Official Languages

This meeting of the Official Languages Committee focused on Air Canada's commitment to using both English and French, especially after recent public concerns. The committee members questioned Air Canada's Chair of the Board, Vagn Sorensen, about the company's efforts to respect Canada's two official languages. Key speakers included Mr. Sorensen, who acknowledged past mistakes, particularly regarding the former CEO's lack of French proficiency and a controversial unilingual video. He highlighted that Air Canada has hired over 5,000 bilingual employees since 2022, with nearly 50% of customer-facing staff now bilingual. He also stated that the new CEO, Anko van der Werff, was chosen partly for his ability to communicate in both official languages and will live in Canada. Committee members like Joël Godin, Louis Villeneuve, Mario Beaulieu, Jacques Gourde, Madeleine Chenette, and Guillaume Deschênes-Thériault pressed Air Canada on various issues, including the former CEO's bonuses, the effectiveness of French language training, and the use of translation apps instead of bilingual staff on flights. Air Canada's Vice-President, Government and Community Relations, David Rheault, provided details on language training, stating that 700 employees take courses annually, totaling 25,000 to 30,000 hours. He explained that employees are tested for four levels of French proficiency, with level 3 and above considered bilingual. Mr. Sorensen committed to investigating concerns raised by committee members, such as the use of translation apps and the impact of route changes on French services, and to report back. The Chair concluded by emphasizing Air Canada's responsibilities as Canada's national airline, urging them to fulfill these duties, including providing services in both official languages, to match the privileges they receive.

The committee met to discuss proposed rules about using French in private businesses regulated by the federal government. The first group, the Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta (ACFA), spoke about how these rules would affect French-speaking communities in Alberta. Nathalie Lachance, the president, asked the committee to make sure more areas in Alberta are recognized as having a strong French-speaking presence, especially Calgary and other historical towns, not just a small part of Edmonton. She also wanted a rule to prevent French services from being taken away if population numbers change. Ms. Lachance explained that while Edmonton's French-speaking area is recognized, it needs to be much larger to include all French speakers and schools. She stressed that Calgary, with a similar number of French speakers as Edmonton, should also be recognized. She highlighted the importance of historical French-speaking communities in northern Alberta. Committee members asked about the impact on businesses and the availability of French-speaking workers, to which Ms. Lachance responded that businesses could benefit from serving customers in French and that Alberta has a growing number of French speakers, including immigrants and immersion students. The second group, TALQ (Talking. Advocating. Living in Quebec), represented English-speaking people in Quebec. Eva Ludvig, the president, said that while they support protecting French, the proposed law only protects French and does not offer similar protections for English-speaking minorities in Quebec. She worried this could make it harder for English-speaking Quebeckers to find jobs in federally regulated businesses and access services in English. She argued that the law changes Canada's usual approach of supporting both English and French equally. Ms. Ludvig asked the committee to monitor how the new rules affect English-speaking Quebeckers, especially regarding jobs and services. She also suggested that smaller businesses should get help to follow the new rules before facing penalties. Committee members asked about the impact on English-speaking workers and how to balance French protection with minority rights. No specific decisions or next steps were identified by the committee during this portion of the meeting, as the study is ongoing.

The committee met to discuss proposed rules about using French in certain private businesses across Canada. Expert witnesses shared their thoughts on how these rules would affect French-speaking communities, especially outside Quebec. Stéphanie Chouinard, an associate professor, raised concerns that the proposed rules rely too heavily on old census data to decide which areas have a strong French presence, potentially missing vibrant communities. She argued that businesses should be required to actively offer services in French, not just indicate they are available. She also questioned why businesses in Quebec would be covered if they have 25 employees, while those outside Quebec would need 100 employees, suggesting this difference could leave many small businesses exempt. Derrek Bentley and Jean-Michel Beaudry from the Société de la francophonie manitobaine welcomed the proposed law as a big step forward. They emphasized that the rules should cover all services, even complex ones like banking or legal matters, and not just basic customer service. They also recommended that the rules be reviewed every five years and include a "no-rollback" principle, meaning French services shouldn't be taken away if the French-speaking population in an area slightly decreases. They also called for a public list of businesses that must offer services in French. Committee members asked about using other data to identify French-speaking regions, the situation in Quebec, and how to make sure businesses can realistically meet these new requirements. While no final decisions were made, the discussion highlighted several recommendations: clearly defining and requiring "active offer" of French services, using broader criteria to identify French-speaking regions, making employee thresholds consistent across Canada, and ensuring enough resources for enforcement.

