Management (15%)

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

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency's (CFIA) Official Languages Accountability Framework sets out the roles and responsibilities of its president, senior executive committee, champions, managers, human resources personnel and employees with regard to Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Official Languages Act (the Act). It also outlines the actions to be undertaken to meet these responsibilities. The Official Languages Strategic Action Plan covers the 2005-2008 period. In April 2006, the Sub-Committee on Human Resources, one of CFIA's senior executive forums, approved the Agency's Official Languages Policy.

CFIA has an instrument for the delegation of authorities, which establishes accountability for the obligations set out in the various parts of the Act. In addition, a mandatory five-day program, intended for all new managers who have delegated authority, includes a section on official language (OL) requirements.

The Corporate Business Plan 2003-2008 indicates that the Agency is committed to re-energizing its OL program. Again this year, the President has made OL a top priority. The OL Annual Review is tabled and discussed each year by the Sub-Committee on Human Resources, which is chaired by the Vice President of Human Resources. The commitment to OL is further strengthened by a specific requirement to address OL responsibilities in accountability-based performance objectives for all of the Agency's senior managers, including the President.

A

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

The 2005-2006 Annual Report, the 2005-2006 Performance Report, the Report on Plans and Priorities for 2006-2007, as well as the 2003-2008 Corporate Business Plan mention OL in the sections “HR Management” and “Providing Sound Agency Management.” OL also figures in the 2003-2008 Human Resources Strategy, The Face of Excellence. The OL Strategic Action Plan 2005-2008 was approved by the Executive Committee and refers to Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act.

Internal audit activities do not generally incorporate OL. However, during the latter part of 2006, Statistics Canada administered a survey similar to the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey, on behalf of CFIA. The survey contained the same OL questions.

The President is an active member of the Deputy Ministers Committee on OL. OL issues are discussed at meetings of the HR sub-committee. The Senior Advisor to the President, who is the National OL Champion, sits on the Executive Committee and is invited to senior management committee (SCHR) meetings when OL issues are on the agenda. Discussions of OL issues take place on an ongoing basis at various levels of management, i.e., HR Operations Division conference calls, OL champions meetings and the SCHR.

Coordination exists among the various key OL players at CFIA. The national and area OL champions (National Capital Region, Western, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic) meet quarterly to discuss OL issues and challenges. They also meet with their respective management teams to discuss OL issues and to develop, approve and implement OL action plans covering Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act. CFIA has also identified human resources OL leads for each of the five sectors, who support the OL program and their respective OL champions. The OL coordinator provides ongoing advice and assistance to OL leads and champions.

Responsibility for Part VII of the Act is taken into account in the corporate-wide objectives, in accordance with the Action Plan for Official Languages, along with obligations under Parts IV, V and VI.

B

c) Complaints (5%)

Complaints are directed to the OL coordinator, and recorded and forwarded to the appropriate field office. The responsible manager is personally involved in implementing corrective actions, ensuring they are carried out, and reporting back to the OL coordinator, who liaises with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL).

Senior management is informed of the nature of complaints filed against CFIA and the actions taken to resolve them. In order to avoid a recurrence of similar problems, the complaints and corrective measures put in place are discussed during the HR Operations Division conference call via the OL coordinator, or shared through e-mail. The HR managers discuss complaints and resolutions with the area management team. In addition, OL complaints are discussed regularly during the national and area OL champions' meetings.

A

Sub-total:

A

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

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

Information regarding bilingual offices appears in Burolis and in the blue pages of telephone directories. The OL coordinator regularly updates Burolis.

A total of 84% of employees in bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: Annual Review on Official Languages, 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 80% of cases, an active offer by staff was made in 10% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 66% 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 78% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 61% of cases.

E

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

Service agreements with third parties contain clauses on requirements stemming from the Act. For example, OL requirements apply to publications produced in conjunction with or by third parties under partnership or other agreements. The Agency's Public Affairs Department is responsible for monitoring OL compliance under the service agreements.

The information package for managers with regard to OL requirements states that managers are to be vigilant when services are co-located and jointly operated to ensure the public continues to receive federal services in the OL of its choice. In particular, managers are to ensure that such obligations are included in the agreement with the partner in question.

B

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

A revised CFIA OL policy took effect on June 1, 2006. It applies to all CFIA employees and to persons working for or on behalf of the Agency through other contracting or assignment agreements. The Policy's objective is to provide CFIA's managers and employees with direction as to their rights and responsibilities in relation to Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act as well as the administration of the OL Program. The Policy sensitizes all employees to CFIA's commitment to OL including that of taking concrete and positive measures to serve Canadians in the OL of their choice.

