OCOL - Ottawa, March 16, 2004

Ottawa, March 16, 2004

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Towards respect for linguistic duality in the National Capital Region

Dr. Dyane Adam, the Commissioner of Official Languages, today announced the results of a study entitled For Rent: In Search of Bilingual Services from Businesses in NCR Federal Buildings. The study shows that citizens in the National Capital Region do not always get value for their money.

The Commissioner of Official Languages, Dr. Dyane Adam, stated, “Despite a certain number of worthwhile initiatives to promote linguistic duality in the National Capital Region, the federal government still has work to do to fulfill its responsibilities in its own buildings.”

The Official Languages Act sets forth the Government of Canada’s commitment to promoting the bilingual character of the National Capital Region (NCR). For several years, however, the availability of bilingual services from businesses located in federal buildings of the NCR has raised concerns among the general public and parliamentarians. The purpose of the study was to paint a picture of the situation on both sides of the Ottawa River.

Under the Act, the federal government has a duty to include language clauses in its commercial leases in the National Capital Region, to inform its tenants of language requirements and to ensure that these requirements are met. In the NCR as a whole, however, less than half (41%) of the 207 businesses audited as part this study had clauses in their lease requiring them to have bilingual signage and to offer bilingual services. This percentage was 78% for leases for which the National Capital Commission (NCC) was responsible, compared to only 18% for those that fall under the responsibility of Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC).

The study also reveals that business tenants in Ottawa federal buildings are doing poorly when it comes to delivering bilingual services. In more than half the businesses audited, written materials (signage, menus, promotional documents and Web sites) were in English only. Although the percentage of bilingual services offered by telephone and in person was higher (70% and 60% respectively), the Commissioner is calling for immediate corrective action. In Gatineau, on the other hand, telephone services and services in person were exemplary, and written materials were bilingual in the vast majority of cases.

To remedy these shortcomings, the Commissioner has made constructive and practical recommendations to the National Capital Commission, Canadian Heritage, and Public Works and Government Services Canada.

The Commissioner feels that, apart from the federal government’s obligations under the law, this is an issue involving respect for the region’s two official language communities.

As the Commissioner noted: “The City of Ottawa has adopted a policy on bilingual services and the province has committed to recognizing the ‘bilingual character’ of the city, so the federal government must do its part. In its recent Throne Speech, the Government undertook to nurture our linguistic duality. The National Capital Region would be an excellent starting point for action on this commitment.”

According to the business owners interviewed as part of this study, offering bilingual services in the National Capital Region has its own advantages. They have clearly indicated that delivering bilingual services enables them to increase their market share and that the overall benefits outweigh the costs. Demand for services in both official languages is indeed strong in the region. According to the 2001 Census, English or French is the first language of 51% and 32% of the NCR’s population, respectively.

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Information

HIGHLIGHTS

Methodology

Businesses (207 in all) located in federal buildings in the National Capital Region were visited (173 in Ottawa and 34 in Gatineau). These businesses included restaurants, retailers, recreational organizations and establishments such as hair salons, parking lots and travel agencies.
For each business, written materials (signage, Web sites, menus and promotional materials) and telephone services were audited during the summer of 2003, to determine whether they were available in both official languages. This audit was conducted in the language of the local minority.
Interviews were conducted with officials from the National Capital Commission (NCC), Heritage Canada, Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC), from the cities of Ottawa and Gatineau, and from organizations in the two communities. The managers of 20 businesses were also interviewed to get their point of view on the delivery of services in both official languages.

Results

There are still significant shortcomings in the provision of bilingual services by merchants located in the federal buildings in the National Capital Region. Only 41% of the leases of the businesses audited contained provisions relating to signage and the delivery of services in both official languages. This percentage was 78% for leases for which the NCC was responsible, compared to only 18% for leases handled by PWGSC.
In Ottawa, the results are disappointing, revealing a poor performance. In most cases, written materials (signage, menus, promotional documents and Web sites) were available in English only. The results were better for services offered over the telephone or in person.
In Gatineau, the audit showed that telephone services and services provided in person were exemplary. In both cases, these services were offered in both official languages. In most cases, written materials were available in English and French. In four out of five cases, menus and signage were in both official languages. In nine cases out of ten, promotional materials were available in both English and French.

Statistics

The rate of bilingualism in the National Capital Region as a whole is 44%. In Gatineau, the rate of bilingualism is 62%, and in Ottawa 38%. After Montreal, the National Capital Region is the most bilingual place in Canada.

RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE COMMISSIONER OF OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

The Commissioner of Official Languages recommends:

that the National Capital Commission and Public Works and Government Services Canada take the necessary measures to ensure that the content of the language clauses is discussed and clarified with commercial tenants when they sign or renew their lease and inform them of the concrete actions that must be taken in order to meet their linguistic obligations.
that the National Capital Commission and Public Works and Government Services Canada put in place, within two months of receiving this report, a monitoring mechanism to ensure that both language clauses are automatically added to any new or renewed commercial lease and provide the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages with the results of this activity by December 31, 2004.
that the National Capital Commission ensure the addition and enforcement of language clauses for service and written material in any new or renewed long-term leases negotiated with development companies and ensure that commercial tenants renting space from them are informed of their linguistic obligations.
that the National Capital Commission ensure, within three months of receiving this report, that Minto Properties Ltd. modifies its methodology for evaluating service in person so that the data obtained better reflect the availability of services in both official languages from businesses located on NCC property.
that Public Works and Government Services Canada inform, within two months of receiving this report, all commercial tenants in the National Capital Region that have language clauses in their lease of what is expected of them with regard to service and signage.
that Public Works and Government Services Canada put in place, within three months of receiving this report, monitoring and control mechanisms to ensure that commercial tenants are complying with their linguistic obligations and provide the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages with the results of these activities by December 31, 2004.
that Public Works and Government Services Canada take, within three months of receiving this report, appropriate measures to ensure that the language clauses added to any new lease clearly identify what is required in the way of signage and bilingual services and that the elements of service found in the clauses are similar to those used by the NCC.
that the Department of Canadian Heritage review, by December 2004, its current programs in order to include activities designed specifically at encouraging and assisting private business to offer services in both official languages.
that the National Capital Commission and Public Works and Government Services Canada assist their commercial tenants in meeting the linguistic obligations outlined in the language clauses in their lease through direct action or referral, as appropriate.
that Public Works and Government Services Canada provide as soon as possible technolinguistic tools, including writing and translation aids and terminology banks like Termium, at no cost to its commercial tenants, including those of the NCC.
that the Department of Canadian Heritage determine, in cooperation with the National Capital Commission, the most effective means of sensitizing the private sector in the NCR to linguistic duality and conduct an awareness campaign aimed at encouraging private sector businesses to respect Canada’s bilingual character by providing their services in both official languages.
that the Department of Canadian Heritage ensure, by December 31, 2004, that it has met with representatives of provincial and municipal governments to determine the measures that could be taken to encourage the business community to provide services in both English and French.
that the Department of Canadian Heritage ensure collaboration between the federal, provincial and municipal governments and their private sector partners with a view to promoting the bilingual nature of the NCR as part of an economic development strategy for the Region.