Management (15%)

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

Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) does not have an accountability framework as such that outlines official languages (OL) roles and responsibilities and how the obligations under the various parts of the Official Languages Act (the Act) are to be fulfilled.

However, the Human Resources Section of the Department's intranet site identifies OL partners and describes the roles and responsibilities of the OL Champion and Co-Champion, and of senior management. It also identifies the regional resource persons that oversee language training.  

The site includes links to the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC), concerning, among others, policies and directives, as well as the rights and obligations of employees. A document on corporate services describes the various OL responsibilities vested in Human Resources. OL guiding principles are included in the Department's integrated planning process. The OL Accountability and Coordination Framework, which is part of the Government of Canada's Action Plan for Official Languages, has been incorporated into INAC's Management Accountability Framework.
 
A work plan is in place for the Official Languages Section. Although not structured around Parts IV, V, VI and VII of the Act, it does include a list of activities, people in charge, partners, timelines and costs. The Plan was approved by the Director General, Human Resources, and the OL Champion. 

The achievement of the Work Plan's objectives is assessed while preparing the OL Annual Review (full review), which is submitted to PSHRMAC and signed by the Deputy Minister. The complaints table is also used, if necessary, to better understand the overall situation of OL in the institution and to make any adjustments.    

C

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

To ensure compliance with the Treasury Board Secretariat's People Component of the Management Accountability Framework, INAC has developed an integrated planning process for activities and human resources that includes OL guiding principles and that takes into consideration OL. The OL Manager attends all planning meetings. OL are implicitly included in the diversity component of the Strategic Plan.
  
The Report on Plans and Priorities 2006-2007 and the Performance Measurement Report 2005-2006 do not refer to OL. An internal audit on OL was conducted in 1999. No such audit is planned this year.

An email inviting all employees to read the OL Annual Review was sent out in June 2006. The Champion is an assistant deputy minister and serves on the Management Committee. He presents matters related to OL at Management Committee meetings, as he did at the January 2006 meeting when he reminded members of the importance of bilingualism in terms of language of work and service to the public. At this meeting, he also provided statistics on OL complaints for the 2004-2005 fiscal year and shared OL guiding principles. The Associate Deputy Minister serves on the Committee of Deputy Ministers on Official Languages. The OL Champion and Co-Champion actively participate in the Network of departmental champions. 

The Champion interacts with the person responsible for Parts IV, V and VI of the Act. The person responsible for Part VII also serves on the Management Committee and therefore liaises with the Champion. There is no formal coordination mechanism among the Champion, the person responsible for OL and the Coordinator of Part VII of the Act.

C

c) Complaints (5%)

Few complaints have been lodged at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). INAC has an informal mechanism to handle and resolve complaints. When a complaint is received at the Deputy Minister's Office, it is forwarded to the people concerned so that they may respond and rectify the situation. The senior manager of each sector is also informed of any complaints that require action on his or her part. Every year, the Champion receives a complaints table, which includes the subject, action taken and the status of complaints. INAC reports complaints received in its annual review to PSHRMAC.

B

Sub-total:

C

Service to the Public - Part IV (25%)

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

Offices designated bilingual are listed in Burolis, the blue pages and on the Department's Internet site. There have been no recent changes of address for INAC's bilingual offices.

A total of 91% of employees in bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements for 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 73% 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 73% 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 60% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 53% of cases.

D

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

Service contracts with third parties and partners contain a clause on OL that sets out the obligations of third parties in terms of service delivery, communications with the public and respect of language of work of employees. Program managers ensure that the clause is included in service contracts and verify the content of the clause. 

There are no control mechanisms in place to confirm whether third parties offer quality services in both OL.

C

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

INAC applies PSHRMAC's Policy on the Use of Official Languages for Communications with and Services to the Public. Employees can follow a link provided on the Department's intranet site to consult this policy. There is no Department-specific policy or guidelines.

A reminder was sent out in June 2006 and in September 2006 regarding service to the public and the importance of active offer. The OL Unit conducts periodic follow-ups to ensure that service by telephone is offered in both official languages.

C

Sub-total:

D

Language of Work - Part V (25%)

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

INAC applies PSHRMAC’s Policy on Language of Work. Employees can follow a link provided on the Department’s intranet site to consult this policy. INAC has a document on the use of both official languages in the Department.

The Champion and Co-Champion attended the national conference of the Committee for the Advancement of Native Employees to provide answers and find solutions to official languages issues raised by the Committee, among others, relating to the use of both OL in the workplace.

The departmental library sends messages to all INAC employees to remind them that they have access to a number of online dictionaries, translation tools and language training tools. The tools and resources are available on the Department’s intranet site. In March 2006, a training manual on OL and staffing data entry in the PeopleSoft database was developed for administrative assistants. The OL Champion also sends out a congratulatory letter to employees who successfully complete their language training. Employees are given a pamphlet, Tips for Maintaining your New Language Skills, and pins intended to encourage them to retain what they have learned. The Department has also developed language games to make second language learning more fun. A new game is available every month. The National Capital Region (NCR) and Nova Scotia offices have in-house French teachers. There is a Deputy Ministers’ Pride and Recognition Award in the promotion of official languages category.

