Our official languages: A value shared by all Canadians needs to be a real priority in Canada

Tabling of the 2021–2022 annual report

GATINEAU, QC, June 7, 2022 /CNW/ - In 2021–2022, Canadians made it abundantly clear that they are deeply committed to linguistic duality.

Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada Raymond Théberge tabled his 2021–2022 annual report today. The report provides an overview of the current state of official languages and presents solutions to parliamentarians and the federal government to ensure greater respect for Canadians' fundamental language rights.

This past year, Canadians' commitment to official languages was made evident by a record number of complaints filed with the Office of the Commissioner following events related to the lack of fluency in both official languages among senior federal officials. Being able to speak both official languages is an essential skill for any leader, especially leaders of institutions subject to the Official Languages Act.

The long-awaited tabling of Bill C–13 to modernize the Official Languages Act is an essential step in advancing our official languages in Canada. A modernized Act is vitally important to ensure respect for Canadians' language rights, and vesting new powers in the Commissioner of Official Languages will make it possible to better address some of the ongoing problems so that federal institutions can improve their compliance with their official languages obligations.

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"As I enter the second half of my mandate, I sincerely hope that our leaders will understand the message that the Canadian public and I are sending them: Linguistic duality is a value that all Canadians share, and we need to do whatever we can to make it a real priority in Canada."

Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada

Highlights

• In 2021–2022, the Commissioner of Official Languages received a total of 5,409 admissible complaints under the Official Languages Act, which is an increase of just over 189% compared with last year.
• Of that number:
• 3,398 concerned communications with and services to the public (Part IV);
• 233 were about language of work (Part V);
• 21 involved equitable participation (Part VI);
• 1,546 were related to the advancement of English and French (Part VII);
• 204 were about the language requirements of positions (Part XI, section 91); and
• 7 concerned other parts of the Act (parts I, III and IX).

Related links

Annual Report 2021–2022

Infographic: 2021–2022 in brief

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SOURCE Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

For more information, please contact: Media Relations: Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages; Telephone: [phone], Toll free: 1-877-996-6368, Email: [email protected]