I am very pleased to introduce this third edition
of the guide on chairing bilingual meetings.
The guide is intended for federal Public Service
employees who, in bilingual regions, have to chair meetings
involving both English-speaking and French-speaking
employees.
As you know, in 1988 the Parliament of Canada
adopted a new Official Languages Act. This Act, among
other things, gives force of law to several policies already
adopted over the years by federal institutions. In the area of
language of work, for instance, federal institutions now have the
duty to ensure that work environments are conducive to the
effective use of both official languages and accommodate the use
of either language by officers and employees.
This provision applies to those offices located
in the four regions prescribed in the Act: The National Capital
Region; parts of Quebec, including the Montreal region; northern
and eastern Ontario; and New Brunswick. These are the regions, in
fact, where English and French are commonly spoken.
The federal government's policy on the use of
official languages in bilingual regions stipulates that where
English-speaking and French-speaking employees participate in
meetings together, every effort must be made to ensure that the
discussions can be held in both official languages, without
constraint, at the choice of the participants.
Meetings are a particularly important forum for
communicating. Each participant must feel perfectly free to
participate, using either English or French or both in the same
meeting, according to the individual's choice.
In these regions, although much progress has been
made, the choice of language at meetings is still often the
result of the circumstances in which the meeting is held rather
than the participants' actual linguistic preferences.
Accordingly, we expect those who chair meetings to exercise
whatever leadership is necessary to ensure the equality of status
of English and French at meetings.
I trust that this guide will help you to better
understand the importance of your management role in the creation
of a work environment open to both official languages and that it
will enable you to chair your bilingual meetings with even more
conviction and skill.
I. D. Clark
Secretary of the Treasury Board
This Guide presents the basic tools needed to
chair bilingual meetings in a professional manner.
No matter how much experience you have in leading
bilingual meetings, or how successful you have been in the past,
this Guide will help you to chair them even more confidently,
more skilfully and, all in all, more easily. Good intentions are
not enough. They are necessary, of course, but they must be
accompanied by strategies and techniques appropriate to the
situation and the objectives sought.
Good intentions are not enough
The guide reflects the experience of experts in
the art of chairing meetings in both official languages. It is
being published to suggest ways to help you create in your
meetings an atmosphere in which participants will feel truly free
to use their preferred official language.
In this context, the Treasury Board Secretariat
produced a video in 1990 entitled "First item - Premier point" in
which Deputy Ministers and senior executives from different
organizations give their views both on the conduct of bilingual
meetings and on other aspects of bilingualism in the workplace.
This video is available in all federal institutions.
For any questions about this Guide, consult your
institution's Official Languages Branch, or the Treasury Board
Secretariat's Official Languages Policy Interpretation
Service.
Happy reading, and good luck in your
meetings!
Before the meeting
To chair a meeting successfully in both official
languages, you must consider bilingualism from the moment you
start preparing for the meeting. Nothing must be left to
chance.
Letter of invitation
Send each participant's invitation in his or her
first official language, or use a bilingual letter.
The participants will not assume that the
meeting will be bilingual simply because the letter of invitation
is bilingual.
Note that the participants will not assume that
the meeting will be bilingual simply because the letter of
invitation is bilingual. You must say so in the letter! Also
state what arrangements have been made for unilingual
participants, if any, to follow the discussions.
The agenda
Generally speaking, the agenda must be prepared
in both official languages, but how this is done will depend on
the type of meeting. The chair can choose any one of the
following procedures:
- If the meeting is fairly important or official in nature,
prepare the agenda in both official languages.
- For regular division meetings and the like, prepare the
agenda in English for one meeting, in French for the next, and so
on.
- For regular unit or section meetings, prepare some agenda
items in English and some in French, with a fair balance between
the two.
It is sometimes a good idea to also state on the
agenda that the meeting will be held in both official languages,
and to indicate what arrangements have been made for unilinguals
to take part in the discussions.
Documentation
Documents used in bilingual meetings must
normally be made available in both official languages. However,
depending on the circumstances and the type of meeting, one of
the following procedures can be used:
- See that all documents that already exist in both official
languages are distributed in both languages.
