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In April 2001, the Prime Minister assigned to the President of the Queen's
Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs special
responsibilities for official languages. This direction was given additional
impetus when, in December 2003, the Prime Minister formalized this position and
a Minister responsible for Official Languages was sworn in for the first time. The
Minister responsible for Official Languages has the mandate of
coordinating files where official languages issues are raised. The Minister fosters an
overall, cross-government approach to actions taken by federal institutions in
order to respect the Official Languages Act and contribute to the advancement of
English and French in Canadian society. The Minister’s has specific
responsibility for the implementation of the "Action Plan for Official Languages,"
including the development of an accountability framework for official languages.
The Minister acts as the spokesperson on official languages questions for the
Government of Canada. He works to ensure that all federal institutions and their employees,
as well as the general public, are informed of the Action Plan, specifically the
Accountability and Coordination Framework, the Government’s official languages
priorities and the progress of the Plan.
The Official Languages Branch (OLB) of Intergovernmental Affairs (IGA) at the Privy
Council Office (PCO) is responsible for supporting the Minister responsible for
Official Languages and the Deputy Minister of IGA in the horizontal coordination
of the Official Languages program, including implementation of the Action Plan.
The OLB also supports the activities of the Committee of Deputy Ministers on Official
Languages (CDMOL), a forum that allows senior management in departments most
directly involved to take action and advise on current issues related to official languages.
With a $13.5 million budget over five years, the OLB supports the Group of
Ministers responsible for Official Languages to ensure consistency between the interests of official
language communities and the Government’s policy direction, and to build
bridges between the regions, provinces and territories, and the federal
government. Among other things, the OLB organizes annual ministerial consultations
with representatives of Anglophone and Francophone minorities as well as
consultations with these communities and senior officials from key departments.
In addition to these coordination mechanisms, the success of the Action Plan
hinges on the cooperation of other partners in the federation. In isolation,
each of the measures in the Action Plan would not have the desired effect. But
brought together in an integrated plan, with the contribution of
communities, provinces and territories and all Canadians, those measures
complement one another and create a productive synergy.
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