Policy on Official Languages

Clearly indicate visually and verbally that members of the public can communicate with and obtain services from a designated office in either English or French. Mechanisms are in place to ensure that services are available in the official language chosen. The availability of communications and services in both official languages can be promoted in a number of ways:

• Prominently displaying the official languages symbol

 in Quebec and

 elsewhere in Canada.

Institutions for which Treasury Board is not the employer may use this symbol or a comparable symbol.

• Greeting members of the public in both official languages, beginning with the official language of the majority of the population of the province or territory where the office is located.
• Ensuring that the office's recorded messages are entirely in both official languages.
• Displaying forms and brochures of institutions subject to the OLA in a manner that respects the equal status of English and French.
• Using permanent or temporary signs in both official languages to direct the public within an office.
• Ensuring public-access computers permit the use of English and French software and keyboards.

The list of Bilingual Regions of Canada for Language-of-Work Purposes is available on the TBS Web site.

An organizational culture in which employees are systematically encouraged to use the official language of their choice in the workplace.

This term is equivalent to "deputy minister", "chief executive officer" and other titles denoting this level of responsibility.

An office is designated bilingual for communications with and services to the members of the public if it meets criteria set out in the OLA or in the Regulations such as (not an exhaustive list):

• an institution's head or central office;
• an office within the National Capital Region;
• an office of an institution that reports directly to Parliament;
• an office where there is significant demand for services in either official languages;
• an office, where due to its nature, it is reasonable that communications with and services from that office be available in both English and French.

A list of offices designated bilingual is available in Burolis.

English-speaking population in Quebec and French-speaking population outside Quebec.

Institution means:

• Any institution subject to Parts IV, V and VI and section 91 of the OLA, except for the Senate, the House of Commons, the Library of Parliament, the office of the Senate Ethics Officer and the office of the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner. For a formal definition of “federal institutions”, see section 3 of the OLA; and
• Any institution whose acts of incorporation provide for the application of the OLA (e.g. Air Canada and NavCanada). 

Any correspondence, memorandum, book, plan, map, drawing, diagram, pictorial or graphic work, photograph, film, microform, sound recording, videotape, machine readable record, and any other documentary material, regardless of whether it's in physical, electronic or any other format, and any copy thereof.

The official languages unit is a structure whose size and role are appropriate with regard to the institution's mandate. The unit may be a distinct unit, or it may be combined with another unit within the institution.

In bilingual regions, personal and central services are offered to all employees in the official language of their choice. These services are those that affect the employee on a personal level (their health and well-being, personal development, their career) or that are essential for the employee to perform their duties. Some examples:

Personal services:

• pay and benefits services
• career counselling services

Central services:

• information systems services
• legal services

Any person, group of persons (professional associations or others) or organization or company (other than a Crown corporation) in Canada or abroad, any representative of another level of government communicating with or receiving a service from an institution, excluding officers and employees of institutions subject to the OLA when carrying out their duties

Substantive equality is achieved when one takes into account, where necessary, the differences in characteristics and circumstances of minority communities and provides services with distinct content or using a different method of delivery to ensure that the minority receives services of the same quality as the majority. This approach is the norm in Canadian law. Please also see the Analytical Grid (Substantive Equality).