Positions in the federal public service may have different language requirements:
- "English Essential"
- "French Essential"
- "English or French Essential" (incumbent’s choice)
- "Bilingual"
Establishing language requirements for positions
The Official Languages Act requires federal institutions to establish the language requirements of positions objectively during a staffing action.
In addition to the obligations under the Act, deputy heads of government departments and agencies, or hiring managers to whom this responsibility typically falls, must also comply with:
- the criteria for assigning language proficiency levels set out in the Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages;
- the requirements of the Policy on Official Languages; and
- the rules on language requirements and staffing set out in the Directive on Official Languages for People Management.
A number of factors can apply when identifying the appropriate language requirements of a position. Here are some examples of questions to guide your thinking during a staffing process (non-exhaustive list):
- Visibility of the position: Is the incumbent on the frontline, meaning in direct contact with the public? Does the incumbent occupy a position high up in the hierarchy, with representational responsibilities?
- Location of the position: Is the substantive position located in a region designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes?
- Functions and responsibilities tied to the position:
- Is the incumbent required to communicate with the public and the media while respecting the obligation to provide services in both official languages?
- Does the position require interaction with official language minority communities in their preferred official language?
- Is the incumbent required to promote the use of both official languages in the workplace?
- Does the incumbent supervise employees who have language-of-work rights?
Supervisory or management positions
Positions that have supervisory or management functions must be identified as Bilingual in order to respect the language-of-work rights of employees.
These positions may include the following:
- Management positions (directors general, directors, managers and supervisors)
- Executives (deputy ministers and senior executives of agencies, boards and commissions)
- Heads of Mission
- Chairpersons and members of federal tribunals
Note: If they are not already bilingual at the time of their appointment to federal institutions, deputy ministers, associate deputy ministers and incumbents of positions of equivalent level are required to take language training to ensure that they are able to speak and understand both official languages clearly.
Identifying language proficiency levels for bilingual positions
Once a position has been identified as “Bilingual,” the language proficiency levels required to fill that position must be specified. Deputy heads, through hiring managers, are responsible for setting these levels according to Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat’s Qualification Standards in Relation to Official Languages.
There are three levels of proficiency:
- A (low)
- B (intermediate)
- C (high)
In order for an institution to determine whether a candidate has the required proficiency levels, the candidate must undergo a second language evaluation, in which three language skills are assessed:
- Reading comprehension
- Written expression
- Oral proficiency
Example
A position with “CBC” second official language proficiency levels requires the following levels of proficiency in the incumbent’s second official language:
- High level of reading comprehension (C)
- Intermediate level of written expression (B)
- High level of oral proficiency (C)
The Public Service Commission assesses the second language skills of new recruits to the public service. It oversees the integrity of staffing on the basis of the Public Service Employment Act, the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order and the Public Service Official Languages Appointment Regulations.
