Paris, France, November 5, 2003
Promoting the equitable implementation of the language policy of
bilingual or multilingual organizations and administrations
Notes for an address to the Symposium of the
Réseau francophone du français dans le monde
Dr. Dyane Adam - Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like to thank the Agence Internationale de la Francophonie for organizing this symposium. It is a privilege to share the Canadian experience of institutional language policies with you.
Introduction
Canada's social and linguistic fabric is largely rooted in two great European cultures, the English and French, which have shaped our federal state and the bilingualism of our institutions. In order to accommodate our Anglophone and Francophone populations, the founders of Canada decided very early on to distance themselves from the traditional model of the nation state, in order to allow these two cultures to stand together as the roots of our "desire to live together". Canada's first constitutional documents, dating from the 18th century, already reflected the use of English and French, which were formally declared Canada's official languages more than 30 years ago. This linguistic duality is now one of the values shared by Canadians as a whole.
The best way for me to contribute to this symposium, I believe, is to tell you about the Canadian experience of linguistic equality and to explain how our public institutions incorporate linguistic duality into their operations. I will therefore provide an outline of the Canadian model of linguistic planning. I will also describe some of the institutional conditions and administrative measures that are essential to provide bilingual services. I will focus in particular on the importance of political and administrative leadership.
In my presentation, I will use the term "Francophone" to refer to persons whose first language is French and "French speaker" to refer to those who speak French fluently.
Canada's linguistic context
Canada has a population of 30 million. It is a young country, a land of immigrants. Over 100 languages are spoken in our country. Most Canadians, 98% of them, speak one of the official languages fluently in their homes. French is the first language of 23% of Canadians, and of more than four in five Quebeckers. Outside Quebec, there are close to one million Francophones.
Considering not only those whose first language is French, but in fact everyone who speaks the language, there are over nine million French speakers in Canada. In the 2001 census, 5.2 million people identified themselves as bilingual, an 8% increase in five years. Another interesting fact is that the number of French speakers living outside Quebec, especially in New Brunswick and Ontario, is larger than the Francophone population of 40 member states of the Francophonie. After France, Canada is one of the countries where French is spoken most widely.
Legal framework of Canada's language system
Before we delve into the institutional aspects of bilingualism, I would like to briefly describe the origins and the legal framework of our language system.
In the 1960s, the government of the day established a Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism with the task to find ways to alleviate the linguistic polarization of Anglophones and Francophones. Its work led to the adoption of the Official Languages Act in 1969. This act proclaims the equality of status and use of English and French in all federal institutions and sets forth the demographic conditions under which bilingual services must be provided. It also created the office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, as the "active conscience" of Canadian society with regard to language issues.
The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, adopted in 1982, entrenches the equality of status and use of English and French in our Constitution. The Official Languages Act, amended in 1988, now stipulates more precisely the constitutional rights protected by the Charter. In particular it addresses:
- The right of citizens to receive federal government services in English or French, subject to the very flexible criterion of "significant demand";
- The right of public servants to work in the official language of their choice, in designated regions;
- The federal government's commitment to promote English and French in Canadian society, and to supporting and promoting the development and vitality of minority language communities.
Results of the application of our language-related legislation
Let me turn now to the main results of this legislation in practice.
Thanks to the implementation of language-related policies, members of minority communities can now in general receive all federal services in the official language of their choice, at offices specifically designated to provide bilingual services, which represent a bit more than one in four offices nationally.
Federal public servants have the opportunity to work in the official language of their choice, in regions designated for this purpose, specifically in certain parts of Ontario and Quebec, in the province of New Brunswick and in the National Capital Region. Federal institutions and agencies have over 450,000 employees, the vast majority of whom have the option of working in their language. The presence of Anglophones and Francophones in federal institutions is well-balanced on the whole, although certain regional and sectoral disparities still have to be addressed.
However, providing government services in French is not enough to guarantee the long-term survival and full development of Francophone communities. The road to bilingualism cannot be limited to the political backrooms of government. The Canadian ideal goes beyond equality. The goal is to allow all citizens to live and grow in a world that reflects their culture. That is why Canada has implemented numerous programs in support of minority communities that address all facets of life including work, education, culture, recreation and sport.
Political leadership and institutional conditions
This brings me to my final point: the importance of political and administrative leadership and the institutional conditions conducive to the provision of bilingual services. I would like to address three broad themes:
1. the institutional culture and organizational measures that relate to bilingualism;
2. the operational instruments to implement bilingualism; and
3. offering services in both languages.
1. Institutional culture
The implementation of a language policy in a bilingual institution requires sustained effort on the part of those responsible for implementing legislation and administrative directives. Offering service in both languages and the creation of a bilingual workplace must become core elements of an institution's philosophy. These tasks depend essentially on leadership, since the heads of organizations have the greatest influence on an institution's culture and in setting its direction. They must preach by example, by their actions and guidance, and convey their vision to all levels of the organization.
We also require managers to be bilingual so they can supervise their employees in their own language, participate actively in all communications from the administration and set an example of linguistic openness.
