Management (15%)

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

The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) does not have an official languages (OL) accountability framework. However, it has an OL policy that outlines the obligations of supervisors and managers under Parts IV, V, VI and VII of theOfficial Languages Act (the Act).

BDC does not have an action plan relating to Parts IV, V and VI of the Act. However, BDC has set out its planned activities for 2006-2007 in the Annual Review of Official Languages, submitted to the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC). BDC mentions that it integrates OL in its daily operations, mandate and organizational priorities. BDC has an action plan to ensure the implementation of part VII of the Act. A presentation on OL was given to the new President when he began his term.

Accountability measures within the organization include: internal OL audits, branch manager performance appraisals, the Annual Review submitted to PSHRMAC and discussions at senior management meetings.

B

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

The 2007-2011 Corporate Plan Summary indicates that the “Business Development Bank of Canada respects the Official Languages Act, and its operations are in adherence to the regulations and policies implemented by the Treasury Board Secretariat, giving special attention to the economic and social development of minority official language communities.” The 2005-2006 Annual Report does not refer to any OL objectives. Official languages are integrated into internal audits.

The Champion is a senor executive and member of the Management Committee. She attends committee meetings, which are held every second Friday, and raises OL issues for discussion by the committee, as needed. The Champion presented BDC's obligations under Parts IV, V, VI and VII following the recent appointment of new members to the board of directors. There is an ongoing dialogue between the Champion and the OL Coordinator.

B

c) Complaints (5%)

Together with the manager or vice-president of the branch concerned, the OL Coordinator is responsible for handling and resolving complaints concerning all parts of the Act. She plays a key coordinating role and informs the Champion, as needed. The Coordinator ensures that information on the nature of complaints and the measures taken to avoid the same problems in the future are shared within the organization. BDC receives very few complaints.

BDC reports complaints received in its annual report to PSHRMAC.

A

Sub-total:

B

Service to the public -Part IV (25%)

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

Designated bilingual offices are listed in Burolis and the blue pages.

Although BDC has bilingual branches across Canada, it does not designate staff positions as such. Therefore, it is not in a position to provide statistics on whether employees who occupy bilingual positions and who serve the public meet the language requirements of their position.

However, BDC reported that as of December 2006, 3 out of 48 designated bilingual branches did not have bilingual resources on site. Because these branches were among the smaller ones, staff movements are rare. BDC therefore encourages employees to take second language courses.

D

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 81% of cases, an active offer by staff was made in 12% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 65% 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 93% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 80% of cases.

D

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

BDC requires that third-party service providers (e.g., advertisements or Employee Assistance Services) offer services in both OL. The BDC also requires a letter from the third party confirming that active offer of service to users and clients in both languages was offered. BDC verifies that services were provided in both OL through its annual employee and customer satisfaction surveys.

A

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

BDC's Official Languages Policy contains a section on service to the public, which, in accordance with part IV of the Act, sets out the requirements related to communications and bilingual service delivery and raises employees' awareness of BDC's commitment to respect the equality of English and French.

BDC implemented a training program for new managers. The program, focused on transitional leadership, touches on various areas of responsibility that new managers will encounter on a daily basis, including official languages. Orientation sessions are given to all new employees and also include an OL component. OL obligations are also posted on the orientation website for new employees.

Offices are reminded of the importance of greeting members of the public in both OL and of providing services in the client's language of choice. Employees are also kept up to date through the OL corner of theBDC etc. newsletter, which is published six times a year. Supervisors are also reminded that bilingual locations are required to have bilingual resources on hand in order to ensure that services are provided in both OL. Each branch manager has a “Survival Kit”, a tool that looks at measures to be taken with regard to OL, for example, how to ensure the availability of bilingual services. In addition, most senior managers have been given a presentation focusing on BDC's obligations under the Act, including service to the public obligations.

BDC conducts ongoing customer service satisfaction surveys, which include language of service, and reports the findings at the end of each fiscal year. Internal audit reports are forwarded to the managers responsible for follow-ups and corrections, as needed. The annual report to PSHRMAC is another control mechanism.

B

Sub-total:

C

Language of Work - part V (25%)

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

BDC's Official Languages Policy contains a section on language of work, which sets out the rights and obligations related to supervision, personal and central services, work instruments, internal communications, training and professional development. In order to support the Policy, translation services are available. Language of work is addressed in the “Survival Kit” given to each branch manager. BDC also offers second language training to all employees, regardless of whether they work at a bilingual point of service or not. Some branches organize “infolunches” to encourage employees to improve their second language proficiency.

89% of supervisors in bilingual regions who must supervise employees in both OL are able to do so. (Source: Data from Annual Review of Official Languages, Official Languages Information System (OLIS II), March 31, 2006)

B

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

Most senior managers have been given a presentation on OL. This presentation focuses on BDC's obligations in terms of language of work and equitable participation. To keep staff and senior managers informed, a section on different aspects of OL appears in each edition of BDC etc.