To assist staff members in serving the public in both OL, CFIA provides them with bilingual electronic tools, such as Achieving Balance: A practical guide to help employees meet their obligations under the Official Languages Act, and two Guides for Delivering Services in both Official Languages, one for managers and the other for employees. An information package is also distributed to all employees. It outlines their responsibilities with regard to service delivery in both OL, and contains an English-French glossary, and a list of common expressions in both OL. Presentations on service to the public were made during the latter part of 2006 in all of the CFIA's bilingual points of service. The presentation dealt with four key elements of service to the public: active offer, ability to provide adequate service in the client's language of choice, voice mail in both OL, and visual active offer.

The CFIA OL Policy provides examples of monitoring mechanisms such as on-site visits, review of written material, client surveys and audits related to service in both OL. CFIA has made a commitment to improve its external service delivery in both OL. Commencing in October 2006, a third party has been conducting internal monthly monitoring of active offer and adequate service in all CFIA-designated bilingual points of service. A detailed monthly report will be provided to senior management, and corrective measures implemented accordingly.

A

Sub-total:

C

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

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

The CFIA OL Policy sets out the rights and obligations for personnel in designated bilingual regions for language of work purposes with regard to supervision, central and personnel services, work instruments, professional and developmental training, and the language used during meetings. The policy sensitizes all CFIA personnel to the Agency's commitment to official languages, including the fostering of an exemplary workplace respectful of Canada's linguistic duality and the active promotion of its OL. The Policy also provides instructions with regard to some of its obligations in unilingual regions, especially with regard to employees' right to participate in a selection process in the language of their choice.

The chairperson of each meeting is responsible for reminding attendees that they may use the OL of their choice. The Agency also offers language and retention training through the Developmental Language Training Program that has been running for four years.

An OL toolkit entitled Maintaining your Second Official Language was developed and distributed to all employees. It provides a variety of practical tips and suggestions to assist employees with day-to-day work activities. Examples include voice mail greetings, out-of-office messages, telephone expressions, and guidelines on how to participate in and chair bilingual meetings.

In total, 81% of supervisors in bilingual regions who are required to supervise their employees in both official languages are able to do so. (Source: Annual Review on OL 2005-06, April 2006.)

B

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

The OL Communications Plan provides for regular reminders to be sent out to employees and managers on rights and obligations regarding language of work. The latest reminder was made in the October 2006 internal newsletter, Contact. An article was also published in that regard in the May 2006 edition of Contact, informing staff of their rights, and managers of their obligations. OL messages are circulated to all staff through various channels, including the internal Z list that serves as a communication system to reach all employees.

Executive Committee members are encouraged to use their language of choice during meetings. The OL coordinator monitors e-mails regularly to ensure that messages are sent out simultaneously in both OL. A unit self-evaluation form to assess policy compliance is part of the manager's obligation package.

OL data pertaining to staff members' language of choice are updated regularly in Peoplesoft.

During the latter part of 2006, Statistics Canada administered a survey similar to the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey, on behalf of CFIA. The survey contained the same five questions on language of work as were used in the 2005 survey.

The survey showed that overall, 74% of Francophone respondents in the NCR, New Brunswick and bilingual regions of Ontario "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime. In Quebec, 58% of Anglophone respondents "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime.

C

Sub-total:

B

Equitable Participation  - Part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 26% Francophone. (Source: Annual Review on OL, March 31, 2006.)

A

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 2.6% Anglophone. (Source: Annual Review on OL, March 31, 2006.)

D

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%)

The Corporate OL Coordinator is responsible for reviewing memoranda to Cabinet to ascertain that they take into account the obligation to promote the development of official language minority communities (OLMCs), and determine the impact they may have on these communities. Although CFIA is not one of the designated institutions reporting to Canadian Heritage under section 41, the 2005/2006-2007/2008 OL Strategic Action Plan and the Official Languages Policy were amended to specifically include the obligations outlined under Part VII of the Act: development of OLMCs and promotion of linguistic duality.

In order to sensitize senior managers to the obligations resulting from amendments to the Act and to the positive measures to be undertaken, CFIA asked Canadian Heritage to make a presentation on Part VII to its Executive Committee. The presentation was distributed to all OL champions and senior managers. Following discussions on how best to factor in the needs of OLMCs, an information sheet entitled, “The role we play in the advancement of English and French: Part VII of the Official Languages Act,” was disseminated to all employees. It outlines some of the measures CFIA must undertake to reinforce its commitment to the advancement of OLMCs, such as informing OLMCs of important events, announcements, activities, and new or revamped programs, policies or services. CFIA has posted Canadian Heritage's Bulletin 41-42 on its intranet site.