The strategic planning of operations must in turn reflect the commitment to official languages. It must foster an approach that integrates the organization's role with its values, and that shares language-related objectives with all staff members. We favour an accountability approach that highlights the benefits of the presence of two languages and two cultures in an institution.
Finally, and still at the organizational level, there must be administrative units responsible for the implementation and monitoring of language-related directives to ensure that the use of the official languages is not limited to a few polished formulas or a few target publications.
2. Implementation instruments
Institutional bilingualism is founded on specific administrative arrangements. To create an administration that upholds employees' language rights, it must be able to provide all central services in the employee's preferred language, including administrative, financial and legal services, as well as staffing, evaluation and audit services.
To support the commitment to institutional bilingualism, various instruments must also be developed, and I will mention five of them in particular.
A translation and terminology research function must be established to ensure that all information relating to employment and internal and external communications is available in the languages of the administration.
A system for the linguistic designation of positions must also be introduced that reflects requirements and establishes, based on the clientele served, the language skills each employee must have to perform his or her duties.
In addition, current employees must be offered suitable language training to help them acquire the skills required for their positions. In Canada, we also encourage employees in positions not designated bilingual to develop a good passive knowledge of the second language. This helps create a workplace that is more conducive to the use of both official languages and also prevents situations where written and oral communications must be conducted primarily in a single language simply because there may be one unilingual person in the communication chain.
Regularly and widely used work tools, such as working documents, user manuals and software programs, must also be provided in the languages of the administration.
Finally, it is essential to provide an external monitoring mechanism to receive language-related complaints from employees or clients, and to provide recourse to persons who feel their language rights have not been respected by the institution. In Canada, I serve this role as a language ombudsman. I receive complaints directly from citizens, conduct investigations and recommend corrective measures when necessary.
3. Offering services
In considering relations between the administration and the public, we must be attentive to the linguistic characteristics of the public. Various systems can be used to manage the provision of bilingual services. In Canada, we have specifically designated, on the basis of demographic criteria, the offices that provide services in one language or both languages and have stipulated specific procedures governing interactions between public servants and citizens. For example, communications from bilingual offices are in the preferred language of the person being served or in both official languages, while services from unilingual offices are usually in one language only.
There is nevertheless an essential requirement in all situations, which we refer to as "active offer."
The active offer of services in both languages, whether at a reception desk, on the telephone or in interactions on a larger scale, makes it possible to provide bilingual services to the public in a more effective manner. The goal is to provide immediate communication in the preferred language of the person who is contacting a government service and to ensure that equal services are provided in both languages.
To encourage the public to request service in their preferred language, the institution's official languages must also be indicated in appropriate signage. All communications and publications by the organization (signs, flyers, forms, websites, various documentation) must be available in the languages of the administration. In this regard, we have conducted various studies on the use of our two official languages on the Internet. Last year, I published a study on the websites of diplomatic missions and international organizations. This study showed that 26% of the institutional sites evaluated, for which French is an official language, offered very little or no French-language content.
The use of feedback mechanisms and client satisfaction indicators as well as performance standards and indicators serve to promote the progression toward a multilingual administration. It is by evaluating language policies based on tangible results that we can achieve meaningful change.
Conclusion
In short, Canadian legislation on language-related issues rests on a core of fundamental rights, which are applicable in all circumstances, and on a variable scale of language rights, which are based on a variety of demographic, political and practical considerations.
There is nevertheless one essential ingredient for these rights to be fully expressed in administrative practices and relations between the administration and the public - and that is the commitment and leadership of decision makers.
An administration may often seem like a "black box." We know what goes in and what comes out, however, the operations in between represent a grey zone of bureaucratic routines and complex organizational relationships. Even so, it is up to senior managers to take action that creates the desired and required linguistic results throughout the entire administrative framework. They have the capacity to initiate changes in customs, suggest new ways of doing things, convey values and mobilize employees to achieve tangible results.
In Canada, making bilingualism one of the essential components of our administrative structure is of vital importance because linguistic equality is the glue that keeps our society together. It is the foundation of our progression toward a pluralist society in which diversity flourishes. The ideal of a bilingual and multicultural Canada was indeed born in the minds of a few visionary leaders who were able to convey that ideal to the entire population.
Thank you.
Bibliography
Commissioner of Official Languages, 2003: Annual Report 2002-2003, Ottawa, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Government of Canada, 1982: Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, Part I of the Constitution Act, 1982, being Schedule B of the Canada Act 1982 (U.K.), 1982, c. 11.
Government of Canada, 1988: Official Languages Act (R.S. (1985), c. 31 (4th Supp.) ), O-3.01.
Government of Canada, 2003: The Next Act: New Momentum for Canada's Linguistic Duality. The Action Plan for Official Languages, Ottawa, National Library of Canada.
Government of Canada, 2003: Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations (SOR/92-48).
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, 2002: Official Languages on the Internet: Web Sites of Diplomatic Missions and International Organizations, Ottawa, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, 2002: Towards a Modern and Bilingual Public Service, Ottawa, Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada.
President of the Treasury Board of Canada, 2003: Annual Report on Official Languages 2002-2003, Ottawa, Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.
Treasury Board of Canada and Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, 1995: English and French in the Workplace, Ottawa, Minister of Supply and Services Canada.
