Management a) An accountability framework, an action plan and accountability mechanisms are in place (5%) | CBC/Radio Canada describes managers' and employees' obligations to the public in its Official Languages On-line Manual, which is available on the Intranet. The guide also addresses language of work. Responsibilities regarding Parts IV, V and VII of the Official Languages Act (the Act) are clearly specified. For CBC/Radio-Canada, a fundamental focus is to ensure that official language minority communities have access to programming that reflects their own realities and those of the rest of the country. Part VII is the subject of an action plan entitled, Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. However, there are no action plans for Parts IV, V and VI of the Act and no accountability mechanisms. Despite the absence of an action plan, the institution has reviewed the language designation of positions at Headquarters, and at English and French television and radio production centres. It has also reviewed and improved its language policy so that it applies to all employees of media and production components in Ottawa, now all located in the same building. |
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| b) Visibility of official languages in the organization (5%) |
The business plan covers a number of OL related matters, including French-language radio and television, visibility among Anglophones and Francophones, commitment to giving audiences Canadian programming in English or French of the highest quality to meet the public's needs, and making a priority of reflecting Canada's diversity and its regions.
OL are not part of internal audits. However, over the past year, the institution
has reviewed the language designation of a number of positions.
The OL champion is the Senior Vice President of Human Resources. He gets
involved in major issues. The acting champion is a senior manager (EX equivalent)
and a member of the Executive Committee. The person in charge of OL attends
Executive Committee meetings when OL matters are discussed. The champion serves
as coordinator for all parts of the Act. |
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| c) Complaints (5%) |
Complaints are resolved in cooperation with the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages (OCOL). The manager in question is responsible for identifying appropriate corrective action, informing the person in charge of OL and following up. The results of investigations by OCOL are passed on to the managers concerned and the President. The institution does not deem it necessary to implement a mechanism to share lessons learned as most complaints deal with the quality of the language used on air. |
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Service to the public – Part IV a) Bilingual services advertised to the public and sufficient bilingual staff (4%) |
Bilingual service points are in BUROLIS and in the White Pages of telephone directories. The institution was not able to provide data on the percentage of incumbents of bilingual positions serving the public who meet the language requirements of their position. Therefore, the institution was not able to demonstrate that it has sufficient bilingual personnel to serve the public. |
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| b) Findings on active offer and service delivery (15%) |
According to observations on in-person service made by OCOL in the fall of 2005, active visual offer was present in 78% of cases, active offer by the employee was made in 22% of cases, while service in the language of the minority was adequate in 89% of cases. According to the latest telephone service audit conducted by OCOL in the fall of 2005, active offer by employees or an automated system was made in 67% of cases, while service in the language of the minority was adequate in 75% of cases. |
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| c) The service agreements delivered by third parties or in partnership provide for the delivery of bilingual services (2%) |
The Official Languages Guide states that third parties must respect the equal status of both OL. There is no evidence of structured monitoring of services offered by third parties. |
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| d) Bilingual services quality monitoring (4%) |
Employees assigned to provide service to the public are informed of their obligations by their managers. However, it could not be determined whether there are regular reminders. Employees receive training on this requirement when they are hired.
The institution confirms that personnel in charge of such services review
the situation regularly. However, we were unable to determine the nature of
such reviews.
French-language radio and television have continued to improve the tools and services they provide, pursuant to the recommendations in the report of the working group on the quality of French on the air and on Internet sites. In 2004, the unit responsible for building reception services completed a comprehensive review of spaces open to the public; offices were asked to display the active offer symbol and were reminded of their obligations regarding service to the public and active offer. |
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Language of work – Part V a) Adequate bilingual supervision and language of work policy (12.5%) |
80.3% of supervisors in bilingual regions who must supervise employees in both OL are able to do so. (Source: Data from Annual Review of OL, Official Languages Information System (OLIS II), December 26, 2004) The Official Languages Guide covers language of work and sets out rights and obligations regarding personal and central services, supervision, language of meetings, work instruments, computer systems, performance appraisals, grievances, and training and development. The policy document on bilingualism for employees in the media and production components in Ottawa describes the responsibilities of a bilingual organization, defines what a bilingual position is, and talks about language training. It states that bilingualism opens the doors of communication, understanding, participation and effectiveness, and increases productivity. It also indicates that bilingualism is a key element to carry out duties in a way that opens up opportunities for advancement.
