Management (15%)

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

The Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) has an official languages (OL) accountability framework that describes the responsibilities of various advocates in this regard, such as the role of the two official languages champions, directors general and managers. The framework, which was approved by senior management in 1997, was updated in 2003 and posted on the DFO's intranet site. The document specifies how the obligations set out in parts IV, V and VI of the Official Languages Act (the Act) are to be carried out.

The OL Action Plan, approved by senior management in May 2005, takes three strategic priorities into account: leadership, institutional capacity and individual capacity, and focuses on the application of parts IV, V and VI of the Act. Although DFO is not one of the designated institutions required to report to Canadian Heritage, it is developing a Performance Report on Part VII, which will be incorporated into its action plan.

All performance agreements for departmental executives include a commitment to ensure that “ … language of work and service to the public requirements are met, linguistic duality is promoted and progress is made on DFO's Official Languages Action Plan.” DFO keeps abreast of progress on OL within the institution and monitors the achievement of objectives set out in the Action Plan by conducting ongoing analyses of all its public websites and data on its linguistic capacity, and by ensuring a follow-up for complaints filed with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL).

DFO also conducted a self-assessment of its performance against some of the Performance Report Card criteria. The results, as well as short-term and medium-term measures with a view to improving its performance pursuant to the Act, were presented to the Departmental Management Committee on November 8, 2006.

B

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

The 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, Our Waters, Our Future, addresses OL in terms of fostering a representative workforce and using both OL in the workplace. The 2004-2005 Report on Plans and Priorities refers to OL, but the Departmental Performance Report does not.

DFO is currently conducting an internal audit, which looks at OL governance.

Two OL champions support the Deputy Minister. One of them is Deputy Assistant Manager at headquarters and the other is Regional Director General in Moncton, New Brunswick. The Departmental Management Committee regularly discusses OL issues and the Associate Deputy Minister shows a keen interest in all OL-related issues. The Deputy Minister and the Associate Deputy Minister review all ministerial correspondence on OL, including the Annual Review of OL. There is good coordination between the champions and the persons in charge of all parts of the Act.

B

c) Complaints (5%)

DFO has a mechanism in place to handle complaints filed with OCOL. OL-related complaints received by the Director of Official Languages are forwarded to the appropriate Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM), Regional Director General (RDG) or Coast Guard Commissioner. A copy is also sent to the regional OL Coordinator. The complaint is then sent to the manager responsible so that he may take the necessary measures. For “rapid resolution” complaints, the persons in charge of OL directly contact the ADM, RDG or commissioner responsible.

After the complaint is resolved, a reminder regarding OL obligations is forwarded to the ADM, RDG or commissioner concerned, asking him to share this information with his management team to prevent similar situations in the future. Depending on the nature of the complaints lodged against DFO, reminders are also sent to managers and to employees. For example, in the case of an incident relating to service to the public, a notice was published in the departmental newsletter, Au Courant/In the Loop, to remind employees of their official language obligations.

A

Sub-total:

B

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

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

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

A total of 92% 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 83% 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 81% 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 69% of cases.

D

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

Service agreements include a language clause that stipulates that services and communications provided by contractors must be in both OL.

Although services delivered by third parties are not currently quality controlled, the Contracts Unit is in the final stage of consultations and is expected to implement a contracting procedure very shortly. The procedure will involve a written assessment by managers who administer contracts, based on a set questionnaire, on how suppliers fulfilled their linguistic obligations when carrying out the contract. The assessment results will be put in the suppliers' files so that the persons responsible can take this information into account when awarding future contracts.

C

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

DFO does not have its own policy or guidelines on service to the public. Rather, it complies with the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) policies and guidelines. DFO includes links to PSHRMAC policies, directives and tools on its intranet site so that employees can refer to these documents at any time.

On a regular basis, DFO also reminds employees how to offer services to the public, through the document Your Rights and Responsibilities, documentation on services to the public on the intranet, meetings and Au courant/In the Loop articles. Moreover, when resolving complaints filed with OCOL, a notice is systematically published in Au courant/In the Loop to remind employees of their OL obligations. At bilingual offices, posters in both OL encourage clients to request service in the official language of their choice.

To check the availability and quality of bilingual services provided to the public, DFO conducted telephone checks, in August 2006, on service quality and active offer at all its bilingual points of service.

B

Sub-total:

C

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

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

Although DFO does not have its own policies or guidelines, it applies those of PSHRMAC, which are posted on the DFO website. Nonetheless, DFO has a policy that specifies that all positions involving the supervision of bilingual employees in designated bilingual regions for language of work purposes must be designated CBC. Language training is offered to employees who have not attained this level.

To foster the use of the official language of the linguistic minority in the workplace, DFO offers language training and translation services. Furthermore, it is currently assessing its language partnership/coaching program, launched in 2005, based on feedback from current participants in order to identify changes that should be made for the next fiscal year.

DFO promotes the inclusion of language training in individual learning plans and encourages managers to approve requests in this regard.

As of March 31, 2006, the Position and Classification Information System (PCIS) indicated that 95% 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%)

Reminders on managers' obligations and employees' rights appear in Au courant/In the Loop. DFO also uses its OL action plan to reaffirm its commitment to and respect for the values set out in the Act, including the provisions on language of work. Information about language of work, such as PSHRMAC's guide to holding bilingual meetings, is also posted on its intranet site.

Departmental Management Committee members are encouraged to use the language of their choice during meetings. The OL Action Plan specifies that at least one agenda item at Committee meetings should be discussed in French. However, in November 2006, the Committee decided to alternate between the two OL at its meetings. Although all documentation (agenda, minutes) is produced in both OL, participants are encouraged to use the language of the meeting when speaking. Teleconferences and videoconferences with regional directors general and participants from the National Capital Region are held in both OL, and participants are encouraged to use the official language of their choice. During national meetings, simultaneous interpretation services are offered, and the documentation and presentations are prepared in both OL.

