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November 6, 2002
DIEPPE, N.B. - The Honourable Lucienne Robillard,
President of the Treasury Board of Canada and Member of Parliament for
Westmount-Ville-Marie, promoted today a new approach regarding the
language of work in the federal public service.
"It's time for a fresh start," Minister
Robillard told the Symposium on Language of Work organized by the New
Brunswick Federal Council.
"But do we have the leadership in our public
administration to do it? It is impossible to imagine a prime minister of
Canada not being bilingual. How can we imagine a deputy minister or a
manager who is not bilingual supervising employees who speak one or the
other language? The time has come for all of us to lead by actions and not
by words."
Other public service managers must also lead by example,
the Minister said.
"That's why the Treasury Board has established
March 2003 as the cut-off date by which executives must meet the language
profiles of their positions. If managers don't meet their language
profiles by this date, there will be consequences," said Madame
Robillard. "I believe this is an incentive for managers to make
official languages a career priority and for government to make sure that
the services are available to them to do so."
Minister Robillard believes that the current approach,
which emphasizes compliance with rules, is not tailored to the 21st
century. A modern public service should integrate values - such as
linguistic duality - which are shared by the citizens it serves.
According to the Minister, speaking two official languages
should be a way of life within the public service: employees should use
their own language during meetings and they should have the working
documents and electronic tools they need in their own language in order to
give their best in their work.
One problem is how we go about teaching language, she
believes. The government may need to fully integrate linguistic training
into career planning for individuals - earlier in their career if
possible - and into federal institutions' corporate learning plans.
Minister Robillard questioned the relevance of continuing
to use bilingual non-imperative staffing when there is a critical mass of
people in the public service who are bilingual and when one quarter of
young Canadians entering the workforce are bilingual. At the same time,
she wants to be fair and ensure that no one is excluded from applying for
a public service job.
The Minister also questioned the effectiveness of the
bilingualism bonus, saying she has invited unions to look at the issue
together to find a more effective way to promote official languages in the
public service.
The New Brunswick Federal Council comprises the senior
officials for the federal departments and agencies in that province. The
Symposium on the Language of Work continues today and tomorrow at the
Ramada Crystal Palace Hotel in Dieppe.
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For more information, contact:
Daniel Grenier
Press Secretary
Office of the President of the
Treasury Board of Canada
(613) 957-2666
Mario Baril
Media Relations
Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
(613) 957-2391
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