Factors and Criteria

Summary of Substantiating Data

Rating

Management (15%)

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

Note: Of the more than 23,000 people who work for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), about one-fifth is federal public servants who fall under the Public Service Employment Act. However, only employees hired under the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Act (i.e., regular members and civilian members, not public servants) are the subject of this assessment exercise, including the statistics.

Program restructuring was initiated in the spring of 2007 and additional human and financial resources were allocated to the implementation of the program within the institution.

For the first time, the RCMP has a three-year action plan on OL, which was approved by the RCMP and its deputies in January 2008. This plan, updated every six months, contains objectives referring to Parts IV, V and VII of the Official Languages Act (the Act) and indicates the mandatory timelines. Senior management is kept informed of the progress being made in achieving the objectives of the Plan through director and director general (DG) meetings, briefing notes sent to senior management, discussions with the Champion and the two co-champions, as well as meetings with the deputies and the commissioner himself.

There is a separate chapter on OL in the RCMP Administration Manual, which acts as an accountability framework. This document describes the policies on staffing, language of service to the public, language of work, language training and the bilingual bonus, as well as the list of bilingual offices and communication process between the offices of various language regions. An OL management guide, which details how the chapter of OL is to be applied, was drafted and approved in 2008. A senior management performance review was implemented in 2007 based on the Management Assurance of Quality Guide, which evaluates the quality of human resources management and the application of the Act.

B

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

Unlike previous years, OL are a priority for the 2007–2008 fiscal year, highlighted by the approval of the OL chapter in the Manual and the RCMP Action Plan. A national OL communication plan was also drafted and a major OL awareness-raising and education campaign was undertaken by the RCMP’s Official Languages Directorate to make sure that members and civil servants know their OL rights and responsibilities. 

The Directorate participates in the strategic planning committees at the national level, such as the recruiting committee and the risk management planning committee for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

An OL scorecard is used as a reporting tool. This scorecard is used as an inventory through which the directors can make sure they are respecting their OL commitments at the RCMP.

OL are clearly mentioned in the Performance Report 2006–2007 submitted to the Treasury Board.

OL are on the agenda of RCMP Senior Executive Committee (SEC) meetings. The committee’s most recent discussions focussed on SEC’s commitment to implementing the OL Action Plan. The Champion is a member of the SEC and the co-champions are SEC members for HR issues. They support the OL Director with the SEC as well as in the ongoing awareness campaigns that began in April 2007.

OL are integrated into the RCMP internal audits.

The RCMP organizes an annual OL conference and the last one was held in the spring of 2007 over three days. The participants were officers responsible for OL in the regions (senior managers), regional coordinators and the OL Directorate team. The purpose of this meeting was to clarify the mandate, roles and responsibilities of key OL players, to discuss challenges, solutions, best practices and the initiatives on the program’s implementation (including complaints, section 41 and language training). Representatives from central agencies (Canadian Heritage, Canada Public Service Agency and Justice Canada) also attended, not only to make presentations to further educate key players on the Act, but also to gain a better overview of the RCMP and acquire a better understanding of the challenges facing the institution. The co-champion opened the conference and participated in the first part of the meeting.

The RCMP also participates regularly in inter-departmental OL meetings.

A

(c) Complaints and follow-up (5%)

There is a mechanism in place to deal with the complaints filed with OCOL: the national OL policy centre receives all complaints from OCOL and addresses those it considers to be systemic or to affect the institution on a national level; otherwise, they are referred to the regional OL officer in question, who works with the specific unit or units involved to resolve the issue. Most routine complaints are resolved by the responsible supervisor in cooperation with the regional OL coordinator. The regional OL officer, who is a senior manager, is made aware of all complaints within his or her region and intervenes when necessary. Information about the nature of complaints and the measures taken to resolve them is sent to SEC members.

The OL Directorate annually submits an internal follow-up report on complaints to the SEC. A similar follow-up is done in the regions to make sure that positive measures are properly implemented.

Following the audit by OCOL on the delivery of direct services to the RCMP, six recommendations were made in July 2007. An action plan was presented by the RCMP and commented on by OCOL. A follow-up on this audit will be undertaken in 2009.

A

Subtotal:

A

Service to the Public—Part IV (25%)

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

The public is aware of the RCMP’s bilingual services through Burolis, its listings in the blue pages and 1-800 numbers.

A total of 87% of employees in bilingual positions serving the public meet the language requirements of their position (Source: data from the OL Report, March 31, 2007).

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 2007, an active visual offer was present in 78% of cases, an active offer by staff was made in 19% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 69% of cases.

According to observations of service on the telephone made by OCOL between mid-June and mid-July 2007, an active offer by staff or by an automated system was made in 73% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 82% of cases.

