Director Official Languages Quarterly Newsletter - Winter 2025

January 14, 2025 - Defence Stories

The Director Official Languages (DOL) is pleased to share the eighth edition of its newsletter HELLO, BONJOUR! (accessible only on the National Defence network), published on a quarterly basis.

The Newsletter is one of the many initiatives DOL has taken to promote a sustainable culture of linguistic respect and individual official languages (OL) rights within the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), in accordance with Canada's Official Languages Act (OLA), the Treasury Board OL Policy and Directives, the Official Languages Strategy for the DND/CAF and the Official Languages Action Plan (accessible only on the National Defence network).

In this issue, Paul Forget, Acting DOL, explains the power of OL in the workplace as a vehicle for equity and inclusion. Addressing the question of what it means to have an inclusive and equitable workplace with regard to OL, he provides tips on how to create such environments that strengthen not only the sense of belonging of all Defence Team members, but also their well-being.

This edition also provides information on document production requirements within DND/CAF. Is it mandatory to always produce all documents in both OL? Asking who your target audience is and what the document is about will guide and help you meet these requirements.

Another interesting topic covered in this newsletter is the “Positive impact of OL complaints in our workplaces.”

You will also find announcements about new achievements and upcoming events.

DOL hopes that this information channel will help raise the level of understanding of OL rights and responsibilities among the entire Defence Team and motivate everyone's commitment to respect the OLA, particularly through the sharing of best practices within our organization.

We welcome your comments and suggestions.