Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection – Promotion – Collaboration - Accountability Framework

List of figures

• Figure 1: Funding related to the Action Plan
• Figure 2: Shared results of the action plan 2023-2028
• Figure 3: Action plan development and implementation process

1. Introduction

This Accountability Framework outlines the methods used to track the initiatives in Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection – Promotion – Collaboration (Action Plan) and the reporting commitments undertaken by the Department of Canadian Heritage, in collaboration with federal partner institutions, to inform Canadians about the implementation of that Plan.

This approach is based on immediate, intermediate and long-term objectives. These objectives are established for the benefit of all Canadians, including official language minority communities.

This document sets out the expected outcomes, the data sources used, the governance in place, and the monitoring and evaluation mechanisms for achieving these objectives.

2. The Action Plan in brief

The Action Plan unveiled on April 26, 2023, provides for $1.4 billion over 5 years in new investments as set out in Budget 2023. These investments, which support 33 new or enhanced initiatives to be implemented by half a dozen federal institutions, bring the investment in official languages to an all-time high of $4.1 billion through 2028.

Figure 1: Funding related to the Action Plan – text version

A pyramid in 4 parts.

At the top of the pyramid: 1.4 New funding (33 New or Enhanced Initiatives)

In the middle of the pyramid: 2.7 Historical funding (1.6 [since 2003] + 1.1 [from before 2003]) (49 Ongoing Initiatives)

Towards of the bottom of the pyramid:

• Action Plan 2003–2008: 1.9
• Roadmap 2008–2013: 2.2
• Roadmap 2013–2018: 2.2
• Action Plan 2018–2023: 2.7
• Action Plan 2023–2028: 4.1

At the bottom of the pyramid:

• Total Funding 2023–2028: 4.1 (82 Initiatives)

Annex 1 presents the initiatives by federal institution, along with the sums allocated to those initiatives.

These 33 new or enhanced initiatives are grouped under four pillars supporting the social, economic and cultural development of Canada through its official languages:

• The first pillar leverages Francophone immigration as one of the factors that can help restore the demographic weight of Francophone minority in Canada ($137.2 million over 5 years across 7 initiatives).
• The second pillar seeks to improve all Canadians’ knowledge of the official languages by advancing lifelong opportunities to learn and to develop one’s language skills in one’s first and second language ($761.2 million over 5 years across 10 initiatives).
• The third pillar focuses on the economic, social and cultural development of official language minority communities by providing these communities with a range of services in the official minority language ($466.7 million over 5 years across 14 initiatives). This pillar also helps support sectors essential to enhancing the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities—including culture, youth, health, justice and employment—in keeping with the spirit of Part VII of the modernized Official Languages Act (“the Act”).
• The fourth pillar involves the Government of Canada leading by example in implementing its obligations under the Act, more specifically those under Part VII, which seeks to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society ($22.6 million over 5 years across 2 initiatives). The Action Plan is a targeted, priority response to concerning trends in the area of official languages, trends that have been brought to light by statistical research, particularly census data and analyses. While the current understanding of the official languages situation in Canada owes much to data and research, that understanding is also informed by the extensive consultations with Canadians carried out in 2022, as well as by targeted consultations on the implementation of the individual Action Plan initiatives.

The Action Plan targets quantitative results, specifically an increase in the overall bilingualism^{Footnote 1} rate among Canadians, which has stagnated at around 18%, and the relative demographic weight of Francophones (based on the first official language spoken) in minority communities, which fell from 6.1% to 3.5% between 1971 and 2021^{Footnote 2}. It also targets qualitative results, such as increased diversity and better representation within community organizations, and services adapted to diverse clienteles. The Action Plan provides for an approach that is sensitive to regional specificities and diversity, as well as the state of the official languages in Canada, given that the situation of those languages and the challenges and priorities of stakeholders differ from one community or region to the next.

The Action Plan was informed by the views, stories and testimonials that Canadians shared with the Minister of Official Languages in the course of the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations, which ran from May 24 to August 31, 2022. Through the in-person forums, the virtual sessions and notably the online questionnaire, nearly 6,500 Canadians had the opportunity to share their challenges and priorities, and to express their views on the future of official languages in Canada. The report on these consultations presents a detailed overview of this engagement exercise.

These findings helped the Minister set objectives conducive to meeting the priorities and aspirations expressed by Canadians where certain choices had to be made among the many proposals submitted.

3. Expected outcomes

The Action Plan seeks to achieve immediate, intermediate and long-term objectives that are measurable, evidence-based, and focused on the development and vitality of official language minority communities, the protection of French across Canada, lifelong learning and appreciation of the two official languages by Canadians. These outcomes are distilled into pillars.

The ultimate outcomes of the Action Plan and its four pillars represent major societal changes whose achievement could extend well beyond the Plan’s five-year life cycle. That being the case, the Action Plan’s five-year timeline outlines only the progress to be made during the 2023–2028 period.

The overall results and ultimate outcomes of the Action Plan as a whole are as follows:

• Canadians in official language minority communities live and thrive in their official language.
• Canadians recognize and support Canada’s official languages.
• French is protected and promoted across Canada, including in Quebec.
• Quebec’s English-speaking communities participate fully in Canada’s economic life.

The achievement of the overall and pillar-specific objectives is measured by the collection of data, which will enable progress and improvements to be measured over time. The Government of Canada will measure indicators based on baselines and achievable target values, and realistic completion dates will be identified. This process will be guided by a data collection frequency schedule and a data disaggregation strategy.

Figure 2: Shared results of the action plan 2023-2028 – text version

Shared results of the action plan 2023-2028

Canadians in official language minority communities live and thrive in their official language

Canadians recognize and support Canada’s official languages

French is protected and promoted across Canada (including in Quebec)

Quebec’s English-speaking communities participate fully in Canada’s economic life

Ultimate pillar outcomes

Pillar 1 Ultimate Outcome

Francophone minority communities benefit from growing immigration to enrich their social and economic fabric

Pillar 2 Ultimate Outcomes

Lifelong access to official languages learning enables Canadians to learn their official languages

Canadians better appreciate the benefits of linguistic duality in Canada

Pillar 3 Ultimate Outcomes

Canadians have a greater appreciation of the two official languages and are open to closer ties between the two major linguistic communities

The vitality of OLMCs is enhanced by the presence of strong institutions and a range of services available in English and French

Pillar 4 Ultimate Outcome

The Government of Canada exemplifies best practices in official languages

3.1 Pillar 1 ‒ Francophone Immigration: Towards the Re-Establishment of the Demographic Weight of Francophones

The first pillar involves the promotion of Canada as a destination, and the attraction, selection and integration of French-speaking newcomers to Francophone minority communities. It seeks to strengthen the tools, policies and mechanisms used by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada to further the objectives in support of Francophone immigration.

The announced initiatives are part of the new Policy on Francophone Immigration ($13.4 million over 5 years), which lays out an approach that covers the entire immigration continuum. The Targeted Expansion of Promotion and Recruitment Support initiative ($18.5 million over 5 years) promotes Francophone minority communities as potential destinations for Francophone immigrants. The Corridor for the Selection and Retention of French Teachers in Canada initiative ($16.3 million over 5 years) supports a strategic subset of French teacher immigration and supports other federal initiatives, such as English and/or French Language Training for Newcomers ($10.5 million over 5 years). The Strengthened Integration Pathway initiative ($50 million over 5 years) seeks to facilitate the settlement and integration of new Canadians. The Pathway includes existing initiatives such as welcoming Francophone communities, new measures such as a strategy to better support French-speaking immigrant women, and other projects aimed at strengthening the reception capacities of Francophone minority communities. The initiative Centre for Innovation in Francophone Immigration ($25 million over 5 years) features a grant-and-contribution program called Francophone Immigration Support Program. This program capitalizes on the expertise of Francophone minority communities and facilitates their involvement in the testing of innovative projects related to the promotion of these communities internationally, the promotion of immigration programs, and the identification, support and recruitment of French-speaking candidates. In addition, the initiative Francophone Lens Integrated into Economic Immigration Programs – Improved Selection Mechanisms for Francophone and Bilingual Immigrants ($3.5 million over 5 years) will improve selection under existing programs to make those programs more effective and increase Francophone immigration levels.

Immediate outcomes – This pillar provides for the adoption of policies and programs based on a Francophone lens, evidence and a coordinated approach. It seeks to better inform Francophone immigration applicants, and to support host communities and their partners in order to foster integration and the provision of French settlement services throughout the immigration journey.

Intermediate outcomes – Governance and collaboration with Francophone immigration stakeholders are strengthened, and Francophone partners are involved in the immigration continuum, from promotion to integration. The aim is also to gradually increase the volume of French-speaking immigrants, including French teachers and French-speaking teachers. Lastly, immigrants enjoy access to Francophone settlement services and use their language skills to participate actively in Canadian society and in Francophone minority communities.

Long-term outcomes – The Policy on Francophone Immigration is incorporated into the day-to-day operations of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, and its results are monitored, reported on and communicated to the public, as French-speaking and bilingual immigrants contribute to the economic, community and social vitality of Francophone minority communities.

Ultimate outcome – Francophone minority communities benefit from growing immigration to enrich their social and economic fabric.

3.2 Pillar 2 ‒ Promoting Lifelong Learning Opportunities

For the second pillar, the reporting goal is to measure the results of implementing the initiatives aimed at advancing lifelong opportunities for all Canadians to learn the official languages as either a first language or a second language. This includes education in minority settings and the acquisition and development of one’s second official language. This pillar covers all levels of education: pre-school, elementary and secondary, post-secondary, and lifelong learning. The announced initiatives seek to ensure that as many Canadians as possible learn the official languages.

Leveraging intergovernmental cooperation on education

This pillar, which is fundamental to language transmission in minority settings and to universal second-language learning, cannot be implemented without the significant intergovernmental cooperation on education that dates back more than 50 years to the 1969 adoption of the Official Languages Act.

The Supporting Minority-Language Education initiative (up to $148.2 million over 5 years)—essential to guaranteeing the right to minority-language education as set out in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—and the Supporting Post-Secondary Education in the Minority Language initiative ($30.4 million for 2023–2024 and up to $120.9 million over 4 years beginning in 2024–2025) focus specifically on the learning, protection and preservation of the official languages across Canada.

This intergovernmental cooperation is also supported by the Supporting Community Educational Infrastructure initiative (up to $50.3 million over 5 years) and the Supporting Teacher Recruitment and Retention initiative for French teachers ($3.8 million for 2023–2024 and up to $16.3 million beginning in 2024–2025), which lay the groundwork for such learning to take place in the best possible learning environment.

Intergovernmental cooperation on education also seeks to promote second official language learning in Canada—i.e. English in Quebec and French in the rest of the country—in the interest of national bilingualism. The second-language investments funded through the Action Plan strongly support French learning as a second-language in the vast majority of provinces, but also among the English-speaking communities of Quebec.

Protecting and promoting French through education, ongoing training, science and research

The Supporting French Second-Language Learning initiative ($65.8 million for 2023–2024 and up to $242.8 million over 4 years beginning in 2024–2025) seeks to support provinces and territories in delivering French second-language programs, including French immersion programs.

Early childhood services are also covered by this support for the education continuum, as evidenced by the initiatives Creation of a Network of Early Childhood Stakeholders and Implementation of Initiatives in Francophone Minority Communities ($50 million over 5 years) and Renewal of Funding to Support Early Learning and Child Care Development – Training and Capacity Building for Early Childhood Educators ($14.2 million over 5 years).

The initiative Supporting the Creation and Dissemination of Scientific Information in French ($8.5 million over 5 years) supports scientific production in French for the benefit of the country as a whole. The initiative Increased Support for the Training of Bilingual Health Human Resources to Better Serve Official Language Minority Communities ($6.5 million over 4 years) aims to develop skills and bilingualism through the training and integration of new, bilingual health personnel in provincial and territorial health systems.

Lastly, the Young Canada Works in Both Official Languages initiative ($3.6 million over 2 years in 2023–2025) fosters the development of skills and bilingualism among Canadian youth, and closer ties between the country’s linguistic communities.

Immediate outcomes – This pillar aims to keep Canadians participating in provincial and territorial government programs and activities in support of minority-language education and of English and French second-official-language learning.

The pillar’s immediate outcomes include: an increase in the number of community educational infrastructure projects in official language minority communities; improved knowledge about the shortage, recruitment and retention of teachers in minority settings; and support for post-secondary program offerings in the minority language, academic research of a scientific nature, and increase access to post-secondary training in the health sector in the minority official language.

Intermediate outcomes – Early learning and childcare service providers have a greater capacity to serve children and families living in Francophone minority communities. Members of official language minority communities continue to have access to community educational infrastructure, while health professionals provide bilingual services in these communities. The recruitment and retention of teachers able to teach French in minority French-language schools or French as a second language is supported.

Ultimate outcomes – This pillar seeks to ensure that Canadians have greater access to opportunities to learn and develop their knowledge of the official languages, thereby furthering the following ultimate outcomes: Canadians better appreciate the benefits of linguistic duality in Canada, and lifelong access to official languages learning enables Canadians to learn their official languages.

3.3 Pillar 3 ‒ Strong Measures in Support of Community Vitality

The third pillar aims to enhance the vitality of the country’s official language minority communities, i.e. the English-speaking communities of Quebec and Francophone minority communities in the rest of Canada. The initiatives grouped under this pillar target the institutional completeness of these communities, the objective being to support the development of institutions specific to official language minority communities that provide a range of quality services in key sectors contributing to community vitality.

Building the capacity of non-governmental organizations

This pillar acts to boost capacity, employment and economic development in organizations through the following initiatives: Enhancing Core Funding to Boost the Capacity of Community Organizations and Creating a Strategic Financial Envelope ($62.5 million over 5 years); Funding indexation for the Official Languages Health Program ($8 million over 5 years); Enhancement of Core Funding under the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Support Fund ($4.5 million over 5 years); and the Social Partnership Initiative for Official Language Minority Communities ($5.4 million over 5 years). These initiatives directly support community organizations and the communities they represent so that they can continue their activities and contribute fully to the development and vitality of official language minority communities.

Non-governmental organizations play a key role in protecting and promoting the official languages on the ground and in the regions. They aspire to represent the populations they serve and provide community services, especially for more vulnerable groups, with a view to equity and inclusion. These organizations play a key role in the socioeconomic development of official language minority communities. From day to day, they work to offer competitive working conditions that will attract skilled workers, to address shared social development challenges, and to develop and roll out projects consistent with the core and emerging priorities of the populations they represent.

Supporting community economic development, human resources development and employment assistance services

Another sector key to the vitality of these communities is employability, economic and human resources development. This sector is supported by two initiatives. The first one is the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities, Community Economic Development and Human Resources Development Stream (indexation) ($20.5 million over 5 years). The second initiative is the Enabling Fund for Official Language Minority Communities, Employment Assistance Services Stream ($206.6 million over 5 years, starting in 2023–2024, and $54 million per year thereafter). These initiatives seek to enhance community vitality through employment assistance services, and economic and human resources development.

Ensuring service completeness in minority settings

The Supporting Services in the Minority Language and Promoting the Canadian Francophonie initiative (up to $100.8 million over 5 years) supports an expanded offering of services essential to citizens, in a variety of sectors, in collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments, in order to ensure service completeness within these communities. With that in mind, this envelope also includes support ($7 million over 5 years) for the Ministers’ Council on the Canadian Francophonie to promote Canada’s Francophone communities.

Supporting youth

At the same time, the initiative Implementing Youth Strategies to Bring the Linguistic Communities Closer Together – New Youth Initiatives Fund ($5 million over 5 years) aims to stimulate identity building and confidence among young people, as well as their attachment to the French language and Francophone culture, and to bring the linguistic communities closer together.

Supporting arts and culture

Given that identity is expressed through culture, there are a number of initiatives supporting the cultural development of communities, i.e. the expression of a minority Francophone and Anglophone culture and public appreciation of cultural activities in the minority official language. These include Enhancing the PassepART Program ($5 million over 5 years), which promotes access to cultural activities—and visits by artists—in schools, and Canada Music Fund: Supporting Francophone Artists and Music Entrepreneurs in Official Language Minority Communities ($5 million over 5 years), which develops the skills and capacities of Francophone music entrepreneurs in official language minority communities. The initiative Development of the English-Speaking Linguistic Minority through the Arts and Heritage of Official Language Minority Communities ($2.5 million over 5 years) aims to strengthen these communities’ sense of belonging through dedicated funding for arts and heritage reflecting the contributions of Quebec’s English-language culture. Another initiative of note is Internships in Media, Arts and Culture (Succession Internships) ($5 million over 5 years), which supports the minority media sector and will open up internship opportunities in a range of jobs related to arts and culture, identity, and citizen participation.

Supporting access to justice in both official languages and language rights

Lastly, New Positive Measures Under the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Initiative ($11.3 million over 5 years) and Strengthening the Court Challenges Program ($24.5 million over 5 years) are two important initiatives to improve access to justice and provide greater protection for language rights.

Immediate outcomes – This pillar targets sustained collaboration with provincial and territorial governments to expand minority-language service offerings. It also provides direct financial assistance to community organizations to reflect the evolving economic situation and support the delivery of employment assistance services by and for official language minority communities. It supports economic and skills development in official language minority communities, and further develops the skills of music entrepreneurs to better support official language minority communities. These outcomes also involve achieving greater equity, and concrete actions will therefore be taken to support inclusion of the diversity present in these communities and in the community organizations that represent them.

Intermediate outcomes – Members of official language minority communities have better access to health services in the official language of their choice, achieve their employment-related objectives, participate in the development of their economic capacity, develop a stronger sense of belonging to their communities, participate in the cultural development of their communities, overcome the various potential barriers to social inclusion and enjoy better access to justice.

Long-term outcomes – Local non-governmental organizations and labour markets are more inclusive, human resources are better developed, and the vitality of official language minority communities is improved. Members of these communities, including Quebec’s English-speaking communities, have access to government services and cultural offerings in their language and in their community.

Ultimate outcomes – The sustainability and vitality of official language minority communities are enhanced by the presence of strong institutions and a range of government services available in both English and French. Canadians live and thrive in both official languages, having access to equitable health services (appropriate, safe, effective) in their official language. Canadians have a greater appreciation for the two official languages and are open to closer ties between the two major linguistic communities.

3.4 Pillar 4 ‒ Leading by Example: Acting and Collaborating to Strengthen Communities

The fourth pillar of the Action Plan focuses on two initiatives supporting Government of Canada institutions in leading by example in the area of official languages.

This pillar announced an important innovation, namely, the creation of a new Centre for Strengthening Part VII of the Official Languages Act ($20.6 million^{Footnote 3} over 5 years) renamed the Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act. The goal of this initiative is to strengthen the Government of Canada’s capacity to achieve its objectives in terms of advancing the equality of status and use of the two official languages in Canadian society and to develop, coordinate and implement federal official languages strategies, such as the Action Plan. The initiative will enhance the governance and collaboration structure associated with the Action Plan within the Government of Canada, as well as supporting federal institutions in taking positive measures in support of official languages commitments more systematically; it will also enhance collaboration with all stakeholders. Section 8 of this document presents the initiative in greater detail.

The second initiative under this pillar, Contribute to Making Data Available on the Estimated Number of Children of Rights Holders (Children Eligible for Instruction in the Minority Official Language) ($2 million over 5 years), seeks to develop tools and gather evidence to enable provincial and territorial governments, school boards, and communities to better plan for the implementation of the right to minority-language education, as guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Immediate outcomes – The Government of Canada makes available more information products on children eligible for instruction in the minority official language. The Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act supports federal institutions in developing and taking positive measures for the benefit of all Canadians, including official language minority communities, instills in Canadians a commitment to the official languages, and nurtures that commitment.

Intermediate outcomes – Communities have access to more statistical information on the population of children eligible for instruction in the minority language. Federal institutions with high potential for taking positive measures in the area of official languages develop and implement policies and programs to advance the equality of status and use of the official languages in Canadian society, in keeping with the spirit of Part 7 of the Act. Canadians are more thoroughly consulted by federal institutions in implementing section 41 of the Act.

Ultimate outcome – The Government of Canada exemplifies best practices in official languages.

4. Gender-based Analysis Plus

The purpose of the Action Plan is to support the advancement of the substantive equality of English and French for the benefit of all Canadians. However, achieving the outcomes presented does not always mean the same thing for all Canadians, hence the importance of adhering to the government’s approach to achieving the desired outcomes by applying a “GBA Plus lens.”

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus) is an analytical tool that is used to assess the impact of policies, programs and initiatives on various groups of people on the basis of multiple identity factors. The tool is also designed to foster diversity and inclusion across the federal public service. This approach seeks to enhance the skills and competencies of public servants, to promote the development of capabilities within programs, and, ultimately, to strengthen decision-making through the practical application of the commitments supported by this tool. In concrete terms, GBA Plus examines the impact of programs, initiatives and policies on diverse groups of women, men and gender-diverse people but also goes beyond these biological (sex) and sociocultural (gender) factors, taking into account other identity-related factors such as language, education, race, ethnicity, religion, revenue, culture, age, sexual orientation and disability. This analysis also necessarily includes information of a social nature, such as economic situation or immigrant status.

The development of the Action Plan is informed, in part, by a rigorous GBA Plus process. The findings of the analysis are relevant to all the federal institutions and initiatives included in the Action Plan. They stress the importance of taking into account the unique and diverse realities of communities, and of developing positive measures tailored to those different realities, in order to better support equity-deserving groups.

The Action Plan and this Accountability Framework are, by their very nature, tools for achieving GBA Plus objectives, from an official languages perspective. They seek to support the vitality of official language minority communities and to foster the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society. Recognizing that the French language is in a minority situation in Canada and North America, they also put forward a series of measures to protect and promote French across Canada.

That being said, this virtue should not distract the partners—and, above all, the federal institutions participating in the Action Plan—from their obligation to consider other GBA Plus determining factors in their analyses as well. These include the need to take into account the economic disparities between men and women within minority association and community networks; to make additional efforts to incorporate people of all origins into the community groups, actions and activities supported by the Action Plan; and to strengthen organizational capacity and services to individuals in the regions.

Canadian Heritage ensures that the implementation of the Action Plan is based on clear, specific and measurable outcomes, as well as baselines and realistic dates for achieving targets. Like Canadian Heritage, other federal institutions too must be sure to collect the data required for a GBA Plus–type analysis. To support these ongoing results-based analyses, Canadian Heritage, in consultation with the other departments involved, will be developing appropriate tools, specifically a more in-depth data collection strategy whereby those departments can monitor the achievement of the outcomes specified in this Framework, a framework that explicitly addresses GBA Plus considerations.

5. Data sources

The data for measuring the achievement of the outcomes of the four Action Plan pillars will come from a variety of existing sources, including censuses, administrative data, the annual reports of the relevant institutions and program evaluations. The various data sources are mutually complementary, giving the Government of Canada the broadest and most accurate picture possible of how the Action Plan initiatives are being implemented.

The census, conducted by Statistics Canada every 5 years, is an invaluable source of data, making it possible to measure trends in Canada’s language dynamics over time. The data collection exercise adheres to a rigorous methodology, is broad in scope and paints a detailed portrait of the Canadian population. The official languages questions, which have been repeated from census to census since the adoption of the first Official Languages Act are a way to track language trends over time. Quality analyses can be produced on such themes as bilingualism and the relative weight of specific communities within the Canadian population as a whole.

The census is supported by postcensal surveys that clarify and qualify the results, for a better understanding of community realities. In addition to the data on official languages, other data drawn from major statistical surveys, such as the Labour Force Survey and the Business Activity Survey, will also be used.

In addition, some federal institutions will employ public opinion research to assess Canadians’ views on official languages. For example, Canadian Heritage will seek feedback directly from its community partners and the general public on the implementation of the Official Languages Support Programs. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada may use public opinion surveys to gauge the perceptions of participants in the Francophone immigration services. Such research will be an opportunity to examine specific issues in greater depth or to gather qualitative information directly from key stakeholders on the ground.

Organizations receiving funding under Action Plan 2023–2028 will produce activity and performance reports enabling federal institutions to measure the progress made, by Action Plan pillar and area of intervention, using the resources committed to its various initiatives. These reports, combined with public opinion surveys, will round out the data and overviews produced by the relevant federal institutions using administrative data (annual reports on official languages, institutional financial reports, reports on plans and priorities, performance reports, monitoring reports and reports on final results, in relation to the Action Plan as a whole and its individual initiatives).

Given the importance of the pillar dedicated to official languages learning in this Action Plan, the Government of Canada will need to remain attentive to signals from the provincial and territorial governments, its negotiating partners for the next multi-year cycle of intergovernmental collaboration in support of official language learning (PDF format). Collaboration with the provincial and territorial governments on minority-language services will also be important and will be the subject of follow-ups and updates within intergovernmental bodies, such as the Ministers’ Council on the Canadian Francophonie.

Lastly, accountability has been reviewed and improved. All partners responsible for implementing an Action Plan initiative will notably be required to report on the financial resources invested, with information disaggregated by province/territory and by recipient language group, whether English- or French-speaking and whether minority group or majority group. This information will allow for a better grasp of the specific realities of Canada’s various communities and regions in terms of support for official languages.

In gathering evidence, federal institutions will also need to adopt an approach that takes into account the public environment surrounding official languages in Canada. This public environment will be shaped by formal communications from community stakeholders, reports and public communications from institutions such as the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, and positions and issues discussed in the media by opinion leaders. These data will also be analyzed using a Gender-Based Analysis Plus approach in order to further the objectives of equity, diversity and inclusion.

6. Operating context—A complex environment

One objective shared by successive Action Plans since 2003 has been to focus government official languages efforts on pillars and priorities identified in consultation with Canadians. The Action Plans seek to effect change within Canadian society and its communities by investing resources in learning, community institutions and vitality.

In an ideal environment, each of the ultimate outcomes presented above contributes to major societal advances: the number of bilingual individuals is maximized, the official languages are celebrated, and community vitality is strengthened in key sectors of society. By fully exercising their leadership role and collaborating with all the key stakeholders, federal institutions will be aware of the factors influencing official language minority community vitality and the advancement of the equality of status and use of the two official languages in Canadian society. Federal institutions will also take into account any impacts their decisions may have on official languages, adapting their policies and programs where necessary to achieve substantive equality of English and French in Canada.

That being said, the reality is that the actual outcomes will be the product of a series of individual choices by Canadians. The Government of Canada can influence those choices, but it can never exercise total control. For example, the Government is creating conditions that will encourage everyone to learn the official languages, from early childhood to adulthood, but the decision to embark on a learning journey and develop one’s bilingualism is personal. Provided, of course, that there is enough space for everyone, which remains a challenge in some regions. The right to minority-language education, as guaranteed under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, is essential to the vitality of official language minority communities. This is one of the reasons why this Action Plan implements an initiative to help make available data on the estimation of the number of children of rights-holders. Here again, though, whether parents choose to send their children to minority-language schools is beyond the Government’s control.

Implementation challenges may also arise over time, depending on individual choices. Canada is a free society where everyone has the right to live in the community of their choosing. While the Government of Canada may foster dynamic, welcoming, inclusive and prosperous minority communities, it cannot compel anyone to remain in such a community their entire life. Indeed, the mobility rights of individuals, though they do contribute to the vibrancy of Canada, can be a hurdle to population retention, one that the Government alone cannot overcome. Then there is the example of immigrants, who have varying levels of literacy in their own mother tongue. For some, learning a first official language on arriving in Canada can be a struggle.

Thus, the success of the Action Plan will depend on the Government of Canada’s ability to engage the provinces and territories, foster collaboration with key stakeholders and instill enthusiasm for their official languages in all Canadians. The Government of Canada alone cannot address every problem, nor can it be the principal player finding the right solution to every official languages challenge. But it can leverage its capacity to fund concrete measures and actions, either through direct investments on the ground and in communities or through transfer payments to the provincial and territorial governments. In this way, it can encourage key stakeholders to collaborate on establishing strong institutions in communities while also encouraging innovation and risk-taking by recipients and stakeholders.

During the Action Plan period (2023–2028), there will be a need for ongoing vigilance to ensure that such implementation challenges are identified and overcome. The rollout of the initiatives and projects, the disbursements and the progress towards the expected results will all need to be closely monitored.

In addition, the following challenges will need to be kept in mind:

• All participating federal institutions are responsible and accountable for implementing the Action Plan initiatives within their purview, which means more players, more interactions and more activities to be monitored.
• The relative demographic weight of the Francophone population outside Quebec depends not only on Francophone immigration but also on several factors such as national immigration levels, rates of interprovincial migration and intergenerational transmission of French.
• Restoring the demographic weight of Francophones and protecting and promoting the French language involves a series of actions and levers other than immigration that require interdepartmental collaboration and stakeholder participation.
• Initiatives in support of sectors key to the vitality of official language minority communities, such as minority-language education and services, cannot fully succeed without intergovernmental collaboration.
• The initiatives in support of the English-speaking communities of Quebec and Francophone minority communities must be implemented with due consideration for the challenges and specificities of each linguistic community.

To address these challenges and better measure progress in overcoming them, the Action Plan will be guided by a logic of contributing to activities and to societal efforts “by and for communities,” a logic set out in the Framework for the Vitality of Official-Language Minority Communities. The Action Plan draws on a Government of Canada framework which examines the current state and approaches to fostering appreciation and cooperation between English and French speakers. These frameworks are intended to provide guidance and better focus actions to be taken in support of official languages.

To measure the achievement of outcomes, respond innovatively to challenges, and deliver the greatest possible value to Canadians, the Government of Canada will be adopting a robust governance and collaboration structure.

We should also mention the new Official Languages Accountability and Reporting Framework released in 2024 by the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat.

7. Governance structure of the Action Plan

Figure 3: Action plan development and implementation process – text version

A process developed as a circular form.

At the center of the circle three portraits along with the following text:

Ongoing consultations with stakeholders and interested Canadians (OLMCs, public, etc.)

Ongoing data collection and analysis

A middle circle containing the following steps:

1. Research and Analysis
2. Identify Issues and priorities
3. Cross-Canada Consultations
4. Design and Plan Policy Options
5. Advise to Cabinet
6. Approval
7. Implement and follow-up
8. Evaluate

An outer circle encompassing the entire circular form:

Governance Mechanisms

The Action Plans are horizontal initiatives that pool the efforts of multiple federal institutions as part of a concerted approach, with the Department of Canadian Heritage exercising interdepartmental coordination.

This responsibility is dictated by the modernized Act, which clearly stipulates that “[t]he Minister of Canadian Heritage shall, in consultation with the President of the Treasury Board, develop and maintain a government-wide strategy that sets out the overall official languages priorities.” Thus, Canadian Heritage, in consultation with its partners, is responsible for encouraging and promoting a coordinated approach to the implementation of the commitments in the Action Plan, i.e. the “government-wide strategy” referred to in the Act, by exercising strategic oversight as well as leading government action on official languages.

At the time the new Action Plan was unveiled, a robust coordination and horizontal governance structure inherited from previous Action Plans was already in place. Canadian Heritage exercises leadership within this structure, in collaboration with its partners, and also contributes to that structure, conducting activities in which key stakeholders are consulted and sometimes invited to participate in information, dialogue or consultation sessions. To ensure that it remains relevant, this structure has been adapted and refined over the years in response to successive evaluations, with increased opportunities for interdepartmental cooperation and dialogue with Canadians.

The structure includes:

• The modernized Official Languages Act, which assigns specific duties and responsibilities to a number of Government of Canada ministers, namely, the Minister of Canadian Heritage, the President of the Treasury Board, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and the Minister of Foreign Affairs;
• The Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers on Official Languages (CADMOL);
• A director-general committee on horizontal official languages initiatives at the federal level;
• Various steering committees mandated to support and monitor the development of official languages policies and programs, including the Action Plan;
• The Interdepartmental Working Group on the Modernization of the Official Languages Act (IWGMOLA) and the implementation of that modernized Act;
• The Council of the Network of Official Languages Champions of the Government of Canada; and
• The brand-new Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act (see details of its mandate and functions in section 8 of this document), supported by sectoral and interdepartmental working groups.

The modernized Official Languages Act explicitly mentions specific governance roles and responsibilities for certain ministers, including the following:

• The President of the Treasury Board is responsible for exercising leadership within the Government of Canada in relation to the implementation of the OLA.
• The Minister of Canadian Heritage shall, in consultation with the President of the Treasury Board, develop and maintain a government-wide strategy that sets out the overall official languages priorities (in addition to taking any measures the Minister considers appropriate to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society).
• The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration shall adopt a policy on Francophone immigration to enhance the vitality of French linguistic minority communities in Canada, including by restoring and increasing their demographic weight.
• The Minister of Foreign Affairs is committed to advancing the use of English and French in the conduct of Canada’s external affairs and to promoting French as part of Canada’s diplomatic relations.

The Act also states that every federal institution has a duty to take positive measures in support of the commitments under the Act.

The Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers on Official Languages (CADMOL) plays a key leadership role with respect to official languages. It is mandated to support and monitor the development of official languages policies and programs. It provides strategic advice and leadership to advance files and priorities within federal member institutions. CADMOL contributes to fostering coordinated government action on official languages and the resulting outcomes for Canadians. It also consults representatives of official language minority communities and organizations that promote both official languages.

The Steering Committee on Federal Horizontal Official Languages Initiatives is tasked with contributing to the horizontal coordination of official languages initiatives, including Action Plan for Official Languages 2023–2028: Protection – Promotion – Collaboration.

The mandate of the Interdepartmental Working Group on the Modernization of the Official Languages Act (IWGMOLA) is to bring together, in a single interdepartmental working group, representatives of Government of Canada institutions that are on the front lines of implementation of the modernized Official Languages Act, many of whom are Action Plan partners.

The Council of the Network of Official Languages Champions is a collaborative horizontal Government of Canada organization made up of departments, agencies, Crown corporations and regional federal councils. It is the voice of the 215 members of the community of official languages champions. Its mandate is to act as an official languages influencer within the Government of Canada, to mobilize deputy heads and official languages champions in promoting common approaches, and to ensure that official languages occupies a prominent place at senior management levels.

8. Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act

Action Plan 2023–2028 features an important innovation in connection with its governance structure: the creation of an initiative for strengthening Part VII of the Official Languages Act. This innovation marks the fact that, in the very design of this Action Plan, an additional effort went into governance and monitoring of the Action Plan’s societal outcomes.

The goal of this initiative is to strengthen official languages coordination at the federal level in support of Part VII of the Act through regulations (“Advancement of Equality of Status and Use of English and French”), in support of the Minister of Official Languages, the President of the Treasury Board and all federal institutions.

The initiative contributes to government-wide engagement in the taking of positive measures by federal institutions in order to enhance the vitality and support and assist the development of official language minority communities, advance the equality of status and use of the two official languages in Canada, and protect and promote French throughout Canada, including in Quebec, and the opportunities for Anglophone and Francophone minorities to learn in their language throughout their lives.

The initiative also supports the commitments in the modernized Act and addresses calls from Canadians, specifically during the 2022 Cross-Canada Official Languages Consultations, for greater involvement of federal institutions in restoring the demographic weight of Francophones, protecting and promoting the two official languages, and encouraging greater collaboration among all the key stakeholders.

To achieve its purpose and objectives, the Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act has four primary functions:

The initiative therefore supports the objectives of the Action Plan initiatives, as well as being a new tool supporting the full implementation of Part VII of the Act.

9. Monitoring and reporting

In addition to the reporting on the Action Plan initiatives, other annual reporting processes concerning government action on official languages will continue.

The Minister of Official Languages is required to submit an annual report to Parliament on the matters relating to official languages for which the minister is responsible. This Annual Report on Official Languages includes achievements relating to the Action Plan and is therefore a vehicle for reporting on the implementation of the relevant initiatives. Federal Action Plan partner institutions will provide Canadian Heritage with reports on their departmental results as they relate to their initiatives, and this content will be used to prepare the Annual Report. What is more, all federal institutions that have official languages programs and initiatives will continue to be accountable for their results to Canadians through their existing reporting tools and mechanisms, including their departmental results reports and program evaluations.

Canadian Heritage will be responsible for reporting annually on the total amount invested in official languages and on the overall results achieved. In addition to creating synergies and stimulating innovation, Canadian Heritage’s actions will help Canadians stay abreast of government efforts on official languages and appreciate the results and benefits.

In addition to these activities, there is the work of Parliament’s two standing committees, the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages and the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages, work that continues in each session of Parliament, yielding study reports that may require a response from the Department of Canadian Heritage and its Action Plan partners – even if these two committees are not formal forums for accountability.

10. Horizontal evaluation of the Action Plan

In addition to the reporting mechanisms described above, the Action Plan will undergo a horizontal evaluation, in keeping with the requirements of the Treasury Board’s Policy on Results, and certain initiatives will also be subject to individual evaluations.

The horizontal evaluation will be led by the Evaluation Services Directorate of Canadian Heritage. It will be carried out during the Action Plan’s five-year life cycle and is slated to run from December 2025 to September 2027. It should be completed, and its results publicly disseminated, during fiscal year 2027–2028, the final year of implementation of the Action Plan.

The horizontal evaluation will measure the general relevance and overall performance of the Action Plan initiatives. It will provide decision makers and the public with findings and recommendations backed by data. These will be taken into account by the ministers and deputy heads of the federal Action Plan partner institutions in the design of the next Action Plan.

Once completed, the horizontal evaluation will be published on the Government of Canada website.

11. Accountability and role of federal institutions

In February 2021, the Government of Canada released English and French: Towards a Substantive Equality of Official Languages in Canada on reforming Canada’s language regime. That document laid out a new vision for the future of official languages in Canada and how to achieve substantive equality between English and French in Canadian society. The reform document announced 22 administrative proposals, 33 legislative proposals and 1 regulatory proposal to be implemented over the coming years.

Thus far, there have been two concrete steps taken towards the substantive equality of French and English in Canada: First, the Action Plan—announced on April 26, 2023, and featuring historic investments of $4.1 billion over 5 years—provided for administrative measures in support of the reform document priorities. Second, the Official Languages Act modernization bill, which received royal assent on June 20, 2023, then implemented all the changes to the Act identified in the reform document.

The Government of Canada must now continue its official languages efforts by introducing new regulations and continuing to support this major step towards substantive equality of English and French, the norm that now applies to all language rights. In addition to the work being done by the Action Plan and the Action Plan partners, the modernized Act calls upon all 200 federal institutions to continue taking positive measures to enhance the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada. The Act further specifies that such measures must now be consistent with the need to protect the French language in every province and territory, and to provide opportunities for members of English and French linguistic minority communities to pursue quality learning in their own language.

Lastly, in continuing to foster the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society, federal institutions must now—as of June 20, 2023—recognize the unique situation of French in North America and the fact that special measures to protect and promote that language are necessary to achieve substantive equality between Canada’s two official languages.

12. Appendix

• Appendix 1 – Summary of the Government of Canada’s New Investments in Official Languages

Appendix 1 – Summary of the Government of Canada’s New Investments in Official Languages

The amounts below represent millions of dollars. Because of rounding, totals may not always add up.^{Footnote 4}