D

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

Contracts or agreements with third parties include clauses that clearly set out the language obligations with which the third party must comply. Certain monitoring measures were put in place to ensure adequate quality of strategic services, e.g. hiring of bilingual personnel for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games. There are no other measures in place to ensure adequate quality of service to clients in both OL.

B

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

The RCMP Administration Manual sets out the obligations of RCMP employees in terms of service to the public. It educates all employees on the institution’s commitment to respecting the equal status of English and French. Furthermore, the Official Languages Reference Guide clearly specifies the obligations in terms of service to the public provided by the RCMP. This guide will be approved in 2008.

The ongoing awareness campaigns implemented by the RCMP’s OL Directorate reminds employees assigned to services to the public on how to offer and deliver services through bulletins, posters, Infoweb (bulletins posted on the RCMP intranet site) and memos.

Training sessions are organized for key stakeholders (staffing specialists for the identification of positions, senior public servants, etc.) twice a year.

Regional OL coordinators conduct inspections on an annual basis on the service provided over the telephone and in person. They also monitor whether the language designation of employees assigned to service to the public is appropriate.

C

Subtotal:

D

Language of Work—Part V (25%)

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

The RCMP Administration Manual explains the terms and conditions for managing language of work at the national level. The Official Languages Reference Guide more clearly specifies the language of work rights and obligations at the RCMP. This guide will be approved in 2008.

This guide sets out the guidelines of computer system management, work instruments, internal communications between the regions, professional training and supervision.

The RCMP conducts an annual survey on the satisfaction of RCMP members regarding the use of their language of choice and supervision in bilingual regions.

An OL component was also added to cadet training for 2007. When they arrive at the RCMP, cadets receive a kit that provides them with all the reference tools and the promotional OL awareness items.

The 2007 RCMP recruiting campaign emphasized the fact that the RCMP is an employer that respects individuals’ language rights and is recruiting police officers, regardless of their first official language or ethnic origin.

A total of 87% of supervisors in bilingual regions who must supervise employees in both OL are able to do so (Source: data from the Annual Review on Official Languages, March 31, 2007).

B

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

Verbal reminders were given in 2007 by the OL coordinators. Official reminders were made by the DG in various branches. Employees were also reminded of the importance of completing the official languages survey conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of OCOL. Each year, OCOL’s performance report card is presented to SEC and is used to remind senior management of the importance of OL at the RCMP. The presentation of the 2006-2007 report resulted in a national awareness campaign, promotional items and information sessions by the OL Directorate and the OL champions.

SEC meetings take place in both official languages. Participants can use the language of their choice. At the regional level, OL coordinators issue reminders to encourage employees to hold meetings in both OL in bilingual regions.

In order to monitor the implementation of its language of work policy, the OL Directorate uses a human resources database, as well as other relevant linguistic data, to monitor the bilingual capacity of the RCMP's supervisors and managers. This indirectly helps management determine whether or not workplaces are conducive to the effective use of both OL.

The survey conducted by Statistics Canada on behalf of OCOL showed that 64% of Francophone respondents in the National Capital Region, New Brunswick, and bilingual regions of Ontario “strongly agreed” or “mostly agreed” with the language of work policy. In Quebec, 65% of Anglophone respondents “strongly agreed” or “mostly agreed” with the language of work regime.

D

Subtotal:

C

Equitable Participation—Part VI (10%)

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

Overall, the workforce is 17.6% Francophone (Source: OLIS II, March 31, 2007).

A

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

In Quebec, the workforce is 13.8% Anglophone (Source: OLIS II, March 31, 2007).
 

A

Subtotal:

A

Development of official language minority communities and promotion of linguistic duality—Part VII (25%)

The new approach used by the RCMP has resulted in an ongoing national awareness campaign on all parts of the Act, including Part VII.

The RCMP is in the process of collecting information on the best practices and the programs offered to the communities. The representative for Part VII of the Act was appointed in August 2007 and therefore this exercise is still in the preliminary stages.

The Director of OL, the co-champions, the OL Champion and RCMP senior mangers have been made aware of their obligations as a result of the amendments to the Act. An information bulletin was distributed through the RCMP intranet site last May to education relations officers in order to make them aware of their roles and responsibilities under section 41 of the Act.

Management has put a mechanism in place to measure managers’ contact with official language minority community (OLMC) representatives under the Detachment Performance Review (DPR). The DPR is a computerized balanced scorecard that tracks organizational performance, and the updated electronic version of this system, incorporating new OL indicators, was rolled out across the country in March 2007. This system makes OLMC consultations a mandatory part of the tracking process for managers at the detachment commander level and above and will allow superiors to determine how well their subordinates are meeting some of the OL objectives the force has set itself.

When preparing the Evaluation Report and Performance Review for senior managers, their supervisor evaluates their competency profile, which includes knowledge of legislation, as well as the policies, procedures and strategic priorities applicable to the RCMP (including knowledge and application of relevant acts and regulations) and knowledge of human resources (which includes the acts, regulations, policies and best practices relating to official languages).

