Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages ActFootnote 1
Mission
The Partnerships to Strengthen Part VII of the Official Languages Act (Act) initiative aims to advance the substantive equality of English and French in Canadian society. Canadian Heritage and the Treasury Board Secretariat implement this initiative, which stems from the Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028 : Protection-Promotion-Collaboration. This initiative strengthens leadership within the federal administration, ensures coordination of federal actions, and promotes increased collaboration with the Canadian public to benefit and promote our official languages.
Canadian Heritage
Functions
- Develop, coordinate and implement federal official languages strategies (e.g. Action Plan for Official Languages 2023-2028);
- Ensure regional coordination and ongoing collaboration with stakeholders outside the Government of Canada by promoting a "by and for" approach.
Contact
Official Languages Branch: partieviicollaborationpartvii@pch.gc.ca
Treasury Board Secretariat
Functions
- Develop and implement regulations under Part VII of the Act in consultation with Canadian Heritage and develop related guidance tools to support the application and interpretation of that Part of the Act;
- Provide governance and leadership for, and promote, official languages and Part VII of the Act within the federal administration.
Contact
Official Languages Centre of Excellence: OLCEInformationCELO@tbs-sct.gc.ca
Ministerial Responsibilities
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Department of Canadian Heritage Act outlines the Minister of Canadian Heritage's responsibilities related to Canadian identity, values, cultural development and heritage. This includes advancing the equality of status and use of English and French and promoting and developing English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada.
Like all Cabinet ministers, the Minister of Canadian Heritage must:
- ensure the Official Languages Act is respected within their department and by federal institutions in their portfolio.
Minister of Official Languages
The Minister of Canadian Heritage's responsibilities under the Official Languages Act have been transferred by Order in Council to the Minister of Official Languages.
The Minister of Official Languages must:
- develop and maintain a government-wide strategy that outlines key official languages priorities in consultation with the President of the Treasury Board and in collaboration with other federal ministers;
- take measures to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society, ensure public consultation, and inform Canadians about the development of implementation policies and program review to achieve this goal. As such, they are considered the official languages "champion" at the Cabinet table;
- conduct the ten-year review of the Act's provisions and implementation, in consultation with the President of the Treasury Board;
- recommend regulations to the Governor in Council so the Official Languages Commissioner can issue administrative monetary penalties under the Official Languages Act;
- fulfill other responsibilities under the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act, such as developing regulations.
The President of the Treasury Board is responsible for:
- playing a leading role in government-wide coordination of the Official Languages Act implementation, in consultation with other federal ministers;
- ensuring good governance.
The Treasury Board – a Cabinet committee – has a strengthened and expanded role in developing and coordinating policies and programs to implement certain parts of the Official Languages Act, particularly regarding positive measures to achieve substantive equality of English and French and including language provisions in agreements with provincial and territorial governments.
It has the authority to develop regulations to implement Part VII of the Act.
It is also responsible for:
- establishing implementation policies in consultation with the Minister of Canadian Heritage, recommending them to the Governor in Council, or giving instructions to federal institutions about taking positive measures and including language provisions in agreements with provincial and territorial governments;
- monitoring and auditing federal institutions' compliance with official languages policies, instructions and regulations;
- evaluating the effectiveness of these policies and programs;
- informing federal institutions about these policies and programs.
Consultations and dialogues
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