- Encourage authors of working papers to prepare them in their
first official language. Do the same for drafts of important
documents that will be produced in both official languages in
final form, if their distribution justifies it. That will help
create a truly bilingual environment in your organization.
- Translate drafts to be sent to several departments for
comment.
- Hand out bilingual glossaries relating to the subjects to be
discussed. The participants can use them to familiarize
themselves with the key words and the acronyms most frequently
used in discussions. If necessary, contact the Terminology
Directorate of the Secretary of State Department's Translation
Bureau for help.
Secretarial services for the meeting
A major factor in organizing a successful
bilingual meeting is the ability of the responsible secretary to
function in both official languages: it is the secretary who
establishes the bilingual environment for the meeting. The chair
should therefore:
- designate a secretary who can discuss, in both official
languages, the items on the agenda, the preparation of the
supporting documents and the follow-up to the meeting;
- tell the secretary what official languages objectives are to
be achieved so that he or she can take them into account when
dealing with the participants;
- if a functionally bilingual secretary is not available,
appoint two secretaries, one to handle questions in English and
the other questions in French.
One chair or two co-chairs
Once you have set up your secretariat you might
ask yourself whether you are comfortable enough in your second
language to chair the bilingual meeting. Being at ease does not
mean being able to speak your second language without an accent
and without structural or grammatical errors. But is does mean
being able to understand the participants well and to take part
in the discussions fairly easily, while being aware of your
limitations.
Being at ease does not mean being able to
speak your second language without an accent and without
structural or grammatical errors.
If you are asked to chair a bilingual meeting,
and wonder whether you will be able to do it, consider these
points:
- If your only problem is stage fright, dive right in - you
will probably be successful.
- If you are not comfortable in your second language, however,
you can either force yourself to chair the meeting anyway, or you
can pick a co-chairperson to help you, especially if this is your
first meeting. If you decide on the latter course, choose someone
who has the necessary knowledge and the appropriate level of
authority, or the group may doubt your commitment to your
specific language-of-work objective. Explain your expectations
clearly to your chosen co-chair.
- If you are not at all comfortable in your second language,
and it is not possible to have a co-chair, refer to the section
on unilingualism on page 14.
Bridging the language gap
Unless you wish to play the role of linguistic
link yourself, assign someone to summarize the essential elements
of the discussion for time to time during the meeting for the
benefit of unilingual participants. Carrying out this function
well is very important but far from easy. It requires not only
good linguistic ability but also judgment in making concise
summaries of proceedings - qualities that are not always found in
a single individual.
Given the tenacity of old work habits,
resistance to change can come from both the majority and the
minority language groups.
Choose the person carefully; then discuss your
expectations with the one selected and explain that only the
major points and decisions that concern the unilingual
participants directly are to be summarized.
If necessary, designate two different persons,
one to summarize into French, the other into English. If the
nature of the meeting requires it, you can call on professional
interpreters.
The contribution of participants
Given the tenacity of old work habits, resistance
to change can come from both the majority and the minority
language groups. To create a climate conducive to the free use of
both official languages in meetings, the chair can, where the
context is suitable, make arrangements such as the following:
- Suggest to some members of the minority language group that
they participate in the discussions, or make all or part of their
presentations in their first official language.
- Suggest to a few members of the majority language group that
they speak in the other language occasionally during the
meeting.
In both cases, choose the people who are likely
to have the greatest positive influence on the group. Their
behaviour will serve as an example and encourage the other
participants. However, you should ensure that their contributions
are not confined to trivial subjects and that all participants
fully understand that the goal is to create an atmosphere
conducive to the free use of both official languages.
Visual reinforcement
It is very important that as soon as participants
enter the conference room, they receive visual confirmation that
the institution supports and encourages the holding of meetings
in both official languages.
Federal institutions are therefore strongly
encouraged to have their policy on bilingual meetings permanently
posted in their conference rooms.
They may also find it useful to place small signs
on the tables inviting the participants to feel free to use
either official language.
This will show the participants that the meeting
is bilingual because of the institution's official policy, not
just by virtue of your own initiative.
