OTTAWA,
ON, June 17, 2024 /CNW/ - The Honourable
Anita Anand, President of the Treasury Board, made the
following statement today:
"On June 20, 2023, Bill C-13, an
Act to amend the Official Languages Act (OLA) received royal
assent. The modernization of the OLA is a historic milestone and a
major step in strengthening the bilingual identity of our
country.
The modernized Act expands the role of the Treasury Board and
its President. As such, it is my responsibility to provide
leadership across the Government of Canada to coordinate the implementation of the
new legislation. The Act also strengthens and broadens the role of
my department, giving it greater authority to support, monitor, and
evaluate compliance of federal institutions. To this end, below is
an overview of progress made thus far in accordance with the
Act.
To support federal institutions, I have established a new
Official Languages Accountability and Reporting Framework. The
Framework clearly sets out the roles and responsibilities of
federal institutions in implementing the modernized act. It also
clarifies expectations in reporting on results to ensure
accountability to Canadians.
A key aspect of the Act is to ensure that Canadians can
communicate with and receive services from federal institutions in
the language of their choice. To support this, we are launching a
new version of the online Burolis tool, which allows everyone to
easily determine at which federal offices they can receive services
in English, French or in both official languages.
Additionally, to further specify how federal institutions must
fulfill their obligations to advance the equality of status and use
of English and French in Canada
under Part VII of the act, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(TBS), in consultation with Canadian Heritage, is developing new
regulations. We are conducting consultations with key stakeholders
now and expect to be tabling draft regulations in Parliament early
next year.
Bilingualism among our public servants is key to understanding,
engaging with and serving Canadians. That is why TBS is launching
the first-ever second official language training framework. The
framework and accompanying guidelines have been tailored to the
needs of a diverse and inclusive public service so that our
bilingual capacity remains strong now and into the future.
Finally, today I tabled the Annual Report on Official Languages
2022–23. It provides an update to parliamentarians and to Canadians
on the government's official languages performance.
Official languages are one of the pillars of Canada's identity and a core part of our
communities. The modernization of the OLA supports the
government's commitment to protecting and promoting our official
languages."
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SOURCE Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat