Speeches
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The Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada is an agent of Parliament whose duty is to promote Canada’s official languages and protect the language rights of Canadians. A critical component of the Commissioner’s job is to report to parliamentary committees in both the House of Commons and the Senate of Canada. The Commissioner of Official Languages also travels from coast to coast, participating in panel discussions, meeting key partners and delivering speeches on official languages to young Canadians, researchers, public service employees and community leaders. You will find many of his speeches here.
2022
Speech to the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities
Thursday, December 08, 2022
I’m very pleased to be joining you for the 27th annual general meeting of the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities. I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to Ivan Normandeau and Justin Johnson for organizing this important event, and to you, the representatives of our municipalities, who...
Notes for an appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
Monday, November 21, 2022
I’m very pleased to be joining you today to present my 2021–2022 annual report and to discuss an issue of particular concern: Francophone immigration in linguistic minority communities. First, my most recent annual report. In 2021–2022, my office received a record 5,409 admissible complaints, an...
Commissioner’s Speech at the 5th Metropolis Identities Summit
Tuesday, October 18, 2022
Winnipeg, Manitoba, October 19, 2022 Raymond Théberge - Commissioner of Official Languages Check against delivery
Notes for an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
Thursday, October 06, 2022
First, I would like to acknowledge that the land on which we are gathered is part of the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people, an Indigenous people of the Ottawa Valley. I’m very pleased to be with you today to present the results of my in-depth analysis of the...
Speaking notes for the National Summit on Francophone Minority Economies
Wednesday, September 28, 2022
I’m very pleased to be joining you today for the National Summit on Francophone Minority Economies. Before I continue, I’d like to acknowledge that we are gathered today on part of the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people, an Indigenous people of the Ottawa Valley. I’...
Notes for an address at the 2022 Cross-Canada Consultations on Official Languages Summit
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
I’m very pleased to be joining you today for the summit on the 2022 Cross-Canada Consultations on Official Languages. Before I start, I’d like to acknowledge that we are gathered here today on part of the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishnaabeg people, an Indigenous people of...
Notes for an appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
Monday, June 20, 2022
I’m very happy to be with you today to present the results of my in-depth analysis of the government’s proposed measures in Bill C‑13. This bill clearly represents a major step toward modernized legislation. If passed, it has the potential to transform Canada’s language policy by making the...
Quebec Community Groups Network Policy Forum (QCGN) Official Languages Tracking Survey Remarks
Friday, June 10, 2022
To begin, I’d like to thank QCGN for the invitation to speak with you today about the recent public opinion research on Official Languages that my office conducted with Environics. QCGN has been conducting some impressive policy work of late which has led to this conference. I would also like to...
Launch of the 2021–2022 annual report
Tuesday, June 07, 2022
Today, I’m very pleased to present my 2021–2022 annual report. This past year, Canadians made it abundantly clear that they are deeply committed to linguistic duality. This commitment was made evident by the record 5,409 admissible complaints filed with my office—an increase of 189% compared with...
Commissioner’s Speech at the Summit of the Atlantic Region Association of Immigrant Serving Agencies: Navigating Disruption and the Future of Settlement
Wednesday, June 01, 2022
More and more, I am seeing this coming together of different levels of government, academia and experts from various sectors to pool knowledge and help tackle the issues of our times. We’ve been talking about the constancy of change for over a decade, and, increasingly, it seems that beyond change...
Notes for an address at the 89th ACFAS Congress: The Health of Francophones in a Minority Language Context: 20 Years of Research
Thursday, May 12, 2022
Gatineau, Quebec, May 12, 2022 Raymond Théberge - Commissioner of Official Languages Check against delivery
Opening remarks - Launch of issue 17 of the journal Linguistic Minorities and Society: 50 Years of Legislation Concerning Official Languages in Canada: Review and Prospects
Tuesday, April 19, 2022
Ottawa, Ontario, April 19, 2022 Raymond Théberge - Commissioner of Official Languages Check against delivery
Notes for an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Ottawa, Ontario, March 30, 2022 Raymond Théberge - Commissioner of Official Languages Check against delivery
Commissioner’s Speech to the Quebec Federal Council
Thursday, March 10, 2022
You may have noticed that official languages are in the spotlight now more than ever, and my office has been staying very busy over the past few years with a wide variety of recurrent and emerging issues. In my ombudsman role, I receive complaints from Canadians about federal institutions’...
Notes for an appearance before the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
Wednesday, February 09, 2022
Although today’s meeting is taking place virtually, I would like to acknowledge that I am speaking to you from Treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji-Cree, Dakota and Dene peoples, and the homeland of the Métis Nation. I am here today to talk to you about urgent...
Notes for an appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages
Monday, February 07, 2022
Thank you for inviting me to talk to you about the current language situation in the country. Although today’s meeting is taking place virtually, I would like to acknowledge that I am speaking to you from Treaty 1 territory, the traditional territory of Anishinaabeg, Cree, Oji‑Cree, Dakota and...
