The number of complaints and requests for information made to the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario has increased by 40% since last year.
The lack of “knowledge of procedures on the part of public service employees leads to complaints, even if services in French are available,” concludes Carl Bouchard, in his annual report presented Thursday morning at Queen’s Park.
He therefore recommends that the Treasury Board and the Ministry of Francophone Affairs better train civil servants on “the obligation to provide services in French”. Mr. Bouchard also demands that “government departments and agencies […] certify their compliance each year.
Nearly half (48.2%) of the complaints filed concern services received in person.
The Ministry of Colleges and Universities was targeted by 35.8% of complaints filed between October 1, 2022 and September 30, 2023. The provincial government’s withdrawal from funding the University of Sudbury alone triggered the sending of 115 complaints, the largest number of complaints received for the same subject.
Concerning Laurentian University, the ministry, the establishment and the Ministry of Francophone Affairs “have all reported progress in the implementation of the recommendations,” we can read in the document.
In March 2022, Kelly Burke determined that the establishment had violated the French Language Services Act by removing French-language programs and that the Ministry of Francophone Affairs had failed in its task of applying the law in the matter.
A little less than 30% of complaints concern written communications, particularly on social media. Since the entry into force of the active offer regulation in 2023, any organization designated under the French Language Services Act in Ontario must welcome users in their language without them having to ask. This concerns ministries, but also education and health services.
According to the regulations, content on social media that contains “information about services offered by government agencies […] must be available in French. However, the “majority of accounts […] do not systematically publish bilingual content,” we can read in the report.
Further details will follow.