During the Meeting
The most interesting and decisive phase begins
when the participants arrive.
Opening the meeting
It is your responsibility as the chair to convey
to the participants that the meeting is to be bilingual, and that
each person is free to speak in either official language. To do
that you can choose from several ways of proceeding.
The responsibility for breaking the ice is yours.
Use both official languages from the time the meeting begins, and
invite the participants to feel free to use their preferred
official language.
If you cannot do this, and if you have a
co-chair, call on that person, and make it clear that he or she
has your support. If you do not have a co-chair see the section
on unilingualism on page 14.
If you think it would be useful to you or to the
group, mention your own level of fluency in the second language.
If, for example, you cannot speak your second language with ease,
tell them so, but still keep using it.
If you have only a "receptive" knowledge of your
second language - that is, you can follow the discussion in that
language but cannot participate - say so, and add that you will
rely on your co-chair for help as needed. However, in that case
make it very clear that you do not want your inability to speak
your second language to discourage the participants from using
that language when they address you or speak to each other.
The presence of unilinguals is not to prevent
anyone from using his or her first official language.
Ask the participants whether they understand both
official languages. If any do not, tell them that they will be
given short summaries in their first official language of the
discussions and decisions that concern them, and of any
information that is of particular interest to them. Introduce the
person who has agreed to carry out this role.
However, remind the participants that the
presence of unilinguals is not to prevent anyone from using his
or her first official language.
It is important that from the start of the
meeting you are able to create an atmosphere in which all
participants feel that their rights are being respected, and are
free to use their official language. The presence of one or more
unilingual persons should not create an obstacle to holding
bilingual meetings.
Avoid placing all the onus for bilingualism on
the participants from the less well represented language group,
for example by suggesting that the meeting be held in one
language only. Use of both official languages is not optional,
nor can it be put to a vote!
When members of both official language groups
participate in a meeting, no question should be considered so
urgent or so important that discussion in both official languages
is impossible. Otherwise, our meetings would probably always be
held in just one language!
Presentations and discussions
Once the meeting is under way, do not lose sight
of your objective in the heat of the discussion. Be flexible and
tolerant but do not allow the group to fall back into its old
ways. Provide discreet but effective leadership to encourage
change by ensuring that the atmosphere of the meeting will truly
enable the participants from both language groups to use their
preferred official language freely. The following techniques can
enable you to create the conditions necessary for free use of
both official languages:
Leadership
If you are able, switch from one official
language to the other during the meeting. This will help the
participants fell free to use either official language.
Assistance of participants
If you feel that the group is reverting to a way
of functioning that suggests that only one language is authorized
and considered worthwhile, call on the participants who agreed to
support you before the meeting. Have them speak in the language
they agreed to use then by addressing them in that language.
Immediate positive reinforcement
Speak in the official language that is used less
often during the meeting.
Sometimes address those who seldom or never use
their first official language in that language.
Encourage those who speak in the language of the
minority group by continuing in the same language.
Receptive bilingualism
People who understand their second language but
are not able to express themselves in that language can also be
helpful. Help them feel relaxed enough that they can play a
positive role in their openness to bilingualism, and can find an
opportunity in these meetings to use their second language.
Switch from one official language to the
other during the meeting.
Remind the participants that when people respond
in their first language to a question put to them in their second
language, it does not necessarily mean that they want to be
addressed in their first language. The dialogue can continue in
this bilingual format, with each person using his or her first
official language.
Continuing efforts
Suppose you have given all the necessary
explanations and assurances, but you still sense that the group
is not fully behind you. Be patient and persevere. Institutional
change cannot be rushed, but it can be encouraged.
Participants will have had different experiences
and may not be as willing to change as you are.
In the past, employees have often found that
announcements of bilingual meetings, and invitations to
participate in these meetings in both official languages, did
little to change the behaviour of the group. The chair was
frequently ill-prepared to assume this responsibility, and so
could not always bring about real change. The result was that
meetings continued to take place in one language only.
Be aware of these problems. Try not to be overly
eager, especially during the first meetings. But don't give
up!
Institutional change cannot be rushed, but
it can be encouraged.
