FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Graham Fraser, today praised the leadership shown by institutions that are taking action to meet their official languages obligations. Audit follow-up reports released today show positive progress has been made.
"I am pleased to see that the Canada Border Services Agency, Public Works and Government Services Canada and the Canadian Tourism Commission have demonstrated leadership by taking their official languages obligations seriously to better serve Canadians," Fraser said. "These institutions have responded positively to the recommendations of our 2005 audit reports. This illustrates the important role of the auditing process in identifying and correcting problems."
The highlights of the follow-up reports include the following:
- The Commissioner recognizes that the Canada Border Services Agency has made notable progress in implementing its recommendations. He is pleased to see that the Agency has used the recommendations as a foundation to create an action plan with measurable objectives.
- The Commissioner recognizes that Public Works and Government Services Canada has responded well to its recommendations and has made consistent progress in the integration of official languages into its organizational culture. This progress is consistent with the results highlighted in past annual reports.
- The Commissioner recognizes that the Canadian Tourism Commission has made significant progress in the implementation of its recommendations, as well as the development of an official languages policy. Significant improvement was made in the Commission's consultations with official language minority communities.
Highlights in the economic portfolio include the following:
- The Commissioner is satisfied with Western Economic Diversification's plan for implementing its recommendations. The institution has also established a referral mechanism to facilitate access to services in both official languages.
- The Commissioner is satisfied with Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions' plan for implementing its recommendations. He is pleased that it has made progress on developing tools to evaluate the quality of its service in both official languages.
- The Commissioner is generally satisfied with Industry Canada/FedNor's implementation of its recommendations. He acknowledges that much progress has been made in educating front-line staff on active offer of bilingual service.
- The Commissioner is partially satisfied with Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's implementation of its recommendations. He acknowledges that ACOA monitors the performance of managers with respect to official languages and has committed to using both languages in service delivery areas where needed.
Even though the Commissioner recognizes the work carried out by Industry Canada/FedNor and ACOA, each follow-up assessment has identified areas where improvement is still needed.
Follow-up reports are produced two years after an audit of the institution is conducted. These reports measure how the institution has responded to the recommendations that were made in the audit.
The follow-up reports can be obtained by visiting the Web site of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages at www.ocol-clo.gc.ca.
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For more information, please contact:
Robin Cantin
Manager, Media Relations
Telephone: 613-995-0374
Cellular: 613-324-0999
Toll-free: 1-877-996-6368
