LANG Committee Report

LIST OF RECOMMENDATIONS

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Committee recommends that people newly appointed to management positions take a formal training session given by the Canada School of Public Service, in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, on the importance of creating and maintaining a workplace conducive to the effective use of both official languages.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Committee recommends that PSHRMAC develop an appropriate audit mechanism to ensure that the federal public service is a workplace that is conducive to the effective use of both official languages, and that it report on the audit in its annual report to Parliament.

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Committee recommends that the federal government ensure that there are no negative repercussions on service to the public in the official language of the client’s choice, on the language of work of federal employees and on the development of official language minority communities, when there are major administrative reorganizations, such as the move of the headquarters of a federal institution.

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Committee recommends that the Governor in Council pass an order guaranteeing the right of federal employees to work in the official language of their choice, when the headquarters of a federal department or agency is moved to a region that is not designated bilingual for the purposes of language of work.

RECOMMENDATION 5

The Committee recommends that the Canada School of Public Service promote its language training services and that these services be accessible to all federal employees within a reasonable time frame, without any restriction in terms of specific groups of employees.

RECOMMENDATION 6

The Committee recommends that the federal government resolve the waiting-list problem that is reducing accessibility to language training services.

RECOMMENDATION 7

The Committee recommends that the PSHRMAC provide the data required on language training services, both those offered by public and by private suppliers, and that it report on this in its annual report on official languages tabled in Parliament, as Treasury Board did until 1999. In particular, departments and agencies must provide PSHRMAC with the financial and non-financial data that it needs to conduct analyses of real and forecasted outcomes.

RECOMMENDATION 8

The Committee recommends that all federal departments and agencies earmark specific funds (dedicated funds) for language training and that a specific and separate budget item be identified for expenditures incurred in this regard.

RECOMMENDATION 9

The Committee recommends that the Public Service Commission identify the reasons for the high failure rate on French second-language evaluation tests for oral communication skills, and that it present a plan for remedying the situation to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages.

RECOMMENDATION 10

The Committee recommends that the PSC ensure that the exclusion order is used only in exceptional cases and, if it is used by federal departments and agencies, the PSC must ensure that the right of members of the public to receive services in the official language of their choice is protected.

RECOMMENDATION 11

The Committee recommends that, in staffing bilingual positions, federal departments and agencies broaden the geographical area of selection for candidates, before making use of the exclusion order.

RECOMMENDATION 12

The Committee asks that the PSC report on the use of the exclusion order in its annual report to Parliament.

RECOMMENDATION 13

The Committee recommends that the Privy Council Office require that those appointed to deputy minister positions meet the CBC¹ requirements in the second official language.

RECOMMENDATION 14

The Committee recommends that Treasury Board eliminate the bilingualism bonus and that the knowledge of the two official languages be considered a professional skill that is reflected in the salaries of federal employees.

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1	"CBC" means level C (superior) for reading, level B (intermediate) for writing, and level C (superior) for oral interaction.