Management (15%)

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

The Canadian Museum of Civilization Corporation (CMCC) has an official languages (OL) policy and a staffing policy that serve as an OL accountability framework. The Official Languages Policy describes the roles and responsibilities of senior management, supervisors and employees with regards to Parts IV, V and VI of the Official Languages Act (Act). The OL Policy has been in force since March 2000, and the CMCC Human Resources Strategic Plan indicates that this policy will be revised during the 2007-2008 fiscal year. Among other things, a new model for evaluating the performance of employees at all levels requires that the Policy be revised.

CMCC does not have an OL action plan, but the Human Resources Plan, which includes the language identification of positions, classification, validation and language training, was approved by senior management.

The CMCC uses manager and employee performance evaluations to determine whether the objectives of the Human Resources Plan have been achieved and whether the OL policy is being complied with.

C

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

The Guiding Principles of the Corporation (2003) state that collections, exhibitions and programs must reflect a Canadian perspective, but do not mention linguistic duality. The Corporate Plan (2006-2007 to 2010-2011) mentions OL a few times. The CMCC's mandate states, among other things, that it provides a service that is essential to Canadian culture that is available to all in both OL. It also states that the CMCC forms many partnerships with communities and institutions in all regions of the country and that it participates in a number of community outreach activities. The 2005-2006 Annual Report mentions the CMCC's commitment to putting particular emphasis on client service.

The audit background document includes elements related to OL.

The Annual Review on Official Languages and the OL Policy reviews are discussed by the Management Committee. The Executive Committee is regularly brought up to date on relevant OL issues, and if needed, a follow-up is carried out by the OL Champion and the Human Resources Division. The Champion sits on the Executive Committee and the Management Committee. Furthermore, new exhibits are always verified by members of the Executive Committee, who pay special attention to the quality of both OL.

There is an informal coordination that takes place between the OL Champion (Director, Human Resources), the person in charge of OL (Manager, Human Resources, Staffing Programs and Policies) and the person responsible for Part VII (Director General, Exhibitions and Programs Branch), and they are in regular contact.

A

c) Complaints (5%)

The institution's OL policy sets out the internal complaint resolution procedure. Managers participate in complaint resolution, which is then discussed by the Executive Committee if necessary. Every month, a human resources report, which contains information on complaints, is presented to the Chief Operating Officer and Senior Vice-President. The lessons that have been learned and the corrective measures are communicated, as needed, to the Management Committee if they apply to the entire Corporation.

A

Sub-total:

B

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

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

The CMCC's entry in the blue pages is bilingual and the information in Burolis is up to date.

A total of 96% of employees in bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: CMCC's Human Resources System, December 31, 2006.)

B

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

According to observations of in-person service made by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL) between mid-June and mid-July 2006, an active visual offer was present in 100% of cases, an active offer by staff was made in 100% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 100% 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 100% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 100% of cases.

A

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

Section B1 of the CMCC's OL Policy clearly outlines this responsibility. A language clause is also included in contracts. Since the spring of 2006, a document on the terms and conditions of contracts has been available on the CMCC Web site that sets out the language obligations of contractors. Verification is carried out when contracts are evaluated or complaints are filed. Managers also conduct spotchecks on services offered by some third parties (e.g., cleaning services, cafeteria).

For volunteer exhibition interpreters, the hours when the service is available in each language are posted. There seems to be a sufficient pool of volunteers for each official language.

B

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

The CMCC has an OL policy that includes guidelines on service to the public. This policy also raises awareness among all employees of the institution's commitment to respecting the equality of English and French. It is posted on the human resources portal of the CMCC's intranet site.

New employees receive two weeks' training, including one week in their second official language. OL awareness is also included in this training. During the morning meetings between supervisors and their teams, supervisors remind employees of ways they can offer and deliver services in both OL.

A survey is conducted twice a year in both OL to measure visitors' satisfaction. This year, five questions on OL were added to the survey, which will be used starting in the winter of 2007, and the results will be reported annually. Visitors' comments are collected throughout the year. The Manager, Client Services, takes measures as needed to make any necessary improvements.

The CMCC has had a periodic language skills validation process (which is carried out every five years) in place for several years for all employees in bilingual positions, which contributes to ensuring the ongoing quality of services.

A

Sub-total:

A

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

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

The OL Policy also covers language of work. The policy is posted on the human resources portal of the CMCC's intranet site. It states employees' language of work rights and managers' obligation to create an environment conducive to the use of both OL. Managers must increase employees' awareness about language of work.

The OL Policy addresses the following: supervision, central and personnel services, work tools, professional training, computer systems, language of meetings and internal communications.

Language training is offered to employees to help them improve their language skills. Tools are also available to help employees prepare for second language evaluations. Employees are encouraged to produce bilingual documents. If needed, employees can work in pairs to help each other in their second language. Lunch meetings, during which participants switch from one language to the other, cover a variety of topics and also give employees the chance to practice their second language. There is a record of employees' preferred language.

A total of 95% of supervisors in bilingual regions who must supervise employees in both OL are able to do so. (Source: Annual Review on Official Languages, December 31, 2005.)

B

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

Managers are reminded of their language of work obligations during monthly management committee meetings. Furthermore, in the fall of 2006, a memo was sent to all managers and employees targeted by the 2006 language profile validation exercise. Supervisors are responsible for reminding employees of their language of work rights. This information is also found on the intranet site.

