ARCHIVED - Transport Canada 2007-2008
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Report Card 2007–2008
Transport Canada (TC)
Factors and Criteria | Summary of Substantiating Data | Rating |
Management (15%) (a) An accountability framework, an action plan and accountability mechanisms are in place (5%) | An official languages (OL) accountability framework describing the roles and responsibilities of the Deputy Minister, the OL Champion and other employees responsible for the implementation of the Official Languages Act (the Act) was approved by the members of the Transport Canada Executive Committee (TMX). This framework was distributed to all Transport Canada (TC) employees on June 30, 2005. | A |
(b) Visibility of official languages in the organization (5%) | The 2007–2008 Report on Plans and Priorities deals briefly with linguistic duality in TC and the TC strategic communications plan mentions using both OL for service to the public and in the workplace. OL were also integrated into staffing standards and guidelines. TC considers a variety of human resources issues in internal departmental audits during annual risk-based planning, but OL are not part of this assessment. However, TC carries out annual telephone audits of all service points and periodically in person for certain service points; this is separate from the CPSA audits and observations by Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). OL were discussed four times by TMX, specifically with regard to the institution’s obligations under Part VII of the Act. | A |
(c) Complaints and follow-up (5%) | Guidelines are in place to resolve OL complaints filed against the Department. The notices of complaint sent by OCOL are reviewed and forwarded to the responsible director general, with a copy sent to the appropriate assistant deputy minister. The manager concerned, in consultation with the regional human resources advisor and the national OL officer, determines the measures that will be taken to rectify the situation and ensure that it does not occur again. The OL officer performs regular follow-ups until the corrective measures are put in place. For complaints under Part VII of the Act, a copy of the complaint and the corrective measures are forwarded to Canadian Heritage. Information sessions are held to address recurring, broad complaints. The Assistant Deputy Minister and the regional directors general are always kept up-to-date about exchanges of correspondence concerning any complaints and occasionally discuss the corrective measures required to resolve problems. They ensure that corrective measures are implemented to correct the situation within a reasonable timeframe. Twice each year, the national office for OL analyzes complaints by region and by program or sector. It shares this analysis with the OL Champion the Assistant Deputy Minister, Corporate Services, who raise the issue at TMX meetings, if necessary, or individually with the branch head concerned. | A |
Subtotal: | A | |
Service to the public—Part IV (25%) (a) Bilingual services advertised to the public and sufficient bilingual staff (3%) | Some of the services that TC offers are intended for a restricted clientele whose language preference is known. The telephone numbers of all offices are listed in the blue pages of telephone directories. Bilingual offices are also listed in Burolis. | 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 79% of cases; an active offer by staff was made in 24% of cases, while service in the language of the linguistic minority was adequate in 72% of cases. | D |
(c) Service agreements delivered by third parties or in partnership provide for the delivery of bilingual services (2%) | TC contracts contain a language clause that was developed by the Department. TC has also drafted a policy on service delivery by third parties. Since January 2006, the policy has been part of the departmental Procurement and Materiel Management Guide. The different courses that deal with contracts were updated to reflect the new policy. | B |
(d) Policy on service to the public and bilingual services quality monitoring (5%) | Transport Canada does not have an OL policy or guidelines for service to the public and uses those of Treasury Board. The policies, reports and work tools are posted on the intranet. The self-assessment guide of the preparation process of the Annual Review to the CPSA and the TC Accountability Framework are used to determine the roles and responsibilities of each employee at TC. TC regularly reminds employees of their responsibility to greet the public and provide service of equal quality in both OL and shows employees how to do so through various forums: newsletter articles, discussions and correspondence within divisions and directorates, as well as discussions in management committees. Policies, guidelines, manuals and other work tools are available to employees on TC’s intranet site. All electronic articles in Inside TC, TC Express, and on the What’s New page and The OLLO Corner of the intranet site refer employees to the official languages site where they can find tools to help them understand their OL rights and responsibilities. These regular communications help increase the visibility of OL and thus remind employees of the importance of their language obligations towards their clients. During the fall of 2007, several presentations were given to managers concerning their obligations, especially with regard to bilingual service to the public and language of work. An information circular was prepared to provide air operators with directives on the delivery of bilingual announcements for passengers sitting next to an emergency exit window in compliance with the Act. The circular was distributed on December 7, 2007 to all TC Civil Aviation staff, as well as air operators subject to Subpart 705 of the Canadian Aviation Regulations. The Department carries out a spot check of telephone service to the public in both OL every year. During these calls, the institution also verifies the addresses of the service points and makes the necessary changes to Burolis. During 2007, CPSA and TC carried out audits in certain regions. A new nationwide audit is planned before the end of the year. | C |
Subtotal: | C | |
Language of work—Part V (25%) | The current language of work policy is that of Treasury Board, except that it includes guidelines specific to the Department’s initiatives and requirements. The policies, guidelines, reports and work tools are posted on the intranet. TC has guidelines concerning the use of electronic networks in both OL and added two new pages, including The OLLO Corner, which includes all articles for employees and managers, as well as a directory of forms and templates for regional OL coordinators and staffing consultants. | B |
(b) Use of each official language in the workplace (12.5%) | In the NCR, the Atlantic Region and the Quebec Region, information sessions were offered in 2007 and tools were developed for employees and managers in relation to supervision, oral and written communications, as well as meetings and conferences, to foster a bilingual work environment. | B |
Subtotal: | B | |
Equitable participation—Part VI (10%) | Overall, the workforce is 30.4% Francophone (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2007). | A |
(b) Percentage of Anglophone participation in Quebec (5%) | In Quebec, the workforce is 9.9% Anglophone (Source: PCIS, March 31, 2007). | A |
Subtotal: | A | |
Development of official language minority communities and promotion of linguistic dualityPart VII (25%)
| In the past, TC did not take the promotion of linguistic duality into account when it prepared Treasury Board submissions and memoranda to Cabinet. Now, the Official Languages Accountability Framework provides that the Department shall do so when preparing these documents. Each executive committee member is individually responsible for “actively advancing the equal status of English and French in Canada” during operational planning for his or her branch and in the development of policies for the transportation sector. Moreover, the Accountability Framework provides that the Policy Group at TC headquarters is responsible for assessing the impact that program proposals or program changes will have on minority communities (OLMCs) and on promotion of linguistic duality in Canadian society.
The Accountability Framework and the different action plans of regional branch heads and sector heads will be amended in 2008-2009 to reflect the changes resulting from the implementation of Part VII, including the creation of the advisory committee, which will support OLMC development and the promotion of linguistic duality. The advisory committee is planning to hold its first meeting in March 2008. | |
(a) Development of official language minority communities (12.5%)
| During the last year, OLMC development was discussed three times by TMX, a consultation with management was held during the program review, and Canadian Heritage checklists were distributed to executives in order to make them aware and remind them of their obligations. TC’s Legal Services were also made aware of the obligations under Part VII of the Act. | B |
(b) Promotion of linguistic duality (12.5%) | Twice a year, during Les Rendez-vous de la Francophonie and National Public Service Week, the Department organizes activities to promote linguistic duality, such as quizzes with prizes. A number of promotional items are distributed to promote linguistic duality in the Department. An information booth is set up at TC where employees and the public can obtain further information about TC initiatives and programs and the institution’s commitment to OL. | B |
Subtotal: | B | |
OVERALL RATING | B |