The committee met to discuss the proposed regulations for using French in private businesses regulated by the federal government. The main goal was to make sure these businesses use French more, especially in Quebec and in areas across Canada with many French speakers. The Commissioner of Official Languages, Kelly Burke, was the main speaker. She told the committee that the draft regulations are confusing and unclear. She said they don't properly define important terms like "consumer," "service," and "communication." Ms. Burke also stressed the need for a public list of all businesses covered by the new proposed law, including those that are exempt. She worried that without this list, it would be hard for the public and her office to know which rules apply to which businesses. Ms. Burke pointed out that the regulations don't identify enough regions across Canada where French is strongly present, leaving out many francophone communities in various provinces and territories. She suggested using existing language laws to help define these regions better, considering more than just population numbers. She also warned that her office would need more money and staff to handle the extra work of overseeing this new proposed law, especially with the expected increase in complaints. Committee members from different parties shared similar concerns, particularly about the regulations not covering francophone communities in their provinces (like British Columbia and Nova Scotia). They also discussed the potential confusion for businesses and the public with two different French language laws applying in Quebec. Ms. Burke agreed that the minister *must* provide a list of businesses, not just *may*. The committee plans to ask the Commissioner's office for more detailed recommendations on how to expand the reach of the proposed law.

This meeting of the Official Languages Committee focused on proposed rules for using French in private businesses regulated by the federal government. The committee heard from two groups: Droits collectifs Québec and the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse, followed by representatives from WestJet Airlines Ltd. Droits collectifs Québec, represented by Etienne-Alexis Boucher and François Côté, strongly opposed the proposed rules for Quebec. They argued that these rules unnecessarily copy Quebec's existing French Language Charter and are less effective. They believe the federal government is overstepping its bounds and creating problems where none exist, suggesting that Quebec should be removed from the scope of these new rules or that businesses should have to choose to be included, rather than being automatically subject to them. Jules Chiasson and Denise Comeau-Desautels from the Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse welcomed the proposed rules, seeing them as good support for French-speaking communities outside Quebec. However, they raised concerns about how the rules would be applied, especially regarding which areas would be considered to have a strong French presence. They suggested including more cities like Halifax and Chéticamp in Nova Scotia, and using criteria like the presence of French schools or historical communities, rather than just population percentages, to decide where the rules apply. They also asked for financial help for businesses to make these changes. WestJet Airlines, represented by Lyne Chayer and Tristan Joanette, expressed support for the new rules, seeing them as an investment to serve French-speaking customers across Canada. They highlighted efforts they are already making to improve French services, especially after integrating Sunwing Airlines. WestJet asked for flexibility in implementing the rules and noted that finding enough bilingual staff will be a major challenge. They also suggested some technical clarifications for the rules, but generally found the substance of the proposed rules to be similar to Quebec's French Language Charter, making compliance easier if they only have to deal with one federal authority.

