LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

The observations resulting from this study of linguistic duality in Canada’s international relations have led the Commissioner to recommend that:

1. The Department of Foreign Affairs ensure that its forthcoming audit of the Public Diplomacy Program include a comprehensive assessment of the program’s contribution to linguistic duality in Canada’s international relations.

2. While fully respecting the principle of academic freedom, the Department of Foreign Affairs include Canada’s linguistic duality as a topic of interest in the application forms for the Canadian Studies Faculty Research Program, and that it do so in time for the program’s 2004 applications.

3. The Department of Foreign Affairs take steps, by December 31, 2005, to ensure that all international Canadian studies programs apply to all parts of Canada and both Anglophone and Francophone populations.

4.The Department of Foreign Affairs, in partnership with Canadian Heritage, take the necessary steps by March 31, 2005, enabling the Government of Canada to seek membership in the Latin Union.

5. The Department of Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Canadian Heritage, develop, by December 31, 2004, internal communication strategies to enhance understanding of linguistic duality’s pertinence to our cultural diversity and to related government initiatives.

6. The Department of Foreign Affairs revise, by December 31, 2004, eligibility criteria for its Francophonie Promotion Fund to include projects aimed at improving links with, and awareness within, Canada’s Anglophone population.

7. a) Canadian Heritage develop and implement, by December 31, 2004, a campaign aimed at promoting TV5 within Canada’s Anglophone community; and

7. b) Actively encourage the involvement and participation of more provinces and territories, notably Ontario, in the Canadian contribution to TV5 programming and financing.

8. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Canadian Heritage use the results of the current review of Canadian participation in Francophonie institutions to ensure that Canada’s Francophone community is fully reflected and represented.

9. a) As part of the federal government’s cultural diversity agenda, Canadian Heritage, in cooperation with the Department of Foreign Affairs and other responsible departments and provincial governments, pursue the implementation of all outstanding resolutions and recommendations on cultural diversity within the Organization of American States since the 2001 Quebec City Summit; and

9. b) Take the necessary steps by December 31, 2004, in collaboration with other member states of the OAS, to fully integrate linguistic diversity in the mandate of the Institute for Connectivity of the Americas.

10. By December 31, 2004, the Department of Foreign Affairs review the impact on Canada’s Francophone community of the English-only language policy of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and the effectiveness of existing communication efforts.

11. For each trade mission, the Department of Foreign Affairs remind participating departments and agencies of their responsibility to ensure that the linguistic rights of private sector participants are respected at all times.

12. The Department of International Trade review, by December 31, 2004, its priorities to ensure they fully incorporate and reflect linguistic duality, and that it modify programs accordingly, including those related to trade missions.

13. a) The Department of Foreign Affairs take steps, by December 31, 2004, to expand Canadian participation in annual celebrations of La Francophonie around the world; and

13. b) Review the enhanced representation initiative in the United States to ensure that linguistic duality is effectively integrated in the priorities and operations of new and upgraded missions in that country.

14. The Department of Foreign Affairs review, by December 31, 2004, existing monitoring mechanisms for Canadian studies activities at the mission level with a view to enhancing their effectiveness and encouraging, where needed, a proactive approach consistent with Canada’s linguistic duality.

15. The Department of Foreign Affairs, in cooperation with the Department of International Trade and Canadian Heritage, develop an action plan by December 31, 2004, designed to ensure closer integration of the cultural and commercial activities of our diplomatic missions.

16. a) The Department of Foreign Affairs take immediate steps to ensure bilingual capability and active offer within the consular affairs sections of all diplomatic missions; and

16. b) Establish, by December 31, 2004, an effective mechanism for regularly monitoring bilingual service availability and capacity within these sections.

17. The Department of Foreign Affairs revise, by December 31, 2004, provisions contained in its Official Languages Policy governing the language of publications with a view to ensuring that Canada’s bilingual image is fully reflected at all times, and ensure that Canada’s diplomatic missions are provided with adequate tools and financial resources to meet the requirements.

18. The Department of Foreign Affairs take steps, by December 31, 2004, to ensure that security services at all Canadian diplomatic missions are actively offered and immediately available in both official languages.

19. The Department of Foreign Affairs adopt, by December 31, 2004, a comprehensive program of support for ensuring adequate bilingual capacity among locally engaged employees at all diplomatic missions. This program should include appropriate guidelines, resources and direct assistance.

20. The Department of Foreign Affairs develop, by December 31, 2004, a strategy for assisting rotational staff in maintaining second-language skills.

21. The Privy Council Office and the departments of Foreign Affairs and International Trade each take steps, within their respective areas of responsibility, to ensure that future appointments to Canada’s most senior representative positions abroad meet the “CBC” requirement, or a comparable level, for second-language skills.

22. The Department of Foreign Affairs take steps, by December 31, 2004, to better incorporate understanding of Canada’s linguistic duality in professional training programs for locally engaged staff.

23. The Department of Foreign Affairs review its network of official languages champions in diplomatic missions and establish, by December 31, 2004, means of enhancing their effectiveness in promoting linguistic duality, including the adoption of official languages objectives at each mission.

24. The Department of Foreign Affairs revise, by December 31, 2004, its audit and evaluation processes to include policy and program effectiveness in integrating linguistic duality at all levels of operations, including missions.

25. The Department of Foreign Affairs, as the lead department in the international policy review under way at the time of the study, ensure that, in the development of a new international policy, projection of Canada’s linguistic duality is recognized as a government priority and effectively integrated in all other priorities.

