Management (15%)

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

Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has an official languages (OL) management accountability framework, which has been in effect since March 2005. The framework indicates that employees at all levels of the organization share the responsibility for respecting the language rights of their colleagues, offenders and the public. The document refers to senior management roles and responsibilities, although it excludes those of the OL Champion and the functional authority for OL. The manner in which the obligations pursuant to Parts IV, V and VI are to be carried out is included in the framework, but the coordination mechanisms between the various stakeholders are not specified. The framework indicates that performance measurement is used to improve the organization's results and that the managers responsible for OL annually assess the overall status of OL in their respective area of responsibility.

CSC does not have an action plan for OL. However, it does have a standing operating procedure for official languages, which was issued under the authority of the CSC Commissioner in February 2003. This procedure includes a section on services to offenders and CSC's obligations towards the general public. The document sets out an objective, specifically to ensure that CSC complies with the Official Languages Act (the Act) and its related regulations on services to the public, and the measures required to achieve this objective; it does not specify any timelines. In addition, CSC has developed an official languages management monitoring framework, which describes the obligations towards offenders and the general public in the form of objectives.

Since there is no action plan, there are no mechanisms in place to measure objective achievements.

CCS has committed to develop an action plan for the implementation of Parts VI, V, VI and VII of the Act in 2007.

C

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

Strategic planning, the 2005-2006 Performance Report, as well as the 2006-2007 Report on Plans and Priorities do not take OL objectives into account. However, it should be noted that the management accountability framework includes staffing mechanisms that promote linguistic duality.

Although the Employment Equity and Official Languages Division has conducted internal OL audits, OL are not integrated into CSC's general internal audit activities.

The Executive Committee discusses OL issues. For example, on April 10, 2006, the new obligations under Part VII of the Act were discussed. However, OL are not discussed on a regular basis. According to CSC, OL are an integral part of the organizational culture, particularly in Quebec and New Brunswick.

The OL Champion is Deputy Commissioner for the Atlantic Region and is a member of the Executive Committee.

Regular communications between the Champion and the person responsible for OL are maintained via e-mail. The former OL Champion is now the Human Resources Director at CSC, which limited disruptions to the delivery of the OL Program during the change in management.

C

c) Complaints (5%)

The person responsible for OL is also responsible for managing complaints. She works closely with the appropriate regional OL coordinators and investigators from the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). The involvement of the affected managers depends on the nature of the complaints. In handling a language of work complaint at Dorchester Institution, in New Brunswick, the Institutional Warden, the Regional Deputy Commissioner, the Assistant Commissioner for Human Resources Management and the Commissioner all participated in developing corrective measures.

CSC attempts to settle complaints at the lowest hierarchical level possible. More complex cases are referred to management. In order to prevent a recurrence of similar problems, the person responsible for OL shares information on the complaints with the regional OL coordinators through teleconferences. On December 7, 2006, a teleconference was held to update the complaint files.

B

Sub-total:

C

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

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

Bilingual points of service are advertised in Burolis and in the blue pages. Given the nature of CSC's mandate, changes affecting parole offices are not always shared with the public and official languages minority communities (OLMCs).

A total of 89% 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 77% 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 63% 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 74% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 55% of cases.

E

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

CSC does not have a mechanism in place to ensure that service contracts and partnership agreements stipulate that bilingual services are to be delivered, as required. Furthermore, no monitoring measures are in place to confirm that the services delivered by third parties are in fact provided in both OL and are of appropriate quality.

E

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

Although CSC does not have its own language of service policy, it posts the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) Policy on the Use of Official Languages for Communications With and Services to the Publicon its intranet site. The obligations of employees serving the public are briefly mentioned in the standard operating procedure on OL.

The person responsible for OL reminds regional OL coordinators of how to deliver services in both OL. They, in turn, share these reminders with their employees.

Each year, telephone spot-checks at all designated offices are performed by the OL Coordinator to ensure that the public receives good quality service in both OL. Further to a complaint on the language of work at Dorchester Penitentiary, management also performed spot-checks at the institution. The Employment Equity and Official Languages Division audited the release of documents in both OL. Requests for services in either OL in CSC offices were also evaluated by means of a survey. The results of the assessment were not conclusive because of the clients chosen for the assessment and the type of services provided by CSC. Both of these factors contributed to the survey's very low participation rate.

C

Sub-total:

D

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

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

CSC uses PSHRMAC's Policy on Language of Work. A link to this Policy is posted on the organisation's intranet site.

Measures have been put in place in designated bilingual regions for language of work purposes to facilitate the use of both official languages in the workplace. For example, employees' language of choice is recorded in the PeopleSoft database. Managers who chair meetings prepare bilingual agendas and encourage employees to use their language of choice. Posters in meeting rooms also help encourage employees to exercise their linguistic rights. Employees' performance appraisals are conducted in their language of choice. A human resources training day was offered to middle managers on November 24, 2006, and included a section on OL. In July 2006, the Deputy Commissioner invited all employees to participate in part-time language training. Finally, the OL Program's Innovation Fund allocated to CSC is used to fund employee language training.

