Management (15%)

a) An accountability framework, an action plan and accountability mechanisms are in place (5%)

Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) does not have a specific accountability framework for official languages (OL). A framework is currently being developed.

The Department has an action plan in place to ensure that the Official Languages Act (the Act) is implemented. The plan, which was approved by the Executive Committee in February 2007, specifies the objectives to achieve and their related timeframes, as well as the sector responsible for Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act. The Department also has a separate 2005-2008 action plan for Part VII, which it submitted to Canadian Heritage. The plan and the status report are posted on the Department's intranet site.

Accountability is ensured through management agreements. The performance agreements for all assistant deputy ministers and directors general include specific commitments for promoting official languages (e.g., reducing the percentage of non-imperative appointments, increasing the percentage of employees who meet the language requirements of their position). All directors general, with the assistance of the human resources planning officers, have developed human resources plans for their branches, while taking OL priorities into account.

B

b) Visibility of official languages in the organization (5%)

Promoting and encouraging the use of both OL is one of the management priorities identified in the Department's strategic plan. AAFC has implemented a strategic human resource framework called the People Framework. It defines an inclusive culture as being a bilingual workplace and highlights the importance of guaranteeing all employees the right to work in the official language of their choice in designated bilingual regions for the purpose of language of work.

The Report on Plans and Priorities deals with the importance of "preserving Canada's diverse cultural heritage, including our languages." However, AAFC's Performance Report does not reflect the objectives of the OL Program. Monitoring the program is the responsibility of the Executive Committee, which is chaired by the Deputy Minister and deals with OL matters. The Co-champion sits on the committee and holds a director general position.

Internal audit activities do not address OL.

Coordination of the various stakeholders is provided by a high-level intradepartmental committee chaired by a champion, who is responsible for Parts IV, V and VI, and co-chaired by another member of the committee. The OL Co-champion and the National Coordinator, who are both responsible for Part VII of the Act, also sit on the committee. This committee meets annually to review OL issues. This year, the meeting was held in May 2006. The theme selected by the committee for 2006 was “Bilingualism in Daily Life.” The committee also established the objective of moving from the ability to use both languages to actually doing so on a daily basis.

C

c) Complaints (5%)

AAFC uses the following mechanism to deal with complaints filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL): The OL Unit receives the complaint and forwards it to the appropriate manager, who then determines the corrective measures to be implemented and advises the OL Unit accordingly. The Unit then informs OCOL of the measure taken and follows up to ensure that it has been implemented.

Once the complaint has been resolved, a memo is sent to the Assistant Deputy Minister, Human Resources, to inform him of the nature of the complaint and the measures taken.

C

Sub-total:

C

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

a) Bilingual services advertised to the public and sufficient bilingual staff (3%)

AAFC bilingual offices are advertised in Burolis, and the blue pages contain toll-free numbers offering service in both official languages. The OL Unit is currently reviewing all points of service listed in Burolis.

A total of 90% of employees in bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: Position and Classification Information System ([PCIS], March 31, 2006.)

B

b) Observations on active offer and service delivery (15%)

According to observations of in-person service made by OCOL between mid-June and mid-July 2006, an active visual offer was present in 60% of cases, an active offer by staff was made in 0% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 56% of cases.

According to observations of service on the telephone made by OCOL between mid-June and mid-July 2006, an active offer by staff or by an automated system was made in 55% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 63% of cases.

E

c) Service agreements delivered by third parties or in partnership provide for the delivery of bilingual services (2%)

A language clause is included in all AAFC contracts. The clause provides for service delivery in one or both official languages based on the tendering documents.

According to AAFC, it has very few third-party service agreements. In order to ensure compliance with contractual clauses, contracts are monitored by the AAFC's contracting unit. The project manager must also ensure compliance with the contract's clauses, including those dealing with OL.

C

d) Policy on service to the public and bilingual services quality monitoring (5%)

Although AAFC does not have an internal policy on service to the public, it follows the policy of the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC).

AAFC uses the brochure, Bilingualism at AAFC, to remind personnel of their obligations regarding service to the public. Information kits outlining each office's obligations regarding the active offer of service in both official languages were distributed in May-June 2006 to all designated bilingual offices.

There is no formal internal mechanism to assess the quality of bilingual services. However, the Governance Committee, chaired by a champion and co-champion, meets every quarter to discuss language issues and take any corrective measures required.