As of March 31, 2006, the Position and Classification Information System (PCIS) indicated that 90% of senior management and 91% 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%)

As part of Bilingualism Day, held during National Public Service Week, the OL Annual Review, submitted to PSHRMAC, was shared with all employees by email. This year, no reminders were sent to managers to encourage the use of the official language of the linguistic minority in the workplace in regions designated bilingual for the purpose of language of work. However, at the beginning of meetings, those present are encouraged to use the official language of their choice. A sample poster is available for meeting rooms. Management Committee meetings are held in both official languages. INAC uses the results of the Public Service Employee Survey to monitor application of the Policy on Language of Work and reports on this in its annual report to PSHRMAC.

The Public Service Employee Survey showed that overall, 72% of Francophone respondents in the NCR, New Brunswick and in bilingual regions of Ontario "strongly agreed" or "mostly agreed" with the language of work regime. Due to the small number of Anglophone respondents in the bilingual regions of Québec, OCOL was not in a position to use the results of the 2005 Public Service Employee Survey.

C

Sub-total:

C

Equitable Participation  - Part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 31.3% Francophone. (Source, PCIS , March 31, 2006 )

A

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 3.6% 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%)

INAC does not have a permanent formal mechanism in place to ensure that strategic planning, and policy and program development take into account the obligation to foster the development of Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs). An OL checklist is used when preparing memoranda to Cabinet, but it does not specifically address the impact on OLMCs. 

Further to the amendments to the Act, the new obligations were presented at a Management Committee meeting. Presently, the Acting Director General, Northern Affairs Program, is responsible for Part VII. Liaison with OLMCs is done at the regional level. The Regional Director General or the Assistant Regional Director communicates with OLMCs.  

INAC is an active member of the National Committee for Economic Development and Employability and is assisting in the development of the national agreement on community economic development and employability between federal departments and the Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE). At a workshop for managers and officers held in April 2006, discussions took place on the amendments to the Act and interventions with OLMCs.   

OLMCs were consulted in the development of the Strategic Investments in Northern Economic Development Program to determine their needs. The implementation framework for the Innovation and Knowledge Projects, and the Targeted Investment Program indicates that special attention will be given to the needs of OLMCs. The Francophone economic development associations in the three territories have benefited from the funding under these programs. For example, the Association des francophones du Nunavut (AFN) received funding for a cultural tourism initiative and for a business incubator feasibility study.

INAC has not begun reviewing its policies and programs to identify which have an impact on the vitality of OLMCs. However, some positive measures have already been taken. For example, the Department has allocated funds to the Association franco-yukonnaise so that it can purchase a building to house all of Whitehorse's Francophone associations under one roof in order to promote tourism in the North. INAC also participates in the Interdepartmental Partnership with the Official Language Communities (IPOLC). As part of this agreement, INAC has committed to consult with OLMC representatives to develop initiatives to meet the needs of these communities.

Awareness was raised among senior management regarding the responsibilities arising from the amendments to the Act and the obligation to take positive measures during Management Committee discussions on how to take OLMCs needs into account. INAC is represented at the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development and at the Réseau national de développement économique francophone. INAC has begun developing an action plan to foster the development of OLMCs in the regions by drafting a discussion paper on performance measurement and the next steps.

C

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

INAC does not have a permanent mechanism in place to ensure that strategic planning, and policy and program development take into account the promotion of linguistic duality.  

Further to the amendments to the Act, new obligations were presented at a Management Committee meeting. Presently, the Northern Affairs Program is responsible for Part VII. Managers and officers were made aware of the amendments to the Act at a workshop held in April 2006. The Department has not begun reviewing its policies and programs to identify which have an impact on linguistic duality. 

Linguistic duality is promoted as part of Bilingualism Day, for example. This year, the OL team organized a trivia contest. Participants were tested on their knowledge of the Act. Other events, such as French film screenings and language games, were organized as part of the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie. An email is also sent to all employees to encourage work units to highlight linguistic duality. A permanent exhibit of OL materials was set up in the lobby of the main building. 

INAC is implementing a project sponsored by the OL Co-Champion to promote Native culture through language training. A training session that will allow Native Anglophone employees to broaden their knowledge of Native, Métis, Inuit, English and French culture, while learning French, is planned for February 2007 in the city of Québec. Project organizers received the Deputy Ministers' Pride and Recognition Award for the promotion of official languages, which is awarded every year at the award ceremony.  

INAC has begun developing an action plan to promote linguistic duality by drafting a discussion paper on performance measurement and the next steps. INAC is represented at the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development and at the Réseau national de développement économique francophone.

C

Sub-total:

C

OVERALL RATING

C