From the Defence Team Co-Champions for Official Languages: A year of linguistic leadership

January 8, 2026 - Defence Stories

Dear members of the Defence Team,

As we turn the page on a year marked by engagement, resilience and service, we extend our best wishes to you for a 2026 filled with good health, success and rewarding collaboration.

The official languages (OL) are at the heart of our Canadian identity. Whether we are in uniform or hold a civilian job, our ability to work, communicate and serve in both OL contributes directly to the effectiveness, inclusion and cohesion of our teams. 

In 2025, there were major changes after the modernization of the Official Languages Act came into effect. That has brought benefits such as the right of every employee holding a position in a bilingual region to be supervised in the OL of their choice, as set out in the Treasury Board Secretariat’s new requirements regarding the language proficiency level required for supervisory positions in bilingual regions. These new requirements may present some challenges but, more importantly, they provide an opportunity to encourage language training for supervisors, which our second-language training teams are well prepared to deliver. This also enables us to strengthen our ability to create a work environment conducive to the use of both OL, in accordance with the Official Languages Act.

In order to bring this change to fruition within the Defence Team, the CDS/DM Joint Directive on the Modernization of the Official Languages Act was officially issued in October 2025. This directive sets out, in steps extending over several years, how we will collectively strengthen bilingualism in our organization. The teams can take advantage of the beginning of the new year to implement appropriate mitigation measures, if necessary, to ensure that all employees located in bilingual regions can be supervised in the OL of their choice. 

By contributing directly to strengthening our common linguistic culture, we can build on what we have accomplished during the past year, notably:

• Active participation in the OL Symposium, OL Day and the Journée de la Francophonie, by organizing sustained promotional campaigns for those events, in order to encourage the members of the Defence Team to participate in the various activities that took place.
• Inspiring local initiatives to promote the use of French and English in our workplaces. A number of units and organizations developed programs offering informal meetings, discussion groups and competitions aimed at developing or enhancing their employees’ and colleagues’ language proficiency. Congratulations on those initiatives, and let’s encourage their expansion in all of your organizations. 

At this time of renewal, we want to remind all Defence Team members of the importance of using both OL in our workplaces. It is not only a legal obligation, but also a core value that reflects our diversity, our mutual respect and our ability to better serve Canadians.

Let’s make 2026 a year of linguistic leadership:

• Be role models for inclusion.
• Encourage learning and use of both OL.
• Participate in the activities and training offered in your region.

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Resources

Directive on Official Languages for People Management - Canada.ca

DAOD 5039-2, Official Languages in the Workplace - Canada.ca

CDS/DM Joint Directive on the Modernization of the Official Languages Act