Operational Context 2021-2022

Fiscal year 2021–2022 will mark the third year of implementation of the organization’s 2018–2025 strategic directions. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (the Office of the Commissioner) will be conducting many activities throughout the year to advance various official languages files.

External environment

The Office of the Commissioner will continue to provide leadership in encouraging the Prime Minister and key ministers to modernize the Official Languages Act (the Act) to ensure that this issue remains a government priority.

The Office of the Commissioner will also continue to implement its approach to ensuring that the results set out in the Action Plan for Official Languages – 2018–2023 are achieved, particularly with respect to funding to support development in the areas of education, justice and immigration.

The Commissioner of Official Languages will continue his efforts before the Federal Court and the Federal Court of Appeal to ensure that the courts continue to interpret language rights in a broad and liberal manner and that the Act is implemented in accordance with its purpose.

Internal environment

The Office of the Commissioner will continue to implement its strategic priorities for 2018–2025 (Vision 2025).

The growing number of complaints received by the Office of the Commissioner will continue to drive innovation and the search for efficiencies within the organization, including through the development and implementation of strategies to manage systemic official languages issues.

The Office of the Commissioner will continue to operationalize the Official Languages Maturity Model and to support the selected federal institutions in conducting their organizational self-assessments in order to help them make continuous progress in terms of official languages.

In 2020–2021, the Office of the Commissioner adapted its linguistic duality promotion activities to the new digital era brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. It will continue to monitor the situation in order to provide its employees with the tools they need and in order to remain current in its practices and activities.