Management

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

The accountability framework does not specifically address official languages (OL). The Official Languages Action Plan, approved by senior management in May 2005, is organized in accordance with three strategic priorities: leadership, institutional capacity and personal capacity, and it focuses on the application of Parts IV, V and VI of the Official Languages Act. It does not cover Part VII. The plan includes OL objectives but does not specify the measures to be taken nor does it contain a timetable.

It is expected that OL champions and members of the Departmental Management Committee (DMC) will play an active role towards OL and the action plan in the future. Monitoring and reporting on the action plan will then be done twice a year at the Management Committee.

OL priorities are identified in the performance agreements of the Deputy Minister, the Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) for Human Resources and Corporate Services (HRCS), the two OL champions and the Director responsible for OL.

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

The 2005-2010 Strategic Plan, Our Waters, Our Future refers to OL. The Report on Plans and Priorities makes reference to OL, but the 2004-2005 Departmental Performance Report does not.

OL are not systematically included into internal audit activities. Discussions to include an OL component were initiated with the responsible unit.

In the Department of Fisheries and Oceans (DFO), two OL champions support the Deputy Minister. One champion is at headquarters and is at the ADM level. The other champion, located in the region, is at the regional director general (RDG) level. Matters pertaining to OL are regularly discussed at DMC meetings. There is excellent coordination between both champions and those responsible for all parts of the Act.

c) Complaints (5%)

OL complaints received by the Director of OL are forwarded to the ADM or RDG concerned, with a copy to the regional OL coordinator. The complaint is then forwarded to the responsible manager for action. Managers are involved in identifying corrective and preventive actions. Reminders and bulletins on OL matters and obligations are issued to employees in order to build on lessons learned and prevent a reoccurrence of similar complaints.

Despite certain improvements, OCOL indicated that there are still some deficiencies in the training provided by the Coast Guard College and at-sea practicums, which are not always available in French.

Service to the public - Part IV

a) Bilingual services advertised to the public and sufficient bilingual staff (4%)

Designated offices are listed in BUROLIS and in the Blue Pages.

89% of incumbents of bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: Position and Classification Information System (PCIS), March 31, 2005)

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

According to observations of in-person service made by OCOL in the fall of 2005, active visual offer was present in 76% of cases, active offer by staff was made in 24% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 85% of cases.

According to observations of service on the telephone made by OCOL in the fall of 2005, active offer of service 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 73% of cases.

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

Service agreements include a linguistic clause which indicates that services and communications provided by contractors shall be provided in both OL. A memo was also sent to all DMC members reminding them of the obligation to ensure OL requirements are met when consultants and contractors are hired to work on behalf of the Department.

There are no controls on the quality of services provided by third parties.

d) Bilingual services quality monitoring (4%)

All employees offering services to the public are reminded (i.e.: in the document entitled, Your Rights and Responsibilities, in documentation on the topic of services to the public available on the Intranet, during meetings, in articles in the departmental newsletter In the Loop/Au courant, etc.) of the importance of actively offering bilingual services and of serving clients in their OL of choice. Also, tools (such as the Reminder: Active Offer of Services, a glossary of common phrases for telephone services, a pocket translator, etc.) have been distributed to employees to assist them in providing active offer of services. In bilingual offices, signs are posted in both OL inviting clients to use their language of choice. The Internet site is in both OL and email enquiries are answered in the client’s language of choice. Reports, advertisements and notices are produced in both OL.

The Department conducts telephone spot checks throughout the year to verify the availability and the quality of bilingual services. One example is the telephone audit conducted in 2005 by the Canadian Coast Guard in the Quebec region.