This meeting of the Official Languages committee focused on new rules for French use in private businesses regulated by the federal government. The committee heard from two groups: one representing French-speaking communities across Canada, and another representing French-speaking Ontarians. They also heard from the Canadian Bankers Association. The first group, the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada (FCFA), explained that the proposed rules don't cover enough areas or businesses. They suggested using smaller geographical areas to count French speakers and lowering the minimum employee number for businesses to be included. They also recommended reviewing the rules every five years and making sure that once an area is designated as French-speaking, it stays that way. They want the Commissioner of Official Languages to get a list of all businesses covered by the rules to help with enforcement and promotion. The Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario (AFO) agreed with many of these points, especially that the current list of French-speaking regions in Ontario is too small. They emphasized that French-speaking communities exist all over Ontario, not just in a few areas, and that the rules should consider institutions and historical presence, not just statistics. They also stressed the importance of an "active offer" of French services, rather than relying only on complaints. The Canadian Bankers Association (CBA) said that banks already try their best to serve clients in French and that two years is a reasonable time to get ready for the new rules. However, they asked for flexibility in how the rules are applied, especially for smaller banks and in supervising French-speaking employees. Committee members questioned this flexibility, arguing that customers should not have to make appointments to be served in French. A Conservative committee member also tried to introduce a motion to get government documents related to a 2021 expert committee on official languages, but the motion was put on hold by a vote.

The Canadian parliamentary committee on Official Languages met to discuss proposed rules about using French in private businesses that are regulated by the federal government. The committee wanted to understand how these rules would help protect and promote the French language across Canada. They heard from a lawyer and representatives from the Acadian Society of New Brunswick. Gianluca Campofredano, a lawyer, spoke about how the new rules should align with Quebec's language laws to ensure consistency and protect the right to work and be served in French. He emphasized the importance of regulating both internal communications within companies and external communications with the public. Nicole Arseneau-Sluyter, president of the Acadian Society of New Brunswick, highlighted the importance of applying the proposed law throughout New Brunswick, the only officially bilingual province, to support the creation of French-speaking jobs and ensure access to French services. Committee members asked questions about how the proposed rules would affect different regions and communities, especially in New Brunswick. They discussed whether the rules should be broader and apply to more businesses, and how to ensure that people are aware of their rights to use French. There was also discussion about whether the rules were strong enough and if they should include penalties for businesses that don't follow them. The committee is working on making recommendations about the proposed rules. The Acadian Society of New Brunswick recommended that the rules be adopted as they are, but with additional measures to promote the French language. The committee will use the information they gathered to write a report with suggestions for the government.

The Canadian parliamentary committee on Official Languages met to discuss proposed rules about using French in private businesses that are regulated by the federal government. These rules aim to protect the French language, especially in Quebec and other areas with many French speakers. Julie Boyer, Sarah Boily, and Richard Léger from the Department of Canadian Heritage explained the details of the proposed rules and answered questions from committee members. Committee members asked about how the rules would affect businesses and French-speaking communities. They discussed things like the number of employees a business needs to have before the rules apply, and how areas with a strong French-speaking population are defined. Some members were concerned that the rules might not go far enough to protect French, while others wondered if they would create problems for businesses. The witnesses explained that the proposed rules would give French-speaking employees and customers more rights to use French in the workplace and when getting services. They also said that the government would work with businesses to help them follow the new rules. The committee plans to continue studying the proposed rules and may make changes before they are finalized. No specific decisions were made, but the discussion helped clarify how the proposed law would work and what impact it might have.

The House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages met to discuss Air Canada's commitment to Canada's official languages. The meeting was prompted by concerns about the former CEO, Michael Rousseau's, lack of French proficiency and a perceived disregard for the French language. Conservative MP Joël Godin introduced a motion to invite the new Air Canada CEO to appear before the committee to assess their commitment to official languages. Liberal MP Louis Villeneuve proposed an amendment, which was supported by Godin, to also invite the Chair of Air Canada's Board of Directors to discuss the company's priorities regarding official languages in the recruitment of the new CEO. Other committee members, including Mario Beaulieu (Bloc Québécois) and Madeleine Chenette (Liberal), emphasized the importance of Air Canada providing services in both English and French. Some, like Jim Bélanger (Conservative), questioned whether the committee was overstepping its mandate by influencing Air Canada's hiring decisions. The committee agreed to the amended motion, which included inviting both the new CEO and the Chair of the Board of Directors to appear before the committee. Finally, the committee agreed to send a letter of congratulations to Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen for speaking French during the Artemis II mission, recognizing it as a historic moment for the French language.