Speech bythe Honorable Lucienne Robillard,President of the Treasury Board, andMember of Parliament for Westmount-Ville-MarieTo the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages May 5, 2003IntroductionMadam Chair,Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate:I am delighted to be with you today because the sustainedinterest of members from your committee for the promotion ofofficial languages in our country is a most important incentivefor the public service of Canada.2003 will be significant for the public service. On the onehand because we are modernizing the whole way in which we manageour human resources, and on the other hand because we aim atrevitalizing the official languages program in the publicservice.As you know, this action plan was unveiled on March 12, 2003by Prime Minister Jean Chrétien. One of the components of thisplan and one feature of the plan is an exemplary publicservice.What exactly do we mean by an exemplary public service?A truly exemplary public service would be able to offerservices of the highest quality to Canadians in the officiallanguage of their choice; it would allow employees to work in theofficial language of their choice in regions designatedbilingual; and it would promote the development of the officiallanguage minority communities.Naturally we have made considerable progress since theOfficial Languages Act came into force some 30 years ago,but much remains to be done before the public service isexemplary where the official languages are concerned.In 2002, we surveyed federal employees across Canada in orderto ascertain their perceptions and attitudes about the use of thetwo official languages in Canada's public service. This survey, afirst for our organization, showed that public servants supportthe basic principles underlying the policies on the officiallanguages. This support is particularly high where services tothe public are concerned: 92% of respondents indicated that theyconsider it important to serve the public in both officiallanguages.Thus, we can see that federal employees have great good will.Still, this fact does not mean that the situation is perfect. Thesurvey also showed that there is a lack of basic knowledge andthis deficiency brings about different reactions from publicservants. The study also shows there exists a very close linkbetween being exposed to linguistic duality and adhering to theofficial languages policy.For us, then, it is of the utmost importance to refocus ouraim so that we can convey a clear, consistent vision ofbilingualism in federal institutions.Achieving this objective will require everyone's support. Ourapproach will be based on profoundly transforming the publicservice's corporate culture, and on strengthening ourinstitutions' linguistic capacity so that they have the resourcesthey need to fulfill their language obligations.1. Changing corporate cultureClearly, if we want results to be sustainable, a change incorporate culture is called for. Although an approach based onrules and compliance with the Official Languages Act hasits advantages, it also has its limitations. Instead, we need toaim for excellence where bilingualism is concerned. We need tobring our approach up-to-date and to ground it in the valuesCanadians cherish: inclusiveness and respect for others. Indeed,serving the members of the public in the official language oftheir choice is a way of showing our respect for Canada'sminority official language communities.At the heart of the strategy we plan to implement will be anawareness campaign throughout the public service. One objectiveof this campaign will be to transform public servants' attitudesand behaviours, so as to create an atmosphere that is moreconducive to the use of the two official languages. Seniormanagement in the public service will be prominent in thisendeavour, since managers must act as role models. We shallencourage managers to demonstrate ongoing leadership and to workwith their employees in making bilingualism a more integral partof each of their workplaces. Real steps have already been takentoward this goal.In 1998, the government introduced a policy on the languagerequirements for executives in the public service. Under thispolicy, these executives must have a high level of bilingualismif they are to encourage their employees to use the language oftheir choice at work. Most of these executives were required toattain this level of language proficiency no later than March 31,2003. Early in April 2003, I announced that 2,107 of thesepersons had attained the required level, and I want to take thisopportunity to announce that this number has now risen to 2,137(more than 90%). These results are certainly encouraging. Still,we must continue our efforts: I want to stress that those personswho have been unable to meet the deadline can't remain in theirpositions. Each one of us is responsible for fulfilling ourobligations.Linguistic duality is a form of wealth, an advantage thatexpands our options and broadens our horizons, bothprofessionally or personally. Having two official languages is asignificant asset for the public service and for Canadians. In aglobal economy, Canadians need a public service that is modern,that can serve them in both official languages, and that isrepresentative