As of March 31, 2006, the Position and Classification Information System (PCIS) indicated that 92% of senior management and 86% of supervisors who must communicate with their staff in both languages in bilingual regions are bilingual.

B

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

Managers are reminded of their language of work obligations through training and e-mails. For example, an e-mail reminder for managers was distributed to regional OL coordinators on   November 23, 2006.

Regional OL coordinators have also reminded employees in regions designated bilingual of their right to use their official language of choice. On November 22, 2006, a reminder on conducting bilingual meetings was sent to regional OL coordinators to forward to all regional employees.

Both OL are used during management meetings.

CSC uses the presence or absence of complaints to determine whether the workplace is, in fact, conducive to the use of both OL. The unit also monitors staffing processes to ensure compliance with imperative staffing standards. Given that OL are an integral part of the organizational culture and the legal environment, which characterizes CSC, employees freely exercise their rights regarding OL.

The Public Service Employee Survey showed that overall, 76% 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, 43% 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 30,3% Francophone. (Source, PCIS, March 31, 2006)

A

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 2,5% Anglophone. (Source, PCIS, 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%)

CSC was informed of the amendments to Part VII of the Act for the first time in May 2006 at an interdepartmental meeting of OL champions. Given that these amendments have just recently taken effect, CSC has not yet established permanent mechanisms to ensure that strategic planning, and policy and program development take into account the obligation to foster the development of OLMCs.

Further to the interdepartmental meeting on the amendments to the Act, the OL Champion informed the Executive Committee of the obligations arising out of these changes. He also discussed the amendments to the Act with his counterparts in Human Resources, and Communications and Citizen Engagement. Discussions continued at the Executive Committee meeting in June 2006, when a study on the strategy for taking the new obligations into account was initiated.

CSC has not appointed anyone responsible or set up a committee for the implementation of Part VII (OLMC development). Relationships with OLMCs are maintained through operations. CSC has committed to hold a discussion at an Executive Committee meeting in 2007 to determine which sector should be responsible for the implementation of Part VII.

Personnel involved in OLMC development have not been made aware of these communities' needs. Over the next two years, CSC will work on informing its personnel and on raising their awareness of their new obligations.

CSC has not initiated a review of its policies and programs to identify those that have an impact on OLMCs.

Furthermore, it took a positive measure to promote the development of OLMCs. In accordance with the Canadian Multiculturalism Act, CSC is in the process of developing a database that specifies the language skills and cultural knowledge of individuals of all backgrounds to improve cultural understanding and dialogue among personnel, offenders from minority groups and community members, including OLMCs.

There have been no discussions at the senior management level on how to take OLMCs' needs into account.

An action plan for the implementation of Part VII will be developed during 2007.

D

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

CSC was informed of the amendments to Part VII of the Act for the first time in May 2006 at an interdepartmental meeting of OL champions. Since these amendments have just recently taken effect, CSC has not yet established permanent mechanisms to ensure that strategic planning, and policy and program development take into account the obligation to promote the equality of status and use of English and French.

Further to the interdepartmental meeting on the amendment to the Act, the OL Champion informed the Executive Committee of the obligations arising out of these changes. He also discussed the amendments to the Act with his counterparts in Human Resources, and Communications and Citizen Engagement. Discussions continued at the Executive Committee meeting in June 2006, when a study on the strategy for taking the new obligations into account was initiated.

CSC has not appointed anyone responsible or set up a committee for the implementation of Part VII (promotion of the equality of status and use of English and French). CSC has committed to holding a discussion at an Executive Committee meeting in 2007 to determine which sector should be responsible for the implementation of Part VII.

Personnel involved in promoting linguistic duality have not yet been made aware of the obligation of taking positive measures to promote the equality of status and use of English and French. Over the next two years, CSC will work on informing its personnel and on raising their awareness of their new obligations.

CSC has not yet initiated a review of its policies and programs to identify those that have an impact on the promotion of the equality of status and use of English and French.

It has taken positive measures to promote the equality of status of English and French, both internally and in Canadian society. The organization participates in Official Languages Week in New Brunswick and encourages its employees to participate in events promoting OL. An exchange and immersion program, managed by the Employment Equity and Official Languages Division, and funded by the Innovation Fund, ensures that employees from bilingual regions can work in other regions to develop or maintain their language skills. This year, six employees from the Atlantic and Quebec Regions participated in the program. CSC also participates in interdepartmental meetings on the implementation of Part VII. A working group is cooperating with other departments to establish partnerships in order to share resources and reduce language training costs. CSC recently established a partnership with the Canada Border Services Agency.

An action plan for the implementation of Part VII will be developed during 2007.

D

Sub-total:

D

OVERALL RATING

D