The purpose of this Guide is not to force the
participants to behave in a way they do not want to behave. Its
goal is to help remove the systemic and psychological barriers
that can hamper the use of both official languages in meetings
and to set out the key elements you will need in order to
establish a work environment conducive to the use of the two
languages in meetings.
Closing the Meeting
When the meeting is about to end you can proceed
to the following:
Written communications
Tell the participants that they may prepare all
documents in their first official language, whether in draft or
in final form.
Planning for translation
Determine, on the basis of a real need, which
documents are to be translated and when.
Evaluation
If you want to make progress in the area,
discreetly try to find out what some of the participants think of
the way you chaired the meeting and of their own performance in
using both official languages. Make a note of the methods that
gave good results or turned out to be inappropriate, as well as
of any suggestions or criticisms made.
Keep at it
Don't feel that you have failed if your first
meetings do not go the way to want: keep trying!
After the Meeting
All follow-up to the meeting should reflect its
bilingual nature. You, as chair, must ensure that these steps are
taken.
Minutes
Minutes should normally be prepared in both
official languages. However, depending on the circumstances (for
example, if all the participants are bilingual), chairpersons can
use one of the following formats:
- Prepare the minutes of a series of meetings all in English
one time and all in French the next. This will help the
participants improve their knowledge of their second language and
facilitate preparation of the minutes.
- Prepare part of the minutes in English and the rest in
French.
Translation
You can team up anglophone and francophone
employees to produce short bilingual documents, like minutes,
without resorting to translation.
You can also call on your department's writing
assistance and editing service if it has one.
Reinforcement
It may be wise to tell participants who support
your efforts in meetings that you appreciate their contribution.
This will encourage them, reinforce their behaviour and have a
positive influence on the other members of the group.
Your techniques, approach and behaviour will vary
according to the type of meeting you are chairing. An
interdepartmental meeting is not chaired in exactly the same way
as a unit meeting.
This section presents some of the special
features associated with certain types of meetings which we could
not deal with in the preceding general discussion.
Interdepartmental meetings
Interdepartmental meetings should adhere closely
to bilingualism requirements. The chairing of the meeting (by one
person or two) must be bilingual enough to keep the meeting
moving steadily. The use of both official languages should be a
positive element in the meeting, leading to better participation
and better communication.
Depending on the number of participants and the
nature of the meeting, you could call on someone to play the role
of linguistic link to summarize proceedings for the unilinguals,
or you could call in professional interpreters.
In certain circumstances, when you call a
meeting, the invitation could indicate that participants will be
free to use their preferred official language and that there will
be no interpretation service. It will then be up to the invited
organizations to take this into account in choosing their
representatives. In this case, the documents can be in either
official language.
Branch or interbranch meetings within a
department
In general, the chair would handle these meetings
in the same way as interdepartmental ones. What happens at this
level will serve as an example for the other levels of your
department or agency. Participants should be invited and
encouraged to make their presentations in their first official
language.
Bilingualism should be a positive element
in the meeting, leading to better communication.
If the presentations and discussions are likely
to last for a long time (as in information meetings), and the
number of participants from both language groups is large enough,
it may be appropriate to call two separate meetings, one in
English and the other in French. Bilingual employees who seldom
have the opportunity to use their second language can then be
invited to attend the meeting in their second language.
In some cases it may be useful to have
simultaneous interpretation.
Meeting with a task force
Sometimes a task force is set up in a branch with
a mandate to discuss a question with other branches.
It is essential that the branch responsible for
the task force ensure that it has the bilingual capacity required
to hold its meetings in both official languages. This should be
kept in mind in choosing the outside specialists.
Division or section meetings
You can approach division or section meetings in
a less formal manner given the smaller number of participants,
their greater familiarity with each other and their common work
routine. Why not establish objectives for yourself and evaluate
your progress?
Defining the goals
As chairperson, you may find it appropriate to
define with your group the language of work goals to be attained.
Each member will then be personally committed to the endeavour,
and it will be easier for you to evaluate your group's progress.
For example, you can propose (without making it an obligation)
that the group increase its use of one of the languages, and then
work together to achieve that goal. When there are only a few
members of the minority group, be particularly careful that the
group target takes into account their legitimate
expectations.
