ARCHIVED - Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages - Report

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Section II: Analysis of Program Activities by Strategic Outcome

Strategic Outcome

Rights guaranteed by the Official Languages Act are protected and linguistic duality is promoted as a fundamental value of Canadian society.

Program Activity 1: Protection of Linguistic Rights

Program Activity Description

Through this program activity, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages investigates complaints filed by citizens who believe their language rights have not been respected, evaluates compliance with the Official Languages Act by federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Act through performance measurements and audits, and intervenes proactively to prevent non-compliance with the Act. As well, the Commissioner may intervene before the courts in cases that deal with non-compliance with the Official Languages Act.

Financial Resources ($000)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
7,111	6,715	6,733

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
57.5	57.5	57.5

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Canadians receive timely and appropriate responses to their complaints, requests for intervention and inquiries.	Percentage of OCOL responses to complaints, requests for intervention and inquiries delivered as per service standards related to:	Statistics on response time related to investigation processes:
	receipt of complaint and transfer to analyst	90%4
	initial communication with complainant	90%5
	initial communication with federal institution or other organization subject to the Official Languages Act	80%6
	completed investigations as per the facilitated resolution process	75%
	completed investigations as per the formal investigation process	50%
	completeness of hard copy closed investigations	95% of sample files7
Federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Official Languages Act are fully aware of the extent of their linguistic compliance and what they need to do to fulfill their obligations under the Act.	Percentage of recommendations related to compliance for which a follow-up took place in the following areas:
	audits	100%8
	Commissioner's annual reports	100%9
	investigations	100%10

Planning Highlights

Over the next three years, and more particularly in 2012–13, OCOL will pursue the above expected results and work towards achieving its organizational priorities through activities such as the following:

Intervening with federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Official Languages Act, including those institutions having coordinating and regulating responsibilities as per the Act, to ensure they actively offer their services in both official languages. OCOL plans to:

• intervene with certain federal institutions that serve the travelling public with a view to improving active offer and service delivery to both the general public and the travelling public;
• complete the audit of Parks Canada with regard to service to the public to improve active offer and service delivery in both official languages (Part IV of the Official Languages Act);
• undertake an audit of a federal institution to be determined in early 2012–13; and
• undertake and complete the performance measurement of federal institutions.

Intervening with federal institutions to verify and examine the extent to which they and other organizations subject to the Act take into account the needs of official language minority communities when developing, implementing or reviewing their policies and programs and delivering their services. OCOL plans to:

• complete the audit of Industry Canada begun in 2010–11, examining how this institution takes into account the needs of official language communities when developing and carrying out its programs.

Intervening before the courts to ensure that the Official Languages Act and the provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms pertaining to official languages are respected, and to ensure a consistent interpretation of language rights that is compatible with the development and vitality of official language minority communities. OCOL will:

• appear before the Federal Court of Appeal in Air Canada's appeal of the Federal Court's decision in Thibodeau v. Air Canada to ensure a coherent judicial interpretation of Air Canada's language obligations and the primacy of the Official Languages Act over other acts; and
• continue with the court remedy initiated by the Commissioner against CBC/Radio-Canada in 2010–11 to recognize the Commissioner's authority to investigate complaints regarding CBC/Radio-Canada's compliance with the Act, in particular with respect to its obligations towards official language minority communities. The Commissioner is also requesting that the Court order CBC/Radio-Canada to comply with its obligations under Part VII of the Act when it makes decisions that could have an adverse impact on an official language minority community.

Program Activity 2: Promotion of Linguistic Duality

Program Activity Description

Through this program activity, the OCOL works with parliamentarians, federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Official Languages Act, official language communities and the Canadian public in promoting linguistic duality. OCOL builds links between federal institutions, official language communities and the different levels of government to help them better understand the needs of official language communities, the importance of bilingualism and the value of respecting Canada's linguistic duality. In order to fulfill its role in that promotion, OCOL conducts research, studies and public awareness activities as well as intervenes with senior federal officials so that they instill a change in culture to fully integrate linguistic duality in their organizations.

Financial Resources ($000)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
7,236	6,844	6,864

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
52.5	52.5	52.5

Program Activity Expected Results	Performance Indicators	Targets
Parliament receives useful advice and information about the official languages implications of evolving legislation, regulations and policies.	Number of references to the Commissioner's interventions on the formulation of evolving legislation, regulations and policies (through appearances to parliamentary committees and other representations with parliamentarians)	10
The public, official language minority communities, the media and federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Act are better informed of official languages rights and obligations and the importance of linguistic duality in Canada.	Number of promotional and awareness activities targeting the public, official language minority communities, the media and those subject to the Act	270
Canadian public policy key leaders (such as universities) are informed of research and analyses on language rights and linguistic duality issues.	Number of recipients of studies and reports	800
	Number of events organized by OCOL, such as symposiums	1

Planning Highlights

Over the next three years, and more particularly in 2012–13, OCOL will pursue the above expected results and work towards achieving its organizational priorities through activities such as the following:

Continuing to intervene with federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Official Languages Act so that linguistic duality is integrated as a key element of leadership in order to, among other things, create a workplace conducive to the use of both official languages. OCOL plans to:

• continue to raise awareness among federal managers and central agencies of the leadership role they must take in language of work issues and promote the Leadership Competencies Profile for Official Languages designed as part of the study on language of work published in March 2011;
• raise awareness among federal institutions of their linguistic obligations when they use social media to communicate with their employees and the public; and
• pursue a study on language training to examine how a sample of federal institutions ensures the management of language training and to provide guidance to deputy heads.

