Government of Canada to review Official Languages Regulations
From: Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
OTTAWA, ON – The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that federal services are delivered to Canadians in the official language of their choice in accordance with the Official Languages Act. These services help French- and English-speaking minorities thrive across the country as cultural and economic pillars of their diverse communities.
To this end, the Government has announced a review of the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations. The Regulations govern communications with and services to the public in English and French.
“Nickel Belt/Greater Sudbury has thrived in large part because of the region’s dedication to ensuring that Anglophones and the large population of Franco-Ontarians—myself included—who call the region home have access to a wide range of services in the official language of their choice. I am pleased that our government is reinforcing this spirit of common understanding and cooperation by undertaking a review of the Official Languages Regulations that will ensure that government communications in both official languages reflect the many changes that have occurred in Canadian society over the past two decades.” – Marc Serré, MP Nickel Belt
As part of the review, the Government will consult parliamentarians, stakeholders and the public, including members of the English and French linguistic minority communities, which include Nickel Belt – Greater Sudbury. The Government will impose a moratorium on bilingual offices that were slated to become unilingual. They will continue to provide services to the public in both official languages until new and modernized regulations are in place.
“Francophone and Anglophone minority communities across the country have been asking for these regulations to be improved in order to better reflect their realities. We must account for changing demographics, new technologies and lessons learned in the 25 years since these regulations were adopted to be able to serve Canadians better, and in the language of their choice.” – Scott Brison, President of the Treasury Board