An example, depending on the level of
bilingualism of your group, you might decide to achieve your
target by discussing in French the items appearing on the agenda
in French, and discussing in English the items appearing in
English.
Evaluating progress
To help you track the group's progress toward its
goal, you might also find it useful to designate one of the
participants, or a person from outside the group, to act as an
observer at your meetings. After a meeting, this person would
report to the group on what he or she has noted about the group's
use of the official languages (strong points and weak points).
You could then discuss these comments with your group.
A few months later, you might wish to review with
your group the perceptions they had at the beginning, and see, by
their attitudes and behaviour, whether things have improved or
deteriorated.
If the behaviour and attitude of some of the
participants do not seem to be helping to create an atmosphere
conducive to the use of both official languages, discuss this
with them after a meeting. There may be good reasons for their
behaviour, even if it is only old work habits (leaving them
unaccustomed to thinking, discussing and working bilingually with
their colleagues) or an insufficient grasp of technical
vocabulary. Ask them how you can help.
Meetings with simultaneous
interpretation
Simultaneous interpretation is a useful tool. The
chair must still monitor the situation carefully, and not take
for granted that the meeting will proceed in a bilingual format
simply because simultaneous interpretation is provided. By
directing the secretarial services and the discussions
effectively, the chair will facilitate the work of the
interpreters, and also see that the participants take full
advantage of this service by using their first official
language.
Preparing for the meeting
Ask your secretarial service to send the
following preparatory materials to the interpreters several days
before the meeting, if possible:
- all documents relating to the meeting, in both official
languages and in the order in which they will be discussed;
- a list of the names and titles of the participants and of
their institutions in both official languages;
- the principal acronyms and technical terms (in English and
French) likely to be used at the meeting;
- the written texts (both English and French versions) of the
presentations.
Ensure that enough microphones are ordered for
the conference room so that the interpreters will be able to hear
all of the participants, including those who will be making
presentations using charts and tables.
Make certain that there are enough headphones for
all participants, so that each one can hear the interpretation.
Your bilingual participants can always use them as a backup
system to hear some speakers better.
During the meeting
From the outset of the meeting, encourage the
participants to take full advantage of the simultaneous
interpretation services provided by using their first official
language.
Remind the speakers to use the microphones, since
the interpreters can translate only what they can hear.
A member of your secretarial services should be
assigned to remain in contact with the interpreters during the
meeting, to attend to such matters as giving them copies of
formal resolutions made during the deliberations, and to handle
problems with microphones or with participants who speak too
rapidly.
If the participants use only one language during
the meeting, remind them from time to time that you have provided
translation services precisely so that they can use either
official language.
Some people believe that the success of a
bilingual meeting depends only on the bilingual capability of the
person who is presiding. This is certainly an important factor
but it is not the only prerequisite for a successful bilingual
meeting.
Prerequisites can be grouped into three
categories: those having to do with the institutions itself,
which are by far the most important; those that depend on the
management style of the chair; and those related to language
skills.
Institutions
The 1988 Official Languages Act requires
federal institutions to establish work environments conducive to
the use of both official languages in bilingual regions, so that
each employee can use either one.
To this end, federal institutions should clearly
have a policy on language use in meetings.
- This policy must, of course, be communicated to employees by
the institution, and a summary of the policy should be posted
permanently in its meeting rooms.
- The institution should also remind its employees, using
notices or signs placed on the meeting tables, that they may use
either or both of the official languages.
- The institution should in this, as in other areas of the
official languages program, set itself goals to be achieved in a
given year (dissemination and posting of the policy, French
terminology appropriate to the organization's mandate, etc.), and
measure the progress made.
- From time to time the institution should evaluate, with the
participants and chairpersons, the progress made in implementing
the policy.
Management style of the chair
- Those chairing meetings must use their leadership skills to
attain the institution's language of work goals. They must
therefore take an open, innovative approach to the subject, so
that they can create an atmosphere conducive to the use of both
official languages and obtain the participants' support for the
institutions' goals.