OCOL is currently auditing service delivery in both OL by AAFC to Canadian producers and citizens in the country's rural areas.

C

Sub-total:

D

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

a) Language of work policy and adequate bilingual supervision (12.5%)

AAFC has established guidelines on language of work and follows the appropriate PSHRMAC policy. It also tailored its guidelines on the language of supervision to its horizontal work structure.

AAFC has implemented a strategic human resource framework called the People Framework. This framework defines an inclusive culture as being a bilingual workplace and highlights the importance of guaranteeing all employees the right to work in the official language of their choice in designated bilingual regions for the purpose of language of work.

AAFC employees in the National Capital Region (NCR) are encouraged to participate in “French Tuesdays” to practise their second official language. AAFC offers in-house French courses to employees who have attained Level B and who wish to improve their knowledge of French for professional development purposes. Unilingual personnel are also encouraged to take advantage of the language training offered as part of AAFC's program Our Bilingualism.

Software helps employees update their personal information and identify their official language of choice, thereby creating a link between all central services provided to employees and the official language of their choice. In all communications with employees, the Computer Help Desk asks for notification if the message/service was not delivered in their language of choice.

All office managers in designated bilingual regions for language of work purposes have completed the Self-Assessment Grid prepared by the PSHRMAC. The OL Unit works with individual managers to address any identified shortcomings.

A total of 88% of senior management and 87% of supervisors in bilingual positions in bilingual regions meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2006.)

B

b) Use of each official language in the workplace (12.5%)

AAFC uses its brochure, Bilingualism at AAFC, to inform and raise the awareness of both employees and managers of their rights and obligations regarding service to the public, the language of work and communication. This brochure is posted on AgriSource, the Department's intranet site, and was distributed to all personnel.

The OL intranet site posts reminders on language of work to inform employees and supervisors of their rights and obligations in this area. Departmental newsletters and the AgriCulture magazine also contain information on OL.

Posters have been put up in the meeting rooms of offices located in designated bilingual regions reminding employees that they are entitled to use the official language of their choice. The OL intranet site also includes links to PSHRMAC tools on such subjects as chairing bilingual meetings. At meetings, employees are reminded that they can use the official language of their choice.

Executive Committee meetings are conducted in both OL.

AAFC is currently identifying monitoring and assessment mechanisms to measure departmental performance in promoting a workplace conducive to the use of both OL.

The Public Service Employee Survey showed that overall, 69% of Francophone respondents in the NCR, New Brunswick and bilingual regions of Ontario "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime. Due to the small number of Anglophone respondents in the bilingual regions of Quebec, OCOL was not in a position to use the results of the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey.

C

Sub-total:

C

Equitable Participation  - Part VI (10%)

a) Percentage of Francophone participation throughout Canada (5%)

Overall, the workforce is 22.4% Francophone. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2006.)

A

b) Percentage of Anglophone participation in Quebec (5%)

In Quebec, the workforce is 6.1% Anglophone. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2006.)

C

Sub-total:

B

Development of Official Language Minority Communities and Promotion of Linguistic Duality - Part  VII (25%)

a) Strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the development of official language minority communities (12.5%)

AAFC ensures that memoranda to Cabinet and submissions to Treasury Board take into account the obligation to foster the development of official language minority communities (OLMCs) by having these documents reviewed by the National Headquarters Human Resources Unit, if required. The Report on Plans and Priorities deals with the importance of "preserving Canada's diverse cultural heritage, including our languages" and highlights the planned expenditures for projects supporting the development of OLMCs.

A presentation on Part VII of the Act, “Developing OLMCs and Promoting Linguistic Duality,” offered on April 20, 2006, sensitized senior managers to their obligations arising from amendments to the Act and the need to implement positive measures. Subsequent discussions were held by the Executive Committee on the importance of implementing positive measures under Part VII.

A national coordinator is responsible for the implementation of Part VII. In addition, other departmental employees, such as those of the Rural Secretariat, are also called upon to liaise with OLMCs as part of their duties. The Department has formalized a network of people who provide liaison at the national level and included it in its new action plan. National and regional liaison with OLMCs is provided through the interdepartmental meetings of national coordinators for Part VII organized by Canadian Heritage, at which OLMC representatives are invited to share their comments and express their needs. This meeting, which is held at least three times per year (in Gatineau, Ottawa and the regions), helps AAFC informally share with OLMCs the name of the person responsible for liaising with them.

