The HRMAF formalizes interdepartmental coordination for the Official Languages Program. It explains how resources, authorities and outputs at all levels are aligned to advance the objectives and goals of Canada’s official languages policies.

The Framework attempts to reconcile individual accountabilities at the departmental level with a sense of collective responsibility, a common purpose and accomplishment at the corporate level. It provides a basis by which all federal institutions (including government departments, agencies, boards, commissions and Crown corporations) can align their official-languages–related management, accountability and reporting strategies with the overall policy direction of the Government of Canada. The Framework is also intended to reinforce commitment to the spirit and purpose of the Official Languages Act and to ensure that official language minority communities have meaningful input into the planning and execution of policies and programs that affect their well-being.

"[…] we will have an accountability and coordination framework that presents each federal institution with its responsibilities, an accountability framework that establishes unparalleled coordination so that the work of each benefits all. The accountability and coordination framework provides for more communication between the federal government and minority official language communities […]" Action Plan for Official Languages, p. 62

Scope of the Official Languages Program  

The Official Languages Program encompasses all federal government activities intended to fulfill the Government of Canada’s obligations and commitments under the Official Languages Act and the Action Plan for Official Languages.1 These obligations and com­mitments include but are not limited to:  

·         communicating with and providing services to the public in both official languages;

·         ensuring that English and French have equal status as the languages of work in federal institutions and that Anglophone and Francophone Canadians participate equally in federal institutions;

·         fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society;

·         promoting linguistic duality in Canada; and

·         supporting and nurturing the development of Anglophone and Francophone minority communities in Canada.  

 

Governance

Horizontal governance of the Official Languages Program is a complex undertaking for political, organizational and administrative reasons. The concept of working horizontally has been promoted throughout the public service since the mid-1990s and many tools for guidance have been developed, but until now, no formal definition of a horizontal governance structure has been developed.

All federal institutions have statutory obligations under the Official Languages Act. While each partner has specific roles and responsibilities, they all contribute to the Official Languages Program in general.  Furthermore, Treasury Board Secretariat and the Department of Canadian Heritage have specific responsibilities defined under various sections of the Act. The Department of Justice also has an important role as legal advisor to the Government of Canada.

Federal Organizations with Special Reporting Obligations to Canadian Heritage (as of July 2005) Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Business Development Bank of Canada Canada Council for the Arts Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions Canada Post Corporation Canadian Broadcasting Corporation Canadian Heritage Canada School of the Public Service Canadian International Development Agency Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Canadian Tourism Commission Citizenship and Immigration Canada Foreign Affairs Canada Health Canada Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Industry Canada International Development Research Centre International Trade Canada Justice Canada National Arts Centre National Capital Commission National Film Board Parks Canada Public Health Agency of Canada Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada Public Works and Government Services Canada Social Development Canada Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Statistics Canada Status of Women Canada Telefilm Canada Treasury Board Secretariat Western Economic Diversification Canada

For example, the President of the Treasury Board presents an Annual Report to Parliament on the performance of some 200 federal institutions, in accordance with responsibilities flowing from Parts IV, V and VI of the Act.  

In addition, more than 30 departments and agencies have special obligations to report to Canadian Heritage annually on their efforts to enhance the vitality of English-speaking and French-speaking minority communities and to foster the recognition, equality of status and use of both official languages in Canadian society. Canadian Heritage, in turn, summarizes the main results achieved by these federal institutions and reports to Parliament in its Annual Report.  

The Action Plan for Official Languages identifies four lead federal institutions whose combined efforts will ensure enhanced information sharing and compliance with the requirements of the HRMAF — the Privy Council Office, the departments of Justice and Canadian Heritage, and the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency.

The Committee of Deputy Ministers on Official Languages provides leadership for management of the Official Languages Program. The Committee is responsible for identifying government-wide strategic directions, promoting greater collective accountability for advancing linguistic duality, fostering the use of both official languages in the federal public service, and implementing horizontal coordination of the Official Languages Program. Members are appointed by the Clerk of the Privy Council, and the Committee is chaired by the Deputy Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs in the Privy Council Office.  

The mandate of the Minister Responsible for Official Languages is to coordinate measures taken by the government to comply with the Official Languages Act and the Action Plan, including the development and implementation of the HRMAF for the Official Languages Program. In this role the Minister is supported by the Group of Ministers on Official Languages, which includes ministers of Canadian Heritage and Justice, and the President of the Treasury Board, as well as sectoral ministers with a role to play in the implementation of the Action Plan.

The Minister and the Committee of Deputy Ministers are supported by the Official Languages Branch, Intergovernmental Affairs Secretariat of the Privy Council Office.  

The governance structure of the Official Languages Program, depicted in Figure 1, illustrates the relationships between the various players involved in developing, implementing and evaluating official languages activities.