Language of work - Part V

a) Adequate bilingual supervision and language of work policy (12.5%)

88% of EX incumbents and 79% of supervisors in bilingual positions in bilingual regions meet the language requirements of their position. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2005)

The Department follows the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada policy on language of work. DFO offers language training and provides translation services. For instance, the Department concluded a partnership with Environment Canada (in the Pacific region) to offer French language training and tutoring services to employees. The Central and Arctic region purchased Learn French workbooks to facilitate language learning for employees.

b) Establishment of an environment conducive to both official languages (12.5%)

Information sessions were provided to personnel (managers and employees) informing them of OL rights and obligations with regards to parts IV and V of the Act and of changes to the new OL policies (imperative staffing, non-imperative staffing, language training). An e-mail reminder on those policies was sent to managers and monthly reminders (for all personnel) on those policies are inserted in the Departmental newsletter In the Loop/Au courant. OL matters are also included in the training provided to departmental delegated managers (600 being trained between October and December 2005).

Conference calls and video conferences with regional director generals and participants from the National Capital Region are in both OL and participants are encouraged to use the language of their choice. National meetings are held with simultaneous interpretation and documentation and presentations are in both OL. In bilingual regions, all supervisory positions are identified at the CBC level and language training is provided to employees who do not meet that level.

Members of the DMC are encouraged to express themselves in the language of their choice. The OL action plan stipulates that at least one DMC meeting agenda item will be discussed in French.

The Department assesses employee perceptions on OL matters as part of the Exit Interview Program and uses the data from the Public Service Employee Survey to evaluate employees’ level of satisfaction regarding the use of both OL in the workplace.

Equitable participation - Part VI

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

Francophones account for 22% of the Fisheries and Oceans’ workforce as a whole. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2005)

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

Anglophones account for 2% of Fisheries and Oceans’ workforce in Quebec. (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2005)

Development of minority language communities and promotion of linguistic duality - Part VII

a) Strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the development of minority language communities (12.5%)

No structured mechanism is in place to ensure that strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the development of OL minority communities. However, the Department holds meetings with OL minority communities to exchange views on active files and to ensure that their concerns are listened to.

Through the Interdepartmental Partnership with OL communities, Fisheries and Oceans and Canadian Heritage are making a joint effort to increase employment and training opportunities in fishing communities.

The Communications Directorate in the Gulf region is a founding member of an Interdepartmental Francophone Community Committee in New Brunswick whose work is to bring together the community and the federal government.

The Quebec regional office works closely with the National Human Resources Development Committee for the English linguistic minority. The Quebec region chairs the OL Sub-committee of the Middle Managers’ Network of the Quebec Federal Council, which emphasizes equitable participation through the recruitment and advancement of Anglophone middle managers.

The Department became a member of the National Committee on Economic Development and Employability that assists in the development of OL minority communities. For the second time, the Department will renew with Canadian Heritage a memorandum of understanding of the Interdepartmental Partnership with the OL communities.

Although the departmental communications policy indicates that: “Communications with the public and services… must be provided in both languages, demonstrating sensitivity to the particular needs of minority official-language communities…”, there is no specific mention pertaining to the use of OL minority media.

Canadian Heritage’s Bulletin on sections 41-42 of the Act is distributed to all offices across Canada. Presentations on Part VII of the Act are made in some regions. For example, in the Central and Arctic region, the champion gave two presentations on Part VII to responsibility centre managers.

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

No structured mechanism is in place to ensure that strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the promotion of linguistic duality and the equality of status of English and French.

However, some activities during the year contributed to promoting linguistic duality. For instance, the Quebec regional office played an important role in planning and organizing the 2005 Forum on Linguistic Duality and organized a workshop on equitable participation. The Gulf region organized an OL awareness campaign that ended with participants having a chance to test their newly-acquired OL knowledge by taking part in a quiz and winning prizes. The launch of Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie in the NCR was announced in the department newsletter In the Loop/Au courant and employees were invited to attend the opening ceremony at the Canadian Museum of Civilization.

During the National Public Service Week, OL information was displayed in the lobby at headquarters. The Gulf Region celebrated the 400th Anniversary of Acadia and the Congrès mondial acadien by showing two films. A publication entitled, Acadian Fishery in Nova Scotia – 400 Years Proud was produced for the Congrès mondial acadien. Over 150 employees in Moncton attended a supper and a musical show at the Université de Moncton student club.

OVERALL RATING