Rescinded [2008-10-01] - Grants and Contributions

This page has been archived on the Web

Information identified as archived is provided for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It is not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards and has not been altered or updated since it was archived. Please contact us to request a format other than those available.

Archived

This page has been archived on the Web.

Policy objective

To ensure that when grants or contributions are made to voluntary non-governmental organizations serving the members of the public of both official language communities, communications with and services to the public are provided in both official languages in accordance with the spirit and intent of Part IV of the Official Languages Act.

Policy statement

It is government policy that federal institutions providing grants or contributions to voluntary non-governmental organizations for activities, projects or programs involving service to a public composed of members of both official language communities must take the necessary measures to ensure that the recipients of public funds respect the spirit and the intent of the Official Languages Act when serving the public.

Application

This policy applies to all federal institutions subject to Schedule I of the Financial Administration Act. Other federal institutions must respect the spirit of this policy.

This policy does not apply to grants and contributions made to individuals or to contractual arrangements between federal institutions and the private sector for providing services to the public on behalf of a federal institution (see section 25 of the Act and note in chapter 1-1). For specific policy requirements on grants and contributions related to events of national or international scope, see also chapter 1-3 of this volume.

Policy requirements

Prerequisites

Pursuant to the Treasury Board policy on grants and contributions, a federal institution may make either a grant (unconditional transfer payment) or contribution (transfer payment with conditions) to a voluntary non-governmental organization.

In the case of a grant, the institution must determine, when first reviewing a proposal, if a public consisting of both official language communities is to be served, in accordance with requirements 3 or 4 below, or both. If so, the commitment to meet obligations relating to service to the public in both official languages must be a criterion for eligibility for grant funding.

In the case of a contribution, a clause in the contribution agreement must, where appropriate, clearly set out the recipient's commitments concerning service to the public in both official languages, in accordance with requirements 3 or 4 below, or both.

Official languages clause

The terms of this clause may vary depending on the nature and the purpose of the activity, project or program, as well as the government's interest in the activity, project or program in question (e.g., bilingual image of the country, national or local scope, etc.) and the type of organization receiving the assistance.

1. In the case of both grants and contributions, the federal institution must, at the outset, indicate clearly its expectations with regard to official languages to the recipient organization (see Appendix A).

Target clientele

2. For both grants and contributions, the recipient organization, in consultation with the federal institution providing funding, must first determine the clientele involved and, if required, the language obligations.

The activity, project or program may require the use of only one official language or neither one of them, depending on the particular public involved.

National activities, projects or programs

3. In cases where it has been determined that an activity, project or program receiving financial assistance is national in scope and includes services to the general public of both linguistic communities, federal institutions must ensure that recipient organizations will:

  • make any announcements to the public concerning the activity, project or program in both official languages;
  • actively offer services to members of the public in both official languages;
  • make available in both official languages any documents for the general public relating to the activities, projects or programs (see the guidelines to chapter 1-1 on the various means of making documents available in both official languages);
  • encourage members of both official language communities to participate in the activities, projects or programs;
  • organize activities, projects or programs, when appropriate, in such a manner as to meet the needs of the two linguistic communities.

Regional or local activities, projects or programs

4. When the activity, project or program receiving financial assistance is regional or local in scope and the recipient organization, in consultation with the federal institution providing funding, determines that the demand justifies the use of both official languages, services to the general public must be provided in both official languages (see policy requirement 3 above).

When a grant or contribution is made for a regional or local activity, project or program aimed at and operated by a group specifically identified with one of the two official language communities, federal institutions may wish to consider whether funding a similar activity, project or program for the other official language community might be appropriate.

Monitoring

The Treasury Board Secretariat will ensure that this policy is implemented through:

  • monitoring by either the institution, the Official Languages and Employment Equity Branch, or both;
  • agreements on official languages with the Treasury Board, including annual management reports;
  • follow-up of the reports and special studies done by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

References

Parts IV and VII of the Official Languages Act

Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations

Treasury Board policy on grants, contributions and other transfer payments, Treasury Board Guide on Financial Administration for Departments and Agencies of the Government of Canada (GFA), chapter 9.4 (to be published in Treasury Board Manual, Financial Management volume, binder 1, part 3, chapter 16)

Treasury Board Manual, Official Languages volume, policies on service to the public (chapters 1-0 to 1-5)

Enquiries

Please direct enquiries to the person responsible for official languages in your institution. This person may then address policy interpretation questions to the:

Official Languages and
Employment Equity Branch
Treasury Board Secretariat

Appendix A - Guidelines for Federal Institutions Providing Funding

When it is agreed that the recipient organization must serve a public consisting of both linguistic communities in both official languages, the federal institution providing funding should:

  • anticipate, when considering the funding to be provided, allocating an amount sufficient to enable the recipient organization to provide services to the public in both official languages;
  • inform the recipient organization (through the request forms, paragraphs in the Ministers' call or decision letters, etc.) about the linguistic obligations resulting from its decision to accept public funding;
  • ensure that the recipient organization has the required linguistic capacity to provide such services in both official languages or that arrangements are made to provide the services in some other way (e.g. with the assistance of the federal institution or through a third party); and
  • establish appropriate evaluation and control measures, in the case of a contribution, to ensure that the linguistic obligations set out for the recipient