Executive committee and management committee meetings are held in both OL, according to attendees' preferences and the topics covered.

Each year, two employee meetings are held, during which presentations are made in both OL and employees are encouraged to use their language of choice.

Supervisors hold information sessions every morning in both OL, which contributes to creating an environment conducive to the use of both OL.

Performance appraisals allow for a certain amount of monitoring to take place regarding the application of the OL policy, mainly by systematically checking whether the employee's choice of official language is being respected. Employees' comments on the language of work are also followed up on by Human Resources.

CMCC representatives have stated that an environment conducive to the use of each employee's official language of choice is one of the cultural values of the organization, which was confirmed by the results of the 2006-2007 survey on language of work.

The survey conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of OCOL showed that overall, 81% of Francophone respondents in the National Capital Region (NCR) "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work policy.

B

Sub-total:

B

Equitable Participation - Part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 54.0% Francophone. (Source: Annual Review on Official Languages, December 31, 2005.)

B

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

Both museums are located in the NCR.

N/A

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 Board of Trustees promotes and encourages partnerships with official language minority communities (OLMCs): the composition of the Board of Trustees itself includes OLMCs. The initiatives undertaken by the Board have been translated into commitments in the Corporate Plan (2006-2007 to 2010-2011). As a result, strategic planning and policy and program development take into account the obligation to enhance the development of OLMCs.

In April 2006, the OL Champion and the person responsible for OL at CMCC gave a presentation to the Management Committee and the Executive Committee to make senior management aware of the obligations resulting from amendments to the Act and the obligation to take positive measures. The presentation led to a discussion on the adjustments that would need to be made at CMCC in order to fulfill the new obligations and to take positive measures to that effect. Following the discussion, the CMCC decided to expand its travelling exhibits to reach OLMCs more effectively.

The Director General, Exhibitions and Programs Branch, is responsible for implementing Part VII (OLMC development). The Manager, Travelling Exhibitions Program, informs OLMCs and the associations that represent them of new exhibitions. She also verifies whether OLMCs are interested in the travelling exhibitions and sounds out their interests.

Employees who participate in developing travelling exhibitions have been made aware of the needs of OLMCs since they work in cooperation with these communities.

The CMCC has begun an examination of its OL policy and human resources plan, specifically in order to determine their impact on OLMC development.

The CMCC has taken several positive measures to enhance OLMC development. For example, it reaches out to isolated or remote OLMCs by offering travelling exhibitions. From February to April 2006, the exhibition entitled Mail, Rail, Retail: Connecting Canadians was in Medicine Hat, Alberta. The CMCC loans and borrows artefacts from OLMCs. For example, for its exhibition Lace Up: Canada's Passion for Skating, the CMCC borrowed artefacts from the Jewish Public Library in Montréal, and for Acres of Dreams: Settling the Canadian Prairies, it borrowed pieces from the St. Boniface Museum. Moreover, the CMCC works closely with English and French school boards, including OLMC boards, to develop school programs that meet their needs (e.g., The Fur Trade in New France and The Development of Canada's West).

Senior management is discussing how the needs of OLMCs can be taken into account when changes are planned.

The CMCC is working closely and forming partnerships with Canadian Heritage and the museum community. As a result of these partnerships, the CMCC was able to put together the exhibition Acres of Dreams.

The CMCC has not begun developing an action plan to enhance the development of OLMCs in the regions, since it states that this task is already an integral part of the organization's work processes.

B

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

The Corporate Plan (2006-2007 to 2010-2011) states the CMCC's mandate, which, among other things, plays a fundamental role in preserving and promoting the heritage of Canada and all its peoples throughout Canada and abroad. These commitments ensure that strategic planning and policy and program development take into account the obligation to promote the equal status and use of English and French.

In April 2006, the OL Champion and the person in change of OL gave a presentation to the Management Committee and the Executive Committee on the amendments to the Act. The purpose of the presentation was to make senior management aware of the amendments, and this led to a discussion on the adjustments that would need to be made at CMCC to fulfill the resulting obligations and to take positive measures to that effect.

The Director General, Exhibitions and Programs Branch, is responsible for implementing Part VII (Advancement of English and French). Its employees liaise with relevant associations, such as the St. Boniface and St. Albert museums, the Canadian Museums Association and OLMC school boards.

Employees who participate in developing travelling exhibitions have been made aware of the obligation to take positive measures, since they are working with the relevant associations.

The CMCC has begun reviewing its OL policy and human resources plan, primarily in order to determine the impact on the promotion and use of English and French.

The CMCC has taken several positive measures to promote the equal status and use of English and French both internally and in Canadian society. All travelling exhibitions, including those shown outside Canada, are offered in both OL and contribute to promoting the country's linguistic duality. In addition, advertising and promotion for all other exhibitions and programs highlight, among other things, the contribution of both language groups to Canadian culture, thus emphasizing Canada's linguistic duality. The CMCC participates in activity fairs in which it promotes its status as a bilingual institution. This was the case during its participation in the Calgary Stampede, where it promoted its exhibitions and programs by providing information in both OL. The CMCC has hosted Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie several times.This event has raised awareness, both internally and externally, about linguistic duality and increased visibility, because of the location and scope of the event.

The CMCC has not begun developing an action plan to promote linguistic duality, since it states that this task is already an integral part of the organization's work processes.

B

Sub-total:

B

OVERALL RATING

B