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. 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.