The application of PSHRMAC policies and directives on language of work is monitored in many ways. DFO uses “exit interviews” to address, among other things, employees' perception with regard to management's willingness to ensure linguistic equality. One of the questions asks the employee to indicate his level of satisfaction, between 1 and 5, with regard to the respect of his linguistic rights by DFO. This year, DFO used the results on language of work from the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey for this purpose. A progress report entitled Health of Human Resources - Official Languages was submitted to the Management Committee in November 2006.

The Public Service Employee Survey showed that overall, 75% of Francophone respondents in the NCR, in New Brunswick and in bilingual regions of Ontario "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime. Given the small number of Anglophone employees who work in regions designated bilingual in Quebec, the survey results for these regions are not used.

B

Sub-total:

B

Equitable Participation  - Part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 22% Francophone. (Source, PCIS, March 31, 2006)

A

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 2.2% 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%)

Although DFO does not have a structured mechanism in place to ensure that its strategic planning, and its policy and program development take into account the development of official language minority communities (OLMCs), it does have a consultation framework, which specifies that DFO must fulfill its obligations under the Act, including the obligation to consult with OLMCs. DFO is one of the 16 federal institutions that have signed agreements (government tables) with two national advocacy associations that have a mandate to maximize the economic potential of OLMCs: the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité, for Francophones outside Quebec, and the Community Table, for Anglophones in Quebec.

Memos were sent to national and regional senior management that summarized the amendments to Part VII, as well as the obligation to foster the development of OLMCs and to take positive measures in this regard. A presentation to senior management in September 2006 and to the Departmental Management Committee in November 2006 gave rise to discussions on the impact, issues and steps that DFO should consider in order to enhance its activities and performance related to Part VII.

DFO has appointed persons responsible for the implementation of Part VII (OLMC development), including the OL Champion, who is a senior executive. The coordinators provide regioal and national liaison with OLMCs by participating in the meetings of the various players who work to support the development of these communities: federal government tables, national linguistic minority committees, coordinators in charge of implementing section 41 of the Act, and regional federal councils of the six regions where DFO provides services (Quebec, Maritimes, Gulf, Central and Arctic, Newfoundland and Labrador, and Pacific). During these meetings, the coordinators introduce themselves to the OLMCs to inform them that they are responsible for liaising with them.

Employees who have a role in OLMC development are made aware of their needs in various ways: meetings with the associations concerned, Canadian Heritage's Bulletin 41-42, presentations, such as the one on northern Francophone communities, and sharing of relevant documentation, such as the list of all federal programs for OLMCs, as well as the web link to Statistics Canada's socio-economic profiles of these communities.

DFO has not begun reviewing its policies or programs to identify those that have an impact on OLMCs. However, even though DFO is not one of the designated institutions that must report to Canadian Heritage, following senior management discussions on how to take OLMC needs into account, it has developed six projects in Quebec, through the Interdepartmental Partnership with Official Language Communities (IPOLC). As a result, DFO is now arranging meetings with OLMCs in order to find out their views on active files and assure them that their concerns are being taken into account.

One of DFO's positive measures involves working with Service Canada and the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the regions of Quebec to increase employment and training opportunities in fishing communities on the Lower North Shore.

DFO has begun enhancing its action plan to include components on how to foster OLMC development in the regions. It has also begun looking at how to measure results using the methodology presented by Canadian Heritage during a December 2006 training session on accountability with regard to Part VII.

B

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

DFO does not have a structured mechanism in place to ensure that its strategic planning and its policy and program development take the promotion of linguistic duality and the equal status of English and French into account. However, it does have a consultation framework, which specifies that DFO must fulfill its obligations under the Act, including its obligation to promote linguistic duality and the equal status of English and French.

Memos were sent to national and regional senior management that summarized the amendments to Part VII, as well as the obligation to promote linguistic duality and the equal status of English and French, and to take positive measures in this regard. A presentation to senior management in September 2006 and to the Departmental Management Committee in November 2006 gave rise to discussions on the impact, issues and steps that DFO should consider in order to enhance its activities and performance related to Part VII.

The following individuals are responsible for the implementation of Part VII (promotion of linguistic duality): the Champion, who is a senior manager, and the national and regional coordinators. When meeting with advocacy associations, the coordinators introduce themselves as the individuals responsible for liaising with them.

Employees who have a role in promoting linguistic duality nationally and regionally are reminded of their obligation to take positive measures in this regard through departmental presentations, Canadian Heritage and Justice Canada presentations, OLMC newspapers available to them, and certain projects, such as the coaching program in the Gaspé Peninsula and on the Magdalen Islands. This project, which involves 30 English-speaking mentors and 30 French-speaking mentorees, helps participants improve their oral communication skills in their second official language and increase their knowledge of and respect for the other group's culture.

DFO has not begun reviewing its policies or programs to identify those that have an impact on the promotion and usage of English and French. However, it has taken positive measures to promote the equal status and use of English and French internally and in Canadian society as a whole. DFO participated in public interdepartmental presentations by mounting a display during Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. Departmental employees were on hand to provide information and answer participants' questions. DFO also organized “Le café français” in the Pacific Region to explain the requirements of section 41 to employees and celebrate French through “Le français, c'est le fun”.

DFO has begun enhancing its action plan to include components on the promotion of linguistic duality. It has also begun looking at how to measure results using the methodology presented by Canadian Heritage in December 2006 during the training session on accountability with regard to Part VII.

B

Sub-total:

B

OVERALL RATING

C