ST–01.07 - February 9, 2007
OTTAWA--The National Defence Official Languages Program
Transformation Model aims to ensure that National Defence fully meets
the exigencies of the Official Languages Act while respecting National
Defence’s unique organization. Once fully
implemented, the revised Official Languages Program will permit members
of the Defence Team to be more consistently led, trained, administered
and supported in their official language of choice.
One of the prime objectives of the Transformation Model is to
promote
bilingualism for senior officers so that they can communicate in the
preferred official language of their subordinates. That is why our
Official Languages Program is being adjusted to ensure that all
generals and commodores/admirals become bilingual to a superior (CBC)
level of linguistic proficiency. At present, all lieutenant-generals
and vice-admirals satisfy this requirement; and over 85% of all
serving senior officers (Colonel/Captain(Navy) and above) have
attained an intermediate (BBB) or better profile during the course of
their careers.
The Transformation Model will ensure that all general,
commodores/admirals hold a superior (CBC) level profile within the next
four years. It also maintains the current program,
which requires that 70% of all newly promoted Colonels/Captain (Navy)
attain and maintain a CBC (superior level) or better profile.
For 2006, 75% met this requirement, and that figure is expected to
climb as officers promoted last calendar year graduate from language
training.
It is a fact of military life that members of the CF can find
themselves posted anywhere throughout the country or abroad, as service
requirements demand. The CF is dedicated to ensuring that it
meets its official languages obligations by providing its personnel
with the opportunity to receive occupational training and services of a
personal nature in their official language of choice. In
addition, CF personnel who work in units in which they are required to
employ their second official language will be provided with appropriate
language training to ensure that they can do so comfortably and
effectively.
The
CF offers both Francophone and Anglophone Canadians the opportunity
for equal employment, training and advancement. Twenty-four percent
(24%) of all CF officers are Francophone, which aligns closely with the
national average. This both contradicts recent media claims that
Francophones are under-represented in the military and speaks well for
the CF’s Official Languages Program. Over 28% of
all CF generals and commodores/admirals are Francophone. With
respect to the Non-Commissioned Members ranks, over 28% percent of
Non-Commissioned Members and almost 33% of the most senior
Non-Commissioned rank levels (Chief Warrant Officers and Chief Petty
Officers (First Class)) are Francophone.
The CF maintains a strong bilingual cadre from coast to coast to coast
– a bilingual cadre that, as a result of the ongoing
adjustments to our Official Languages Program, will become concentrated
in those functions that must be provided in both official languages to
comply with the law. This will ensure both closer compliance
with the Official Languages Act and the consistent provision of
bilingual training and service where it counts. A key
priority of the Transformation Model is to fully staff those bilingual
functions providing instruction and central and personal services with
bilingual personnel as quickly as possible, thereby ensuring that the
CF is able to more consistently provide training and support services
in both official languages. All recruit-level training is
already provided in both languages and; the Transformation Model will
ensure that all follow-on entry-level courses also meet this
requirement.
In summary, having bilingual personnel provide external bilingual
services to Canadian citizens and internal services, instruction and
leadership to members of the Defence team is central to complying with
the Official Languages Act. The Transformation Model was drafted in
consultation with the federal central agencies charged with Official
Languages responsibilities – particularly the Official
Languages Branch of the Public Service Human Resources Management
Agency of Canada, which has assumed responsibility for establishing
federal official languages policies and directives related to key parts
of the Act and monitoring related official languages performance.
Rather than reducing the CF’s commitment to meet its official
languages obligations, the National Defence Official Languages Program
Transformation Model seeks to enhance that commitment.
Rear-Admiral Tyrone Pile
Chief Military Personnel
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