- Chairpersons must be aware of the constraints with which they
must cope. They must know the goals they seek and the forces at
work in the situation, and they must direct their meetings
accordingly. The chair must be able to combine flexibility with
tenacity and be sensitive to the sometimes contradictory needs of
the participants.
Languages skills
Completely bilingual chair
If the chair is able to converse easily in both
official languages, then he or she is fully equipped to succeed
in this role. Such a person will make judicious use of both
languages and also encourage participants in meetings to feel
free to use either or both officials.
Obviously, apart from those who are "perfectly"
bilingual, people who learn their second language later in life
usually speak it less fluently than their first. This is normal,
and no cause for alarm. Do you speak your second language with
the accent of your first? Do you sometimes make errors in
sentence construction? Do you sometimes have to search for the
right word? Those small language deficiencies simply mean that
the language you are using is not your first official language;
they are of little importance if you succeed in making yourself
understood, and if everyone in your meetings feels free to use
his or her preferred official language.
Receptive bilingualism
Receptive bilinguals are those who understand
their second language, but have little or no ability to speak it.
Such people can make a much more valuable contribution toward the
achievement of a language of work objective than is generally
believed, and at the same time they can become more actively
bilingual.
Receptive bilinguals can chair bilingual meetings
if they are well supported and well organized. This implies
judicious use of the techniques of this Guide, showing unfailing
determination, and giving constant positive reinforcement to
participants who address the chair in their second language. In
this way a passively bilingual chair can turn into an advantage
what some may consider a handicap.
Unilingualism
If your duties require you to chair bilingual
meetings fairly often, and you do not feel capable of doing this
properly, it is up to you to do what is necessary to prevent this
Guide from becoming a dead letter. You could take or continue
language training, so that you can fully assume your
responsibilities. During this transition period, you could use a
co-chair to help you. If that is not possible, ask someone else
to chair your meetings so as not to delay unduly the creation of
a work environment conducive to the use of both official
languages.
Discuss the matter with your immediate superior
and your official languages director, or the official languages
director, or the official languages program administrator in your
organization. They are in a good position to advise you on how to
acquire, as quickly as possible, the ability to chair these
meetings yourself. Other people have done it - why not you
too?
Now it is up to you to choose the techniques
that, in keeping with your management style and the type of
meetings you chair, will create a climate conducive to the free
use of both official languages by the participants. You will
certainly develop other workable ideas of your own.
Please tell us about the, by writing directly to
the (Note: this is the most recent address and differs from the
one found in the paper version of this publication):
Treasury Board Secretariat
Official Languages and Employment Equity Branch
Consultation and Client Services Division
300 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0R5
Do you sometimes search for the right
word?... This is of little importance if you make yourself
understood, and if everyone in your meeting feels free to use his
or her preferred official language.
To hold a meeting
|
Tenir une réunion
|
To convene (to call) a meeting
|
Convoquer une réunion
|
To attend a meeting
|
Assister à une réunion
|
To sit on a committee
|
Participer aux travaux d'un comité
|
The quorum is reached
|
Le quorum est atteint
|
Order please!
|
À l'ordre s.v.p.!
|
The meeting is called to order
|
La séance est ouverte
|
Adoption of the agenda
|
Adoption de l'ordre du jour
|
Item on the agenda
|
Point à l'ordre du jour
|
To include in (add to) the agenda
|
Ajouter à l'ordre du jour
|
To remove from the agenda
|
Retirer de l'ordre du jour
|
Other business
|
Autres questions
|
Approved agenda
|
Ordre du jour définitif
|
To stick to the agenda
|
S'en tenir à l'ordre du jour
|
Terms of reference
|
Mandat
|
To make a proposal
|
Présenter une proposition
|
To second (to support) a proposal
|
Appuyer une proposition
|
To withdraw a proposal
|
Retirer une proposition
|
To ask for a vote
|
Demander le vote
|
To put a question to the vote
|
Mettre une question aux voix
|
Is there a mover?
|
Y a-t-il un proposeur?
|
Is there a seconder?
|
Y a-t-il un second proposeur?
