Letter from the President of Treasury Board – October 23, 2020

From: President of the Treasury Board

Sent: October 23, 2020 9:40 AM

To: President of the Treasury Board <President@tbs-sct.gc.ca>

Subject: Our ongoing commitment to official languages

UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Colleagues:

I would like to start by recognizing our continuing efforts during these unprecedented times. I would also like to take a moment to acknowledge the extraordinary transition to remote work that we, and the federal public service, have managed over these past months, all while continuing to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, getting critical support out to Canadians, and maintaining operations.

As you and your senior officials continue to prioritize the health and safety of your employees and their work environment, I would like to remind you of the importance of your continued leadership in reinforcing our commitment to official languages in the workplace.

In April, the Commissioner of Official Languages published a statement in which he commended the work of public servants, but also emphasized the importance of meeting our official languages obligations, including to our employees. More recently, the Prime Minister reiterated our Government’s commitment to Official Languages in the Speech from the Throne.

Official languages, rather than an additional obligation in managing the pandemic response, is an integral part of it talented public servants need to be able to leverage their expertise in the official language of their choice to ensure our response is robust and effective, and Canadians, from coast to coast to coast, need to receive services, and communications, in both official languages to help them respond to and cope with the crisis.

Our efforts in this regard should not be seen as a mere question of meeting our official languages obligations despite the challenges we face, but rather as part of our efforts to mitigate the impacts of this crisis on our employees and Canadians who, now more than ever, depend on the exchange of information in their language of choice.

I, accordingly, ask you to do what you can to support an environment within your organizations that recognizes the importance of official languages, the rights of public servants to work in the language of their choice, and our obligation to serve Canadians in both official languages.

The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos, P.C., M.P.

President of the Treasury Board