BACKGROUNDER
Doorway to the world – Linguistic Duality in Canada’s international relations

SCOPE OF STUDY

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages conducted a comprehensive study of Canada’s international policies, programs and activities. It covers the roles of four federal departments: Foreign Affairs Canada, International Trade Canada, Canadian Heritage, and Industry Canada and the role of the Privy Council Office in the appointment of Heads of Mission.

This comprehensive study goes beyond official bilingualism to look at the place of linguistic duality, as a domestic policy and a core Canadian value, in Canada’s international policy. The study covered linguistic duality’s status in the government’s international policy directions, key programs and activities, support infrastructure, our missions abroad and the services they offer.

The study is based on 150 interviews with senior officials and policy coordinators in Ottawa and at twelve of Canada’s missions abroad.

WHY THIS STUDY?

This study was primarily intended to inform the federal government’s current review of Canada’s international policy. In its October 2004 Speech from the Throne, the Government of Canada stated that it is no longer possible to separate domestic policies and international policies. The forthcoming International Policy Statement offers an important opportunity to ensure that future international policy directions are intertwined with linguistic duality. In addition, there have been major changes since the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages last examined Canada’s diplomatic missions in the mid-1990s. Local staff now represent the majority of personnel in our missions abroad, and new programs and Internet-based tools are being used to promote Canadian culture and trade.

POLICY DIRECTION

It is difficult to place the importance of linguistic duality in the Government of Canada’s current international policy framework. The general policy is silent on linguistic duality’s connection to Canadian values and on its relevance to the other policy objectives of prosperity and security. It fails to recognize the linguistic character of many of our cultural industries, which contribute to our economic development, or the value of Canada’s international reputation for managing linguistic and cultural diversity.

KEY PROGRAMS AND INITIATIVES

The Government of Canada has been playing a leadership role in the search for international protection of domestic policies favouring cultural diversity and Canada’s linguistic duality has been reinforced by this agenda. Funding programs such as Canadian Studies and Foreign Affairs Canada’s Public Diplomacy Program are important for promoting our linguistic duality. However, the lack of clear policy direction leads to inconsistencies in program application and inadequate resources in some areas at the mission level. Overall, there are weak links and missed opportunities for maximizing the contribution of Canadian linguistic duality on the world stage. Different levels of provincial participation in international relations create unevenness in representing Canada’s official language communities abroad.

SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE

Interviews with officials suggest that government transformations in the 1990’s adversely affected linguistic duality’s status in our international relations. There were major consequences for foreign posts in particular, where the number of Canadian-based staff was reduced. Locally engaged personnel have been increasingly used to promote Canada’s interests to the point where more than half of the staff working in our missions are hired locally. A few years ago, the government introduced programs to sensitize these employees about Canada’s reality, but our linguistic duality is not always effectively conveyed. The 1990’s also saw the loss of headquarters support for language training classes for locally engaged staff, a situation which continues to be a problem at some locations.

MISSIONS ABROAD

Embassy and consulate staff promote Canadian arts and culture in several ways and, at the time of our study, the cultural calendars at many of the missions we visited included representation from both linguistic communities and from across Canada. However, the study noted major differences among the missions, particularly those located in the United States, in promoting Canada’s French fact. Our findings matched those of a recent study commissioned by Foreign Affairs Canada on Canada’s bilingual image in the United States. While many of Canada’s diplomatic missions take part in international Francophonie celebrations every year, our review of only a few embassies and consulates reveals a lack of direction, varying levels of commitment and resource issues. Inadequate integration within diplomatic missions of cultural promotion with trade promotion means that linguistic duality’s value to Canada’s economic development is not being fully realized. There is much talk of “branding” Canada’s identity abroad to attract attention and improve understanding of who we are. However, Canada’s linguistic duality is underappreciated as a competitive advantage and a commercial asset.

SERVICE PROVISION

At most locations visited, we found heightened sensitivity among front-line consular officials to the linguistic needs and rights of their clients. However, inadequate guidance, resources and monitoring in the relationship between headquarters and Canada’s diplomatic missions allow for too much leeway that can adversely affect linguistic duality’s most basic ingredient: service and information availability in both official languages. New and appropriate standards are needed to ensure that Canada’s linguistic duality is conveyed in communicating with local populations. It is one thing to provide information in the language of the host country, but it is quite another to ignore those who speak either of our official languages or Canadians living abroad. This also applies to security services, which were not available in both official languages at most of the missions we visited.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The report contains 25 recommendations addressed to four institutions: Foreign Affairs Canada, International Trade Canada, Canadian Heritage and the Privy Council Office. Many of the recommendations encourage the government to pursue measures already under way, while other recommendations call for improvements and corrective action. Essentially, these are directed at furthering Canada’s social and economic interests by maximizing linguistic duality’s contribution to our global identity.

One recommendation stands out from the others: the government must recognize linguistic duality, which lies at the heart of Canada’s identity, as a priority in its forthcoming international policy statement, thereby establishing clear direction and a common vision for all future international initiatives.

Other recommended measures include:

• Providing adequate support to effectively project Canada’s bilingual identity abroad.
• Integrating linguistic duality into mission priorities and operations. Our observations of certain missions have shown the need for improvement.
• Ensuring that Foreign Affairs Canada’s Public Diplomacy Program is truly integrated in the mainstream of our international policy.
• Ensuring adequate bilingual capacity among locally engaged staff at Canada’s diplomatic missions so that Canadians residing and traveling abroad and Canadian business people are served at all times in the language of their choice

Overall, the Government of Canada has responded positively to the report and the recommendations. All departments involved showed excellent cooperation during the study and provided constructive comments.