Meetings for disseminating information to employees from both language groups are held in both OL. Participants are invited to use the official language of their choice. Generally speaking, local meetings are held in the language of the majority group or are carried out in a bilingual format. Meetings of BDC's Management Committee are held in both OL. BDC conducts an annual employee survey and uses the complaints received as a control mechanism for applying the Policy on Language of Work. These complaints are reported in its annual report to PSHRMAC.

The survey conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages showed that overall, 77% of Francophone respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR), New Brunswick and in bilingual regions of Ontario "strongly agreed"or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime. In Quebec, 94% of Anglophone respondents "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime.

C

Sub-total:

C

Equitable Participation  - part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 40.7% Francophone. (Source: OLIS II, March 31, 2006)

B

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 19.3% Anglophone. (Source: OLIS II, March 31, 2006)

A

Sub-total:

B

Development of minority language 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 minority language communities (12.5%)

BDC prepares an action plan for the implementation of section 41 of the Act and an annual status report. The Champion is involved in the organization's strategic planning. With its 90 branches, the BDC maintains an active presence in all communities across Canada, including Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) in rural and urban areas.

Following the amendments to the Act, the Champion presented, at a Management Committee meeting, the new obligations to take positive measures to enhance the vitality of the English and French linguistic minorities in Canada and support and assist their development. A memo was sent out to all vice-presidents and an article was published in BDC etc. A BDC representative also attended a Justice Canada presentation on the topic. Most senior managers have been given a presentation on OL. The presentation focuses on BDC's obligations regarding OLMCs development.

The Coordinator is responsible for all parts of the Act. OLMC development is an integral part of the way BDC does business. Local BDC account managers establish networks of business customers and local organizations (including official language minority business groups) for potential business development.

Employees are informed through articles in BDC etc. Under its mandate, BDC provides small and medium-sized businesses with flexible financial services, affordable consultation services and venture capital by supporting the needs of entrepreneurs at every stage of growth. Furthermore, it feels that its programs and policies meet the requirement to support the development of OLMCs.

BDC sponsored a gala as part of the third edition of the Lauriers de la PME francophone awards competition organized by the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité and the national symposium of the Canadian Association of Family Enterprise. BDC has entered into partnerships with many organizations that serve OLMCs and regularly meets with representatives of OLMC groups.

BDC has continued its targeted consultation of the Franco-Ontarian community and has participated in meetings organized by Industry Canada with Francophone community representatives. BDC also participated in the activities of the Pacific Federal Council's Official Languages Committee and in the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development, as well as in a number of its subcommittees. In areas where there is a sizable minority language business population, formal plans are put in place at the local level in order to reach out to minority language businesses. Consultations with the Association franco-yukonnaise regarding economic development among youth are ongoing.

There is an ongoing feedback process and OLMC needs are integrated into local business plans. Examples include Manitoba, where Francophone account managers have developed stronger relationships with the province's major Francophone business organizations ( Conseil de développement économique des municipalités bilingues du Manitoba, Chambre de commerce de Saint-Boniface, Caisses populaires du Manitoba, Club des hommes d'affaires and Co rporations de développement communautaire) by actively promoting BDC's services, participating in their events and maintaining frequent contacts.

The Action Plan takes into account the needs expressed by OLMCs. The Plan includes positive measures to foster the development of OLMCs and describes the expected results, activities and performance indicators. BDC provides Canadian Heritage with an annual report on 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%)

BDC prepares an action plan for the implementation of section 41 of the Act and an annual status report. The Action Plan includes fostering the full recognition and use of both official languages as one of its objectives. The Champion is involved in the organization's strategic planning.

Following the amendments to the Act, the Champion presented, at a Management Committee meeting, the new obligations to take positive measures to foster the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

The Coordinator is responsible for all parts of the Act. Local BDC account managers establish networks of business customers and local organizations, and seek potential partnerships that could help contribute to the development and recognition of English and French across the country.

Articles in BDC etc. raise employees' awareness of linguistic duality. A BDC representative also attended a Justice Canada presentation on this topic.

BDC feels that, as part of its mandate and corporate activities, its policies and programs meet the requirement to foster the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society. It has not begun reviewing its policies and programs. The Champion promotes OL within the organization and attends the annual OL Champions' conference.

BDC is continuing its partnerships with federal organizations and the private sector on activities to promote linguistic duality. The Ottawa branch is sponsoring a bilingual business plan competition, which is being organized by BDC and the National Bank of Canada, and involves students from the University of Ottawa, Carleton University and the Université du Québec en Outaouais.

The Action Plan mentions that BDC applies part VII of the Act in its daily operations in order to promote Canada's two official languages as part of its mandate and organizational priorities. The Action Plan, which is currently being revised, sets out some positive measures to promote linguistic duality and describes the expected results, activities and performance indicators. An annual status report is submitted to Canadian Heritage.

B

Sub-total:

B

OVERALL RATING

C