ARCHIVED - Archived - Chapter 1-1 - Communications with the Public

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
•  

This page has been archived.

 

Policy objective

To ensure that, in accordance with Part IV of the Official Languages Act, federal institutions and third parties acting on behalf of these institutions communicate with members of the public in the official language of their choice.

Note: Under section 25 of the Act, federal institutions must ensure that third parties providing services to the public on their behalf provide them in either official language in any case where these services would be required to be provided in those languages by the institutions themselves, in particular, by specifying this requirement in a contract agreement.

---

Policy statement

It is government policy that federal institutions and third parties acting on their behalf provide communications in English, in French or in both official languages, based on the mandate or the location of the offices or service points of the institutions and the composition of the public to which the communications are directed.

"Communications" in this policy mean written, oral and visual communications. The content and format must always reflect the equal status of both official languages in federal institutions.

---

Application

This policy applies to all federal institutions other than the Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament, and to any other organization when an act or another legal instrument so stipulates it.

---

Policy requirements

Mandate or location of the office

1. All communications with the public by a federal institution or by a third party acting on its behalf must be in the official language that members of the public choose when dealing with:

• a head or central office;
• an office located in the National Capital Region;
• an office, in Canada or elsewhere, that is subject to the Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations concerning significant demand and nature of the office; and
• an office, in Canada or elsewhere, of a federal institution that reports directly to Parliament on any of its activities.

Composition of targeted public

An individual

2. When the communication (e.g., correspondence) is directed to an individual and is provided from or on behalf of an office listed in requirement 1, the communication must be in the preferred official language of the individual if the preference is known and in both official languages if the preference is not known.

General public

3. When the communication is aimed at the general public and is provided from or on behalf of an office listed in requirement 1, both official languages must be used. Any country-wide communication with the public, by a federal institution or on its behalf, must therefore normally be provided simultaneously in both official languages. Such communications include signs, advertisements, information booklets sent to all citizens, publications, reports, information sessions and consultations.

Specific public with known linguistic preferences

4. When the communication is directed to a specific public whose linguistic preferences are known and is provided from or on behalf of an office listed in requirement 1, the communication must be in accordance with these preferences. Such communications include invitations to meetings, proceedings, agendas, slides, leaflets, handouts, the minutes and follow-ups to meetings, and scientific, technical and professional publications.

Specific public whose linguistic preferences are unknown

5. When the communication is directed to a specific public whose linguistic preferences are unknown and is provided from or on behalf of an office listed in requirement 1, the federal institution must either determine those preferences and ensure that each person receives the communication in the official language of his choice or provide the communication in both official languages.

National or international scope

6. Regardless of location, when a federal institution hosts, sponsors, or co-sponsors a national or international gathering (see chapter 1-3), or participates in an event, such as a meeting, conference, symposium or a popular event to which the general public is invited, the federal institution must provide, or have provided on its behalf, simultaneous communications in both official languages.

Mass distribution

7. When a federal institution publishes or co-publishes and distributes documents of national interest aimed at the general public, it must make them available simultaneously in both official languages.

Signs

8. Regardless of an office's location, all signs identifying offices or facilities of federal institutions must be in both official languages.

Health, safety and security

9. Where an office of a federal institution uses signage that includes words or standardized public announcements (e.g., recorded announcements) regarding health, safety or security in respect of members of the public in or on the grounds of federal buildings, these must be in both official languages.

---

Monitoring

The Treasury Board Secretariat will ensure that this policy is implemented through:

• monitoring by either the institution, the Official Languages and Employment Equity Branch, or both;
• agreements on official languages with the Treasury Board, including annual management reports;
• follow-up of the reports and special studies done by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

---

References

Part IV of the Official Languages Act

Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations

Treasury Board Manual, Communications volume, Government communications, chapter 1, and Federal Identity Program (FIP), chapter 2 (use of official languages on signs and in written communications)

Treasury Board Manual, Contracting volume, Appendix F (use of official languages in contracting)

Treasury Board Manual, Official Languages volume, policies on active offer of services (chapter 1-2); on official languages and popular events of national or international scope (chapter 1-3); and guidelines on the use of media (chapter 1-5)

Principles and Guidelines on Naming Places 1990, Canadian Permanent Committee on Geographic Names, Energy, Mines and Resources Canada

Crown Corporation Corporate Plan and Budget Regulations (requirements on languages of presentation)

---

Enquiries

Please direct enquiries to the person responsible for official languages in your institution. This person may then address policy interpretation questions to the:

---

Appendix A - Guidelines on Communications with the Public

When the public's linguistic preferences cannot be fully identified, the institution should choose the most appropriate means to fulfill its obligations.

The following are suggestions to ensure that, whenever required by this policy, members of the public, whether English-speaking or French-speaking, receive communications from federal institutions in the official language of their choice.

Bilingual format

1. Depending on the nature of the document or subject matter covered, irrespective of its length, it may be most appropriate to produce and distribute a document in a bilingual format (e.g., documents related to the Constitution or the Charter of Rights).

2. The most cost-effective means of delivering a short written communication may be in a bilingual format, either side-by-side, recto verso or top-bottom, with equal prominence being given to both official languages.

Combination of bilingual and unilingual format

3. When the document is lengthy, it may be more appropriate to summarize it and distribute the summary in bilingual format, while making the longer version available on request, at no additional cost and within a minimal delay (e.g., a 1-800 line), in the other official language. The document itself should clearly state that it is available in the other official language.

Unilingual format

4. A document or booklet intended for a specific public and produced by an office of a federal institution that does not have to serve the public in both official languages may be published in only one official language.

Mass distribution

5. In most cases, where the institution is distributing a short document of national interest, a bilingual format is the most effective way to reach the general public in the official language of its choice. Of course, if the federal institution knows the preferred official language of its clients, it can send the document directly in this official language.

For longer documents, an institution can, also, if it is certain that it meets its obligations under the Act and its pursuant regulations, send the document in either official language, as required. The institution must then clearly indicate on these unilingual documents that the other language version is available on request at no additional cost (for example, with a 1-800 line) and with minimal delay. An institution should, moreover, include a summary in the other official language.

Simultaneous interpretation

6. Using simultaneous interpretation may be the most effective means of ensuring that members of both official language communities understand a message, for instance, in the case of a national conference.

 

• Previous Page
• Table of Contents
•