language services, and will also offer federal, provincial and municipal services. The goal of the single-window initiative is to provide the Franco-Manitoba community with better access to French-language services. Single-window service will be implemented in these two communities this year.

The Treasury Board Secretariat now has an agreement with Public Works and Government Services Canada to cooperate on establishing ways of better indicating the availability of federal bilingual services in local telephone directories. Henceforth, when federal institutions entries are updated in the Blue Pages, institutions will have to indicate clearly, by the notation "bil", the numbers where the Canadian public can obtain services in either official language. The Blue Pages in local telephone directories are an important means by which the federal government can ensure visibility for its programs.

Finally, the government of Canada has developed many connectivity programs to enable Canadians to benefit from new technologies. Examples are Industry Canada's Francommunautés virtuelles and VolNet programs, announced in the 1998 Federal Budget. These two initiatives are very significant for official-language minority communities. The Francommunautés virtuelles program was developed by an advisory committee, which included a Francophone representative from each province and the territories, two representatives for federal institution, as well as associate members from Industry Canada, Canadian Heritage and Human Resources Development Canada. The goal of the program is to increase the availability of applications, services and content in the French language on the Internet. Since the creation of the program, 51 projects across the country have received funding.

The VolNet program is a three-year federal initiative aimed at connecting 10,000 voluntary organizations to the Internet. They are provided with computer equipment and the necessary Internet training and support. VolNet will increase voluntary sector access to information technology, help the sector develop tools and acquire the skills it needs to play a stronger role in Canadian society. The program is provided through delivery agencies, i.e. provincial or national associations or organizations. These delivery agencies, which include official-language minority associations, identify and select eligible organizations, examine their needs and provide them with basic VolNet services. Serving as a central resource, they help voluntary agencies in a specific sector obtain support, hone their skills, find resources and conclude cooperation agreements.

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Conclusion

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The federal government had adopted measures to confirm its commitment
to the promotion of English and French in Canadian society.

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When Canada was created, it inherited a vast land where two of the world's most important linguistic communities, English and French, had grown deep roots. Spreading from sea to sea, these communities developed and prospered.

They now exert their influence internationally as part of the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. Living in a minority situation, some of these communities have had to trim and tack, to redouble their efforts again and again to protect their language, identity and cultural heritage and to resist assimilation. The struggle is not yet over.

Since the passing of the Official Languages Act, the federal government has adopted measures to confirm its commitment to the promotion of English and French in Canadian society. In spite of difficulties from time to time, we are on the right track, as the achievements enumerated in this document confirm. There has been significant progress, notably in terms of increased funding for official-language minority community development and the creation of more efficient communication networks and partnerships.

In support of the federal government's commitment to linguistic duality, the Committee of Deputy Ministers on Official Languages recently set four strategic priorities for 2000-2001, to strengthen the program:

• Develop a new discourse based in part on the added value of linguistic duality, official-language minority communities and greater participation by young people. This new approach will draw upon the achievements of the last 30 years in order to do more and to do it better.
• Increase the French content on Internet to become a leader in that area. The importance of the Internet as a tool is growing incrementally and is becoming a key factor in the development of a knowledge-based society.
• Promote improved access to health services for official-language minority communities, one of the priorities these communities themselves have set. Since health services are a provincial responsibility, the federal government will assess and broaden the tools at its disposal and establish partnerships to provide leadership in this area.
• Foster a fully bilingual Public Service that respects the language rights of employees by enabling them to work in their preferred official language. The objective is to use more equitably English and French as languages of work.

In addition to the projects that will be developed in the context of these four strategic priorities, other initiatives will soon be launched, for example, the Regroupements de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE) of the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development.

Financed in part by the Support Fund of Human Resources Development Canada, the RDÉE of the Francophone communities in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Ontario have begun their strategic planning. Its purpose is to identify, evaluate and select development priorities (in the areas of tourism, the knowledge-based economy, the integration of youth in economic development, and rural development), while taking into account the strengths and weaknesses of the communities concerned.

Canadians seeking more information on federal programs concerned with minority community growth and development should consult the federal internet sites listed below or the action plans of designated federal institutions. The federal government believes that linguistic duality is essential to Canada's prosperity.

We are confident that the mechanisms we have developed and those that will be developed in the future will ensure integrated leadership with respect to official languages, and encourage an ongoing and constructive dialogue with all those who want to advance the equal status and use of English and French in Canadian society.

For more information

Treasury Board Secretariat	http://www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo
Department of Canadian Heritage	http://www.pch.gc.ca/offlangoff
Department of Justice Canada	http://canada.justice.gc.ca
National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development	http://www.francophonie.gc.ca
VolNet Program	http://www.volnet.org
Federal Government internet sites	http://www.gc.ca

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Appendix A

No turning back: Official Languages in the Face of Government Transformations

Recommendations

1.	Reaffirm the commitment of the government in terms of linguistic duality.
2.	Institute an ongoing program to enhance awareness within institutions subject to the Act.
3.	Encourage provincial governments and the private sector to collaborate in the development of communities during a transfer of responsibilities.
4.	Establish parameters for government transformations.
5.	Consult with official-language minority communities.
6.	Implement a mechanism for joint action between key government organizations.
7.	Establish partnerships with communities for the delivery of certain services.
8.	Consolidate services through single windows to ensure services are provided in the language of the communities.
9.	Implement follow-up and evaluation mechanisms to ensure that official languages requirements are complied with during government transformations.
10.	Implement remedy and redress mechanisms.
11.	Report on the effects of government transformations to Parliament.

Official-Language Minority Communities: Promoting a Government Objective

Recommendations

1.	The creation of a small group within the Privy Council Office with responsibility for informing the Cabinet about the implementation of section 41 of the Act and an annual discussion in Cabinet on this issue.
2.	The appointment of a Secretary of State for official-language minority communities.
3.	Enhanced awareness in the Public Service about the government's commitment to these communities.
4.	Strengthening the role of the Committee of Deputy Ministers Responsible for Official Languages.
5.	A new source of funding for communities ($60M in new funds).

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Appendix B

Grouping of the Recommendations of the Fontaine and Savoie Reports Under Four Main Themes

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Appendix C

Government Consultative Forums on Official Languages

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1	They are: Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Business Development Bank of Canada, Canadian Centre for Management Development, Canada Council for the Arts, Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions, Canada Post Corporation, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canadian International Development Agency, Department of Canadian Heritage, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Department of Justice, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Health Canada, Human Resources Development Canada, Industry Canada, International Development Research Centre, National Arts Centre, Parks Canada Agency, National Capital Commission, National Film Board, Public Works and Government Services Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Statistics Canada, Status of Women Canada, Telefilm Canada, Treasury Board Secretariat, Western Economic Diversification Canada [ Return ]
2	On November 16, 1999, the Honourable Jean-Maurice Simard, Senator, tabled in the Senate a report titled Bridging the Gap: From Oblivion to the Rule of Law. The report looks at several of the issues raised in the Savoie and Fontaine reports. [ Return ]
3	Under its mandate, the Department of Canadian Heritage publishes an Annual Report on Official Languages which describes its achievements in fostering the growth and development of official-language minority communities, as well as the achievements of other designated federal institutions. [ Return ]

 

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