After candidly admitting during a conference that she did not master French, which was a requirement when she was hired, the number two at the Bank of Canada attracted a reprimand from the Commissioner of Official Languages.
“The Bank of Canada had an obligation to take the necessary measures to ensure that the linguistic rights of its employees in terms of language of work are respected,” rules the Commissioner of Official Languages in his final investigation report, dated from November 2023.
The document, of which The duty obtained a copy, was not made public by the government’s official languages watchdog’s office, under the pretext that the law does not allow it to break the secrecy of investigations.
The commissioner opened a file following a complaint from a subordinate who was shocked that Carolyn Rogers, first deputy governor of the Bank of Canada for less than a month, had admitted that she did not master French during of a meeting with all employees on January 14, 2022. This conference was held mainly in English.
Well-founded complaint
More than a year and a half after receiving the complaint, Raymond Théberge ruled that it was founded. He confirms that this head of a federal institution “did not speak French sufficiently to communicate effectively in this language” at the time of the events.
The job offer for this position, always posted in the archives of specialized sites, nevertheless specifies in black and white that candidates must be able to master Canada’s two official languages.
The language requirement for this specific position is not required under the Official Languages Act, analyzes the report. Despite everything, senior management at the Bank of Canada has an obligation to be able to supervise their subordinates in the official language of their choice, which has not been respected.
The commissioner gives the country’s central bank three months to develop “a directive aimed at ensuring respect for the linguistic rights of its employees in communications with senior management of the institution.” It reserves the right to follow up in 2024 to verify that this has been accomplished.
Important for leaders
“I think what is important is that we must have leaders of the Bank of Canada who speak French,” said Minister Randy Boissonnault, responsible for Official Languages in the Trudeau government since this summer. He did not want to comment specifically on the conclusions of the commissioner’s report, which he had not yet read on Wednesday.
In an email, the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages clarified Duty having received a total of six complaints against the Bank of Canada since 2019-2020. This institution has been at the center of economic news in recent years, since it has the power to establish the key rate, one of the main levers for controlling inflation.
In a statement, the Bank of Canada indicates that it accepts the commissioner’s recommendations and that it has already put in place procedures so that employees can participate in major meetings in the official language of their choice.
“The first deputy governor continues to take French courses to improve her ability to communicate with employees and the public in French,” adds her spokesperson Alex Paterson.
Carolyn Rogers took office as first deputy governor of the Bank of Canada on December 15, 2021, for a term of seven years. At the time of her appointment, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said that Ms.me Rogers will “bring a fresh perspective” to the central bank in the post-pandemic context.