Various mechanisms are used to inform the employees involved in OLMC development of these communities' needs, for example, the Canadian Heritage Bulletin 41-42, which is distributed by the Department, and meetings between Rural Secretariat members and regional advocacy associations, such as those held in 2006 in Quebec City (Quebec), Moncton (New Brunswick) and Regina (Saskatchewan).

AAFC is one of 16 federal institutions that have signed agreements (Government Table) with two national advocacy associations tasked with maximizing the economic potential of OLMCs: the Coordinating group on economic development and employability (RDÉE) for Francophones outside of Quebec, and the Community Table for Anglophones in Quebec. Meetings held in the context of these agreements help raise AAFC's awareness of OLMC needs.

Although AAFC has not yet begun reviewing its policies and programs to determine which ones have an impact on OLMCs, it intends to do so during the ongoing consultations regarding development of the next agricultural and agri-food policy.

The Department has taken positive measures to foster OLMC development through a co-funding arrangement with Canadian Heritage under the Interdepartmental Partnership with Official-Language Communities (IPOLC). AAFC funded eight initiatives for a total of $400,000. The Carrefour d'immigration rurale project aims to better equip rural Francophone minority communities (Whitehorse, Yukon Territory; St-Léonard, New Brunswick and Evangeline Region, Prince Edward Island) to facilitate international Francophone immigration. By tailoring immigrant recruitment, reception and integration strategies to the Francophone community, the project is designed to enhance the vitality of Francophone minority communities.

The members of AAFC's Rural Secretariat are holding formal consultations with regional advocacy associations. These consultations help AAFC representatives establish a dialogue with minority communities of both language groups and better understand their needs in order to ensure that they are taken into account during program development.

The Department has not established a feedback mechanism to follow up on the comments from OLMCs further to the consultations. It intends to revise its action plan in cooperation with these communities in 2007-2008.

The action plan submitted by AAFC to Canadian Heritage includes the main expected results, activities and performance measurement indicators. The Department is currently developing a mechanism to assess the results of its action plan.

B

b) Strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the promotion of linguistic duality (12.5%)

AAFC ensures that memoranda to Cabinet and submissions to Treasury Board take into account the obligation to promote linguistic duality by having these documents reviewed by the National Headquarters Human Resources Unit, if required. The Report on Plans and Priorities deals with the importance of "preserving Canada's diverse cultural heritage, including our languages."

A presentation on Part VII of the Act, offered on April 20, 2006, sensitized senior managers to their obligations arising from amendments to the Act. The Executive Committee held discussions on how to implement positive measures within the Department to promote linguistic duality.

A national coordinator is responsible for the implementation of Part VII. National and regional liaison with associations involved in promoting linguistic duality is provided specifically through the interdepartmental meetings of the national coordinators for Part VII organized by Canadian Heritage, and those of the Government Tables with RDÉE and the Community Table.

Other than the national coordinator, other departmental employees, particularly those responsible for policy and program development at the Rural Secretariat, are also called upon to promote linguistic duality as part of their duties. For example, as part of the IPOLC, AAFC funded the 2006 National Conference on Community Economic Development and the Social Economy, which was held in Vancouver, BC, in March 2006. The purpose of the project was to increase rural participation and commitment, and raise public awareness of the culture of representative groups: young people, Aboriginals, Francophones and Anglophones. This type of project helps raise the awareness of employees who develop policies and programs about the obligation to take positive measures to promote linguistic duality.

Although AAFC has not yet begun reviewing its policies and programs to determine which ones have an impact on the promotion and use of English and French, the Department intends to do so during the ongoing consultations regarding development of the next agricultural and agri-food policy.

The Department is taking positive measures to promote the equal status and use of English and French within the organization and Canadian society by participating in the launch of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. AAFC employees had a booth at the Museum of Civilization, and distributed information on programs and answered questions. This activity was included in the action plan submitted to Canadian Heritage.

The Department intends to review its action plan in consultation with the appropriate associations in 2007-2008. The only positive measure included in the current action plan to promote linguistic duality was the Department's participation in Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie.

The action plan submitted by the Department to Canadian Heritage includes the main expected results, activities and performance measurement indicators. The Department is currently developing a mechanism to assess the results of its action plan.

C

Sub-total:

B

OVERALL RATING

C