During SEC meetings, senior management is informed of the measures taken in relation to Part VII as well as the objectives achieved on OLMC development, as set out in the Official Languages Action Plan.

A policy and a list of positive measures for 2007 that specifically address the OLMC vitality and the promotion of linguistic duality are currently in the approval process.

A partnership has been established between the Department of Justice, the RCMP, the Correctional Service of Canada, the Canada Border Services Agency, Public Safety Canada and Canadian Heritage. These institutions meet to discuss the impact of their policies on OLMCs. These meetings focus on compiling information on the programs and services for communities, particularly OLMCs; creating links between those responsible for section 41 of the Act; and implementing follow-up mechanisms to promote a comprehensive approach to the justice system.

The RCMP prepared an annual report on section 41 of the Act, which will be submitted to the Commissioner and deputies. This report will highlight the RCMP’s achievements in terms of its obligations under Part VII of the Act.

Since the fall of 2007, the RCMP has contributed to Canadian Heritage’s Bulletin 41-42 and plans on continuing to describe the RCMP’s achievements in supporting the development and enhancing the vitality of OLMCs and in promoting English and French in Canadian society.

(a) Development of official language minority communities (12.5%)

The RCMP National Youth Strategy identifies crime prevention initiatives as well as programs aimed at reducing crime through social development. A pilot project was initiated on Prince Edward Island where liaison officers (education relations officers) use guidelines on the school liaison program in order to discuss their priorities and how to support existing activities.

RCMP partners were identified to help the institution implement positive measures related to the development and vitality of OLMCs and linguistic duality.

The RCMP contacted the Association francophone de Brooks in Alberta after an informal communication with the Canadian Heritage regional office in Alberta and the Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA) on the specific needs of the Association francophone de Brooks. The latter will send its needs in writing so that the RCMP can respond to them, taking into account its mandate and its priorities. The national coordinator for section 41 of the Act will present this association’s needs to the federal justice working group at its next meeting, scheduled for January 2008.

The Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador (FFTNL) contacted the RCMP regional coordinator for Part VII to identify the organization’s needs and to see if the RCMP has workshops/presentations on youth crime prevention. As requested by the FFTNL, the RCMP provided presentations, exercises, activities and resources on various subjects pertaining to crime prevention though the deal.org program, an initiative for young people and by young people that supports the RCMP’s youth strategy priority, and it will be sending brochures.

The Acadian Peninsula RCMP, Tracadie-Sheila Detachment, hosted the RCMP Musical Ride. A press conference was held to publicize this activity among the public. The money raised was donated to the Maison des jeunes de St-Isidore, located in a Francophone region in New Brunswick.

The OL regional coordinator in “E” Division met with a representative of the Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique to discuss a program to pair up Francophone or bilingual members with members of a detachment in their community. The coordinator and the officer in this division sent notes on this project to district commanders to promote this kind of arrangement. The coordinator and officer asked the commanders to implement positive measures such as participating in events planned by the Francophone community, holding training workshops in French schools, etc.

After this note was sent out, a meeting was held between the RCMP official languages regional coordinator in “E” Division, two employees from the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique and the director of the Fédération de la Francophonie en Colombie-Britannique. They discussed the possibility of the RCMP presenting workshops on crime prevention in French elementary and secondary schools. The RCMP will be contacting the Conseil scolaire francophone de la Colombie-Britannique regarding this matter shortly.

B

(b) Promotion of linguistic duality (12.5%)

The RCMP has taken a number of positive measures in the past year to foster the full recognition and use of both OL, both internally and in Canadian society. An awareness campaign was launched to make employees aware of their OL rights and obligations and to promote a culture change within the RCMP.

As a representative of the federal official languages committee, a member of the Prince Edward Island Division participated in the organizing committee of the “Fêtes de la Francophonie” from January to March 2007. He regularly attended meetings and discussed the strategic planning for the events and the activity schedule. The RCMP member in question and the commanding officer attended the opening of the “Fêtes de la Francophonie”. They informed the Division members about the celebrations schedule and encouraged them to participate in local events. Each detachment also received posters and flags to display in their main entrance.

“E” Division in British Columbia made French resources available for employees at the detachment library, including CDs, French grammar books, French-language music and movies.

The recruiting unit for this same division published information on the RCMP recruiting program in the BC Work Infonet bulletin and participated in the bilingual job fair organized by the Collège Éducacentre (a French-language college in British Columbia) last May.

As part of the launch for the careers in justice site by the Association des juristes d’expression française de la Colombie-Britannique, a Francophone member of the RCMP gave a presentation on a career in policing to a group of Francophone secondary school students at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver.

B

Subtotal:

B

OVERALL RATING

C