The Corporate OL Coordinator is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Act, including Part VII, and for communicating such information (development of OLMCs and promotion of linguistic duality) within the organization. The Agency has designated staff members for liaising with the relevant OLMC associations via its participation on the OL committee of the Federal Councils in three of its four areas (Western, Ontario and Atlantic).

The national and area OL champions are responsible for liaising with OLMCs and for providing them with relevant information. Prior to changing the designation of some CFIA offices, senior managers contacted the OLMCs in the affected regions (Alberta, Manitoba, British Columbia and Quebec) to inform them of the situation and to achieve a consensus as to the best way to provide bilingual services in those areas. CFIA's consultation exercise enabled the OLMCs to become better acquainted with the CFIA personnel designated to liaise with them in the regions. The Corporate OL Coordinator also sent a formal letter on the matter to the umbrella organizations of the OLMCs, including the Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN) and the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne.

In order to raise awareness among employees involved in OLMC development, the Agency ensures that they receive information following meetings of the Official Languages Crown Corporations Advisory Committee network and the national coordinators of designated federal institutions responsible for the implementation of section 41 of the Act.

CFIA has also contacted Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, one of the 32 institutions reporting to Canadian Heritage, and with whom it shares certain affinities, in order to become better acquainted with the needs of OLMCs, and to subsequently determine how best to meet those needs. In the interim, CFIA has begun reviewing its policies and programs to determine those that have an impact on OLMCs.

One of the positive measures being developed by CFIA consists of a national recruitment kit. This kit includes a link for new employees as well as those being transferred indicating where they can obtain information on services provided in the minority language (OLMC schools, theatres and businesses) so that they may continue living in their official language, while contributing to the development of OLMCs.

CFIA senior management has held discussions on how best to factor in the needs of OLMCs, particularly with regard to service delivery alternatives. For example, in Quebec, upon consultation with the QCGN, it was decided that CFIA would maintain the bilingual status of one of its points of service, even though the office in question no longer had an obligation based on the 2001 Census.

An official languages strategic action plan, which was approved in April 2006, mentions that the CFIA will consult with communities and establish partnerships with other government departments. CFIA is in the process of determining how 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%)

The Corporate OL Coordinator is responsible for reviewing memoranda to Cabinet in order to ascertain that they take into account the obligation to promote linguistic duality and the equal status of English and French. Although CFIA is not one of the designated institutions reporting to Canadian Heritage under section 41, the 2005/2006-2007/2008 OL Strategic Action Plan and the Official Languages Policy were amended to specifically include the obligations outlined in Part VII of the Act: development of OLMCs and promotion of linguistic duality.

In order to sensitize senior managers to obligations resulting from amendments to the Act and to the positive measures to be undertaken, CFIA asked Canadian Heritage to make a presentation on Part VII to its Executive Committee.  The presentation was distributed to all OL champions and senior managers. Following discussions on how best to promote linguistic duality, an information sheet entitled, “The role we play in the advancement of English and French: Part VII of the Official Languages Act,”was disseminated to all employees. It outlines some of the measures CFIA must undertake to reinforce its commitment to the advancement of English and French, such as promoting Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. CFIA has posted Canadian Heritage's Bulletin 41-42 on its intranet site.

The Corporate OL Coordinator is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Act, including Part VII, and for communicating such information (development of OLMCs and promotion of linguistic duality) within the organization. The Agency has designated staff members to liaise with the relevant OLMC associations via its participation on the OL committee of the Federal Councils in three of its four areas (Western, Ontario and Atlantic).

Employees who help to promote linguistic duality, such as the public affairs staff, are responsible for ensuring that CFIA's advertisements are published in OLMC media. In order to raise awareness among employees who have a role to play in promoting linguistic duality, the Agency ensures that they receive information from meetings with the Official Languages Crown Corporations Advisory Committee network and the national coordinators of designated federal institutions responsible for the implementation of section 41 of the Act.

The Agency has begun reviewing its policies and programs, especially those pertaining to job postings and food recalls, to ensure that the pertinent notices are placed in minority language publications.

One example of the positive measures undertaken by CFIA to promote the equal status of English and French internally was the official launch on February 9, 2006 of the toolkit Maintaining your Second Official Language. It provides a variety of practical tips and suggestions to help staff apply and maintain their second official language skills so that language-training graduates can achieve a level of comfort in using their second official language. CFIA also recognizes how important it is to acknowledge the accomplishments of its employees and sends a congratulatory letter signed by the employee's most senior manager and the sector's OL Champion to congratulate the employee on attaining the language proficiency levels.

The Official Languages Strategic Action Plan, which was approved in April 2006, mentions that the Agency will identify partners with other government departments in order to promote linguistic duality. CFIA is determining how to assess the results of the Action Plan.

B

Sub-total:

B

OVERALL RATING

C