Since the TBS was designated as one of the 28 key institutions for implementation of section 41 (1994), a number of concrete
measures have been proposed to enhance the vitality of the official-language minority communities. Also, the Memorandum of
Understanding between the President of the Treasury Board and the Minister of Canadian Heritage, signed in 1997, strengthened that
support by further integrating section 41 into its functional activities, as indicated in the TBS 1998-2001 Action Plan
Concerning Implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act. In the preceding year, 1998-1999, significant results
were listed in the document entitled 1998-1999 Results, and the following pages show that 1999-2000 is equally rich in
achievements.
The President of the Treasury Board has on
many occasions stated(1) that the Treasury Board and the Secretariat are
committed to supporting the official language minority communities. Furthermore, a number of meetings were held in 1999-2000 with
representatives of the official language minority communities, both in Ottawa and in the regions. These meetings allowed the
communities to discuss, with the President, their needs of service in both official languages as well as their development
projects.
To help managers better evaluate the
repercussions of the proposed changes for the official language minority communities, the TBS Service and Innovation Sector is
updating a review framework and developing a practical guide to alternative service delivery. The guide will describe best practices
in alternative service delivery, to promote compliance with the official languages requirements.
The TBS has invited the institutions subject
to the Official Languages Act and the official language minority associations to suggest innovative ways to enable the
federal government to better reach and serve its clients.
The TBS, through Service Canada, is
contributing financially to the introduction of single windows for services in two Francophone communities in Manitoba
(Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes and Saint-Boniface). The single window gives the community better access to services in French. Other single
window projects are now being discussed (Quebec and Saskatchewan), as is the Carrefour électronique interactif, a national project
submitted by Prince Edward Island.
The TBS has entered into an agreement with
Public Works and Government Services Canada to highlight the availability of bilingual federal services in local telephone
directories.
To make the official language minority
communities and their needs better known to federal institutions and the regional federal councils, the TBS has raised awareness in
its networks of institutions, for example by holding in the regions two meetings of the departmental official languages champions
(Prince Edward Island and Manitoba), one meeting of champions of Crown corporations (Manitoba), two meetings of the Departments and
Agencies Advisory Committee on Official Languages (New Brunswick and Manitoba), two meetings of the Crown Corporations Advisory
Committee (Quebec and New Brunswick), and a meeting of the Airport Authorities Advisory Committee (British Columbia).
The TBS has held consultations with
associations representing official language minority communities as part of a project to develop a policy to take official languages
into account in developing large-scale government initiatives and programs, including alternate delivery of services and programs.
This policy would require institutions subject to it to conduct systematic analyses of the repercussions of transformations on the
minority communities.
Together with Canadian Heritage, the TBS is
working to form official language sub-committees under the federal regional councils. These sub-committees will amplify the regional
impact of federal community development initiatives. There are now sub-committees in the following provinces: Newfoundland, Prince
Edward Island, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and British Columbia.
The TBS has systematically included the matter
of support for the minority communities in the follow-up process on the reviews of official languages submitted by the 28 key
institutions in June 1999.
In 1999, the TBS continued to implement the
Memorandum of Understanding between the Minister of Canadian Heritage and the President of the Treasury Board on Implementation of
Section 41 of the Official Languages Act. Also, the TBS, in consultation with the associations representing the official language
minority communities, undertook to review the existing Memorandum in order to modernize it.
The TBS Official Languages Division has
developed "performance indicators" that stress the client satisfaction rate, particularly the satisfaction of the official language
minority communities with implementation of the Official Languages Program. The main associations representing the communities were
also consulted on the subject. The satisfaction rate will be measured through surveys.
The TBS, in order to reaffirm the fundamental
value of linguistic duality and its commitment to the development of the minority official languages communities, has published a
document entitled Full Sail Ahead, which describes a number of initiatives aimed at preserving the richness of our Canadian
identity by ensuring that the communities survive and prosper.
The TBS, having given the official languages
champions the mandate of increasing the visibility of the Program and serving as high-level contacts for the official language
minority communities, has prepared tools to help the champions integrate official languages into their organizations' functional and
statutory activities, both at headquarters and in the regions. These guides, entitled Official Languages: An Integral Part of
Decision Making, are designed to meet the special needs of departments and Crown corporations, and they present a range of
strategic activities to guide the champions' action in implementing the Program.
In 1999-2000, the TBS continued to incorporate
the "support for the development of official language minority communities" into its activities of liaison with the minority
communities and policy development, to ensure ongoing integration of the needs of minority communities into all activities of the
Official Languages Division.
The TBS continues to actively support the work
of the National Committee for Canadian Francophonie Human Resources Development, and its Regroupements pour le développement
économique et de l'employabilité, co-ordinated by Human Resources Development Canada. The TBS is also actively supporting the
National Human Resources Development Committee for the English Linguistic Minority.
The TBS uses the media of the official
languages minority communities to disseminate information from the TBS that is of interest to the Canadian public.
The TBS has integrated "support for the
development of official language minority communities" into the curricula for the training sessions on official languages,
particularly into the course entitled Orientation to Official Languages. In 1999-2000, over 31 information sessions were held
in the regions, raising the awareness of more than 484 participants both in Ottawa and in the regions.
The Results on Action Plan are disseminated to national and provincial associations representing official language minority
communities, to the Commissioner of Official Languages and to the Standing Joint Committee on Official Languages.