of the various communities that make our society.Bilingualism definitely provides a competitive edge, which canonly benefit our organization.2. Strengthening linguistic capacityWe can implement this new strategy only if it is backed byconsistent policies, and so the time has come to review ourpolicies and to ensure that they convey a clear, renewed vision.The time has also come to ask ourselves whether some practicesare still justified and valid in light of the objectives we haveset ourselves.Staffing of bilingual bilinguesWhere staffing policy is concerned, I have stated more thanonce that we are considering phasing out non-imperative staffing,from the top down, and concentrating on hiring already bilingualcandidates when staffing bilingual positions. This practice wouldmake bilingualism one of a number of criteria for employment inbilingual positions in the public service. I want to point outthat, on the ground, present staffing of bilingual positions isapproaching imperative staffing: 96.6% of incumbents in bilingualpositions met the language requirements of their positions whenthey were appointed.Still concerning the staffing of bilingual positions, we arealso considering the proposals by the Commissioner of OfficialLanguages. Firstly, concerning internal appointments, sheproposed that non-imperative staffing be eliminated, forexecutives starting in April 2004 and for other positionsstarting in April 2006. Secondly, concerning externalrecruitments, she proposed that the option of recruiting personswho do not yet meet the language requirements of their positionsbe retained for a certain period of time.Language trainingOf course, the government does not want to cut itself off fromcompetent employees or executives. That is why we must continueto assist public servants who have not attained the requiredlevel of proficiency in their other official language. Instead ofadopting the radical approach of eliminating non-imperativestaffing, we are considering a gradual approach combined withbetter access to language training for employees who arebeginning their careers.The additional funding for language training allocated to ouraction plan will allow us not only to reduce waiting lists fortraining, but also to computerize teaching materials anddiversify learning methods, thus adapting them to employees'needs.InnovationAs well, the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS) has made acommitment to helping departments and agencies develop newdelivery methods regarding service to the public and makelinguistic duality an integral part of their basic values andpractices.For example, two new funds will be created shortly. TheRegional Partnerships Fund will be available to help the RegionalFederal Councils fund projects aimed at improving services to thepublic. The Official Languages Innovation Fund will providematching funding for departments and agencies to set upinnovative projects aimed at improving services to the public,the language of work in regions designated bilingual, and accessto employment and advancement for the two official languageminority communities.3.Optimizing resultsThe additional funding for the official languages allocated toour action plan will allow us to strengthen monitoring measureswith Federal departments and agencies and to ensure that the TBS'Official Languages Branch becomes a centre of excellence.This entity would be the resource centre to which departmentsand agencies subject to the Official Languages Act wouldturn for the support, advice and information allowing them toseek and achieve excellence where bilingualism is concerned.Other aspects of this entity's work would be setting policydirection, evaluating departments and agencies, and publishingthe results.The Treasury Board Secretariat has a series of mechanismswhose goal is the evaluation of activities by departments,agencies and Crown corporations, namely for the purpose ofputting together the Annual Report. To make the evaluationexercise even more effective, we intend to develop newperformance indicators as well as assessment and self-assessmenttools that institutions can use to measure their capacity toprovide bilingual services.ConclusionMadame Chair,Ladies and Gentlemen of the Senate:As you can see, there is no shortage of activity in the fieldof the official languages. On various fronts, a number of currentprojects are changing the public service's corporate culture inorder, ultimately, to make our organization more effective, moreefficient and, most importantly, closer to the public it serves.The study on employees' perceptions and attitudes towardbilingualism confirmed that this is the right direction.The approach to bilingualism the TBS has adopted goes beyondrules and aims at nothing less than excellence. This approach isgrounded in the fundamental values that characterize Canadianculture, and is part of a spirit of respect for Canadians and forthe federal employees who serve our country.We have reached a crossroads. The path we are about to takewill be decisive for the future of our organization, since itwill lead to an exemplary public service and I can assure youthat it is a privilege for me to play a leading role in thistremendous project.My colleagues and I are available to answer yourquestions.
