The Trudeau government refuses to say whether or not it intends to grant an exemption from the bilingualism requirement to its employees who speak an Aboriginal language, but who are not fluent in English or French.
Ottawa will continue to ensure that public servant positions “are identified as bilingual when necessary and that it is done at the appropriate level of bilingualism” and it will meet its official languages obligations, the president of the Council said on Tuesday. du Trésor, Mona Fortier, on the sidelines of a virtual press conference.
Asked to clarify what should be understood from the minister’s remarks, the Treasury Board indicated that an exercise is underway to develop policies to tackle “language barriers to employment, retention and advancement of Aboriginal people” within the federal public service and to “encourage a more inclusive work environment”.
“It would be premature to move forward on the possible solutions that could be envisaged within the framework of this current exercise,” it was explained.
The Canadian Press revealed on Sunday that senior officials are considering offering an exemption for positions where bilingualism is mandatory for candidates who speak an Aboriginal language and who have sufficient knowledge of one of the official languages. They also discussed the idea of extending the annual bonus of $800 given to bilingual employees to those who speak an Aboriginal language.
The Official Languages Act obliges federal institutions to provide a work environment conducive to the effective use of both official languages while allowing their staff to use one or the other. This implies that senior civil servants must be able to communicate in English and French.
In a written statement, the Bloc Québécois reiterated like the day before that Ottawa “must be clear” and “dismiss this idea, which would only harm the French language”.
“Yes to the promotion of indigenous languages. But the government must understand that the Official Languages Act is there to be respected, not butchered at all times. Systematically, any exception or exemption is made on the back of French,” insisted Mario Beaulieu, the Bloc spokesperson for official languages.
The Commissioner of Official Languages, Raymond Théberge, for his part noted, in an email sent Tuesday by his office, that the positions designated bilingual are so because they make it possible to protect the rights of public service employees or those of citizens. who receive these services.
“We must ensure that we plan how these obligations will be met while promoting the diversification of the public service,” he argued.
During the publication of his annual report in June, Commissioner Théberge stated that bilingualism should be a minimum skill for obtaining a position in senior management in the public service. The Minister of Official Languages, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, stubbornly refused to say whether she shared the commissioner’s opinion.
The Federation of Francophone and Acadian Communities, the Assembly of First Nations and the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec-Labrador had not responded to an interview request at the time of publication.