|
Vote by show of hands
|
Vote à main levée
|
Secret ballot
|
Vote secret
|
For?
|
En faveur?
|
Against?
|
Contre?
|
Carried unanimously
|
Adopté à l'unanimité
|
Adopted by a majority
|
Adopté à la majorité
|
The motion is carried by 12 votes
|
La motion est adoptée par 12
|
to 9 with 2 abstentions
|
voix contre 9 et 2 abstentions
|
The motion is rejected
|
La motion est rejetée
|
We will now recess for 15 minutes
|
La séance est interrompue pour 15 minutes
|
Coffee break
|
Pause-café
|
We will meet again in 5 minutes
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Nous nous retrouverons ici dans 5 minutes
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To proceed to the next item of business
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Passer au point suivant
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This question is out of order
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Cette question est irrecevable
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To record in the minutes
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Inscrire au procès-verbal
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Action to be taken
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Suite à donner
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The meeting is adjourned
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La séance est levée
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The next meeting will be held on the...
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La prochaine réunion aura lieu le...
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To write up the minutes
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Rédiger le procès-verbal
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Treasury Board Secretariat Policy on the use
of both Official Languages in meetings
When English- and French-speaking employees
participate in meetings, both oral and written communications
should reflect the equality of status of the two official
languages. Therefore, when employees of the Secretariat preside
at such meetings, they should ensure that:
- agendas and minutes are issued in bilingual format, or have
some items in French and some in English, or (for a series of
meetings) are prepared alternately all in English and all in
French;
- working papers and drafts are circulated in the preferred
official language of the author;
- participants can use their preferred official language during
meetings;
- arrangements are made for unilinguals to participate in
meetings.
This policy applies to meetings of
interdepartmental committees, task forces and ad hoc committees
chaired by Secretariat officials, as well as to any internal
meetings of the Secretariat.
Politique du Secrétariat du Conseil du Trésor
sur l'utilisation des deux langues officielles dans les
réunions
Lorsque des employés d'expression française et
d'expression anglaise participent à des réunions, les
communications verbales et écrites de ces réunions doivent
refléter l'égalité de statut des deux langues officielles.
Conséquemment, lorsqu'ils président ces réunions, les employés du
Secrétariat doivent s'assurer que :
- l'ordre du jour et le procès-verbal sont publiés sous une
forme bilingue, ou comprennent des rubriques en français et
d'autres en anglais, ou encore - dans le cas d'une série de
rencontres - sont rédigés tantôt en français, tantôt en anglais,
alternativement;
- les documents de travail et les ébauches sont distribués dans
la langue officielle du choix de l'auteur;
- les participants peuvent utiliser la langue officielle de
leur choix lors de la réunion;
- des arrangements sont pris pour permettre aux unilingues de
participer à la réunion.
Cette politique s'applique aux réunions de
comités interministériels, de groupes de travail et de comités ad
hoc présidés par des fonctionnaires du Secrétariat, ainsi qu'à
toute réunion interne du Secrétariat.
Keep this handy checklist for meetings
Invitations
Make sure that the invitation and the agenda
clearly state that the meeting will be bilingual and that
arrangements have been made so that unilinguals can take part in
the discussions.
Check in which of the official languages your
secretarial services distributed documents.
If this has not been done, remind the
participants in your opening remarks.
Opening
Use both official languages from the beginning,
and invite the participants to use the official language of their
choice. If you are not able to do so, call on your co-chair.
Ask the participants if they understand both
official languages. If some do not, tell them that the items that
concern them will be summarized in their first official
language.
Remind participants that the presence of
unilinguals need not prevent a bilingual discussion.
Discussions
Use the official language that is less frequently
used during the meeting.
If necessary, call on the participants who have
agreed to support your initiative to speak in the language they
agreed to before the meeting.
Speak in their first official language to people
who consistently use their second.
Encourage contributions in the language of the
minority group by making your follow-up remarks in the language
of that group.
Closing
Remind the participants that they may write
documents in their first official language, in either draft or
final form.
Decide which documents must be translated, and
when.
If appropriate, ask for the participants'
comments.
Note the methods that gave good results and the
suggestions; dialogue with your group.
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