Press Release Department: Federal - Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages

Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser released a guide to help event organizers plan inclusive and bilingual celebrations. “Canada’s 150th anniversary, which we will celebrate in 2017, is fast approaching, and regional and national activities will be taking place all across the country,” said Fraser. “But every event—historical, athletic, cultural or artistic, national or international, large … Read more

Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser reminded the federal government and CBC/Radio-Canada that they both have responsibilities to official language communities as the public broadcaster’s operations evolve. “CBC/Radio-Canada is faced with challenging circumstances and is attempting to put together a strategic plan that will enable it to fulfil its mandate to the best of … Read more

Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser launched a web-based campaign to better inform visitors to Canada’s largest airports of their right to be served in the official language of their choice for key services. The 12-week information campaign includes banners that will appear on popular travel web sites as well as Facebook and Google. “It’s … Read more

Quebec's English-speaking population has a faster rate of aging than its French-speaking population and, despite higher education levels among English-speaking seniors, nearly as many of them are living below the low-income cut-off as French-speaking seniors. These are the main findings of the study released by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, entitled Enjoying … Read more

Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser tabled his seventh annual report on the state of Canada’s two official languages. Reflecting on his seven-year mandate as commissioner, Fraser noted that there has been a subtle erosion of bilingualism in the federal public service through neglect and the unintended consequences of budget cuts. “Despite the many positive … Read more

Federal institutions have all the tools they need to ensure funds transferred to the provinces for official languages programs are used for their intended purposes, but not all of them dig deeply enough, said Commissioner of Official Languages Graham Fraser. Fraser's office found Citizenship and Immigration, Canada Health Canada and Canadian Heritage all have formal … Read more

Federal institutions need to do a better job of reporting on their language training activities, expenditures and results, says a study released by Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser. "Since the decentralization of language training responsibilities in 2006, we no longer have access to data that allow us to draw comparisons and evaluate the efficacy of … Read more

The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada and his counterparts from Ontario and New Brunswick have recommended that the federal Minister of Justice take 10 measures to ensure Canadians have access to justice in both official languages. The three commissioners reviewed the judicial appointment process for superior courts as well as the language training available … Read more

The Canadian Forces is implementing changes to its Individual Training and Education (IT&E) system following recommendations received from the Commissioner of Official Languages in 2010, says a follow-up report released by the commissioner. The follow-up review of the Canadian Forces action plan to address implementation of the recommendations was conducted between December 2012 and January … Read more

Citizens who believe their language rights have been infringed can now file complaints with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages through a secure e-mail account. More information is available online. Call 613-995-0374.