CBC/Radio-Canada
took part in the OCOL survey on the language of work of eight Crown corporations,
the results of which were published in April 2005. The OL champion presented
the survey results to the Senior Management Committee and asked vice presidents
to share the presentation and the results of the survey with their managers.
The institution provides language training and it has installed the electronic version of the Petit Robert French dictionary on individual workstations. It has brought together central services for employees (finance, human resources, IT) in order to provide these services in the OL of their choice, and it has launched the HR@my fingertips site, available to all staff in the OL of their choice. |
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| b) Establishment of an environment conducive to both official languages (12. 5%) |
CBC and Radio-Canada are increasingly linking their activities. Bringing the two language groups closer together is a priority for the president. The move to a single building in Ottawa makes it possible to create a bilingual, bicultural workplace. At meetings, the chair reminds participants that they have a right to use the OL of their choice. Supporting documents (agendas, minutes, etc.) are bilingual. When presenting the results of the April 2005 OCOL survey on language of work, the champion asked the vice presidents to use the presentation and share the results of the survey with their managers. There is no indication whether reminders are sent to all employees. Meetings of the Executive Committee are conducted in both OL. No example was provided of a mechanism to monitor the implementation of the language of work policy. |
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Equitable participation – Part VI a) Percentage of Francophone participation throughout Canada (5%) |
Overall, 46.7% of employees are Francophone. (Source: OLIS II, December 26, 2004) |
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| b) Percentage of Anglophone participation in Quebec (5%) |
In Quebec, 4.6% of employees are Anglophone. (Source: OLIS II, December 26, 2004) |
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Development of official language minority 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%) |
The Broadcasting Act includes provisions in this regard (service to linguistic minorities), which are guiding principles for CBC/Radio-Canada. These principles are considered in the development of the business plan Connecting Canadians. CBC/Radio-Canada submits an action plan for Part VII of the Act to Canadian Heritage.
French-language television has created a regional board with minority Francophone
representatives. The board meets twice a year. Various other formats are used
to consult and take the pulse of the community (visits by senior management,
ad hoc committees, association general assembly meetings etc.). CBC/Radio-Canada
liaises with the Montreal office of the Fédération culturelle
canadienne-française (FCCF), which represents Francophone artists outside
Quebec. This provides access to a directory of French-language researchers,
authors and performers, who are also offered training workshops (to whom training
workshops are also offered).
Local stations, which are close to either their Francophone or Anglophone audiences, manage the purchase of airtime and space. Since each station's activities are targeted to an audience of a specific language group, bilingual advertising is not always relevant. The Official Languages Guide contains a provision on the use of media serving OL minorities.
The public is quite vocal and makes the CBC/Radio-Canada aware of minority
community needs. Moreover, the President places great emphasis on raising awareness
by means of "transcultural" initiatives.
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| b) Strategic planning and the development of policies and programs take into account the promotion of linguistic duality (12.5%) |
Since the rationalization exercise at the CBC/Radio-Canada,
its executives have sought opportunities to pool resources. Decision-makers
always consider whether the other service could benefit from planned productions.
This gives rise to interesting and productive collaborations (documentaries,
stories from abroad). The interest in promoting linguistic duality is at the
heart of this new organizational culture. As part of their orientation, new
journalists are made aware of linguistic duality.
Regional programming directors ensure that Part VII objectives are met, in accordance with the action plan.
Among other examples, the CBC/Radio-Canada's activities include liaison with
the Évangéline arts council; participation in the international Francophone
film festival in Acadia; production of Culture-Choc/Culture Shock, a
bilingual program on cultural diversity hosted by Gregory Charles; participation
in the Rendez-vous de la Francophonie; and production of the weekly
show Au courant for Anglophones, telling them about events that are
attracting attention in French Canada.
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OVERALL RATING |
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