Working with federal institutions subject to the Official Languages Act, including those institutions having coordinating and regulating responsibilities as per the Act, to ensure they actively offer their services in both official languages. OCOL plans to:

• work with key players involved in the funding and organization of national and international cultural and sporting events to ensure that such events adequately reflect Canada's linguistic duality. OCOL will use its guide for national and international cultural and sporting events to raise awareness of the legal obligations to respect the equality of English and French, as well as best practices for the promotion of linguistic duality, among levels of government, federal institutions and participants in the 2013 Canada Games in Sherbrooke, the 2015 Pan-American Games in Toronto and Canada's 150th anniversary celebrations.

Intervening with federal institutions to examine and verify the extent to which federal institutions and other organizations subject to the Act take into account the needs of official language minority communities when developing, implementing or reviewing their policies and programs and delivering their services. OCOL plans to:

• intervene with the government and federal institutions in light of current federal government budget cuts to ensure that they consider how their decisions may adversely affect their ability to comply with the Official Languages Act, and that they take steps to minimize and mitigate any such repercussions.

Increasing awareness among youth of the opportunities that learning Canada's other official language offers them, as well as raising awareness among key stakeholders and the general public of the importance and value of linguistic duality and bilingualism. OCOL plans to:

• publish the Commissioner's 2011–2012 annual report, which will focus on how Canada's two official language communities embrace linguistic duality;
• publish the next edition of Language Rights, which summarizes key court decisions on language rights;
• implement outreach activities as well as prepare promotional products to communicate with youth (secondary and post-secondary levels) and continue to develop specific approaches for this particular segment of the population to promote access to second-language learning opportunities;
• establish a social media presence to reach the public; and
• participate in activities marking the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Continuing to act as a bridge builder between the federal government, other levels of government and official language minority communities, so that public policies better reflect Canada's linguistic duality. OCOL plans to:

• pursue a study on the bilingual institutional capacity of the judiciary of provincial and territorial superior courts to review the situation and make recommendations for improving access to justice in both official languages;
• implement an awareness strategy targeting municipalities, particularly the City of Ottawa—Canada's national capital—regarding the important role that municipalities play in promoting linguistic duality; and
• hold a discussion forum in Montréal on the connections between linguistic duality and cultural diversity. This forum will be the last of a series of forums held over the past few years, including Toronto in 2007, Vancouver in 2008 and Halifax in 2011. The results of these discussion forums will give OCOL a better understanding of the current situation and help guide future promotional activities.

Continuing to encourage the federal government to pursue a constructive dialogue with official language minority communities. OCOL plans to:

• promote to federal institutions a comprehensive approach to implementing Part VII of the Official Languages Act and take measures to enhance the communities' vitality and to promote linguistic duality; and
• intervene with the federal government and especially those federal institutions charged with implementing the Roadmap for Canada's Linguistic Duality 2008–2013 to ensure that its renewal reflects the needs of official language communities and the importance of promoting linguistic duality in Canadian society.

Program Activity 3: Internal Services¹¹

Program Activity Description

Internal Services are groups of related activities and resources that are administered to support the needs of programs and other corporate obligations of an organization. These groups are: Management and Oversight Services, Communications Services, Legal Services, Human Resources Management Services, Financial Management Services, Information Management Services, Information Technology Services, Real Property Services, Material Services, Acquisition Services, and Travel and Other Administrative Services. Internal Services include only those activities and resources that apply across an organization and not to those provided specifically to a program.

Financial Resources ($000)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
7,579	7,215	7,227

Human Resources (FTEs)

2012–13	2013–14	2014–15
53	53	53

Planning Highlights

Over the next three years, and more particularly in 2012–13, OCOL will work towards achieving its organizational priorities through activities such as the following:

Updating OCOL's governance mechanisms in support of its status of independence from government. OCOL plans to:

• continue strengthening its integrated planning process with a view to improving its access to both financial and non-financial information for use in decision-making and optimizing resource use; and
• continue with the implementation of accountability mechanisms, in particular the performance measurement framework.

Pursuing various optimization initiatives to maintain operational efficiency while fostering a healthy work environment in a period of change. OCOL plans to:

• review and pursue implementation of last year's A-base review action plan in support of organizational priorities;
• update the IM/IT strategic plan in the context of the government's horizontal initiatives, particularly those related to small organizations;
• develop a sustainable financial model that will enable the organization to respect the principles of the government's deficit reduction action plan;
• participate in the exploration of a shared services model for internal service delivery for agents of Parliament;
• follow up on the results of the 2011 Public Service Employee Survey; and
• prepare an action plan in response to the internal audit recommendations on investigation practices.

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