Annual Report on Official Languages 2003-04

Table 1

Bilingual positions and the pool of bilingual employees in the Public Service

Establishing the linguistic profiles of positions and conducting the linguistic assessment of federal employees is carried out according to three levels of proficiency:

• Level A – minimum proficiency;
• Level B – intermediate proficiency; and
• Level C – superior proficiency.

The following three skills are assessed: reading, writing, and oral interaction (understanding and speaking). The results shown in this table are based on test results for oral interaction administered as part of the Second Language Evaluation (SLE).

Source: Position and Classification Information System (PCIS)

Table 2

Language requirements of positions in the Public Service

All positions in the Public Service of Canada are designated as bilingual or unilingual, depending on their specific requirements and according to the following categories:

- bilingual – a position in which all, or part, of the duties must be performed in both English and French;

- English essential – a position in which all the duties must be performed in English;

- French essential – a position in which all the duties must be performed in French; and

- either English or French essential ("either/or") – a position in which all the duties can be performed in English or French.

Source: PCIS

Table 3

Language requirements of positions in the Public Service by region

The heading Unilingual Positions represents the sum of the three following categories: English essential, French essential, and either English or French essential.

Since all rotational positions abroad, which belong primarily to Foreign Affairs Canada and International Trade Canada, are identified as unilingual, the language requirements have been determined by the incumbents' linguistic proficiencies rather than by the requirements of the positions.

 

Region	Bilingual positions	Unilingual positions	Incomplete records	Total
Western provinces and Northern Canada	5% 1,605	95% 33,984	0% 9	35,598
Ontario (excluding NCR)	10% 2,079	90% 18,244	0% 7	20,330
National Capital Region (NCR)	64% 44,798	36% 25,031	0% 249	70,078
Quebec (excluding NCR)	60% 12,119	40% 8,106	0% 59	20,284
New Brunswick	49% 2,649	51% 2,746	0% 24	5,419
Other Atlantic provinces	10% 1,368	90% 11,829	0% 20	13,217
Outside Canada (linguistic capacity)	80% 603	20% 150	0% 0	753

Source: PCIS

Table 4

Bilingual positions in the Public Service

Linguistic status of incumbents

The linguistic status of incumbents includes two categories:

1. Meet signifies that incumbents meet the language requirements of their positions; and

2. Do not meet, which is divided into two sub-categories:

- Incumbents who are exempted are not required to meet the linguistic requirements of their positions. In certain circumstances, government policy allows an employee to

- apply for a bilingual position staffed on a non-imperative basis without making a commitment to meet the language requirements of that position (This normally applies to employees with long records of service, employees with a disability preventing them from learning a second language and employees affected by a reorganization or statutory priority);

- remain in a bilingual position without having to meet the new language requirements of that position (This includes incumbents of unilingual positions reclassified as bilingual or incumbents of bilingual positions for which the language requirements have been raised).

- Incumbents who must meet the language requirements of their positions in accordance with the Public Service Official Languages Exclusion Approval Order under the Public Service Employment Act. This Order allows employees a two-year period to acquire the language proficiency required for their positions.

Source: PCIS

Table 5

Bilingual positions in the Public Service

Second-language level requirements

The linguistic profile for a given position is determined according to three levels of second-language proficiency:

• Level A – minimum proficiency;
• Level B – intermediate proficiency; and
• Level C – superior proficiency.

The other category refers to positions requiring either the code "P" or not requiring any second-language oral interaction skills. Code "P" is used for a specialized proficiency in one or both of the official languages that cannot be acquired through language training (e.g. stenographers and translators).

In tables 5, 7, 9, and 11, the levels required in the second language (C, B, A, and "other") refer to "oral interaction."

Source: PCIS

Table 6

Service to the public – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Linguistic status of incumbents

This table focusses on the linguistic status of incumbents in positions for which there is a requirement to serve the public in both official languages. The two categories of Meet and Do not meet are explained in the description accompanying Table 4.

Source: PCIS

Table 7

Service to the public – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Second-language level requirements

This table indicates the level of second-language proficiency required for bilingual positions where the public must be served in the two official languages. The definitions of the levels of proficiency (C, B, A, and "other") are given in the description accompanying Table 5.

Source: PCIS

Table 8

Language of work – internal services – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Linguistic status of incumbents

This table gives the linguistic status of incumbents of bilingual positions providing only internal services to the Public Service, that is, positions in which there is a requirement to provide personnel services (such as pay) or central services (such as libraries) in both official languages, in the National Capital Region and in regions designated bilingual for the purposes of language of work, as set out in the Act.* The two categories Meet and Do not meet are explained in the description accompanying Table 4.

* The regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes are the National Capital Region, New Brunswick, parts of Northern and Eastern Ontario, the bilingual region of Montréal, and parts of the Eastern Townships, Gaspé, and Western Quebec.

Source: PCIS

Table 9

Language of work – internal services – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Second-language level requirements

This table shows the second-language level requirements for bilingual positions providing only internal services to the Public Service. The definitions of the levels of second-language proficiency (C, B, A, and "other") are given in the description accompanying Table 5.

Source: PCIS

Table 10

Language of work – supervision – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Linguistic status of incumbents

This table gives the linguistic status of incumbents of bilingual positions with supervisory responsibilities in the two official languages. The explanations of the categories Meet and Do not meet are given in the description accompanying Table 4.

Source: PCIS

Table 11

Language of work – supervision – bilingual positions in the Public Service

Second-language level requirements

This table shows the second-language level requirements for supervisory positions. However, because a position may be identified as bilingual in terms of more than one requirement (e.g. service to the public and supervision), the total of the positions in tables 7, 9, and 11 does not necessarily match the number of bilingual positions in Table 5.

Source: PCIS

Table 12

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in the Public Service by region

The terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" refer to employees in terms of their first official language. The first official language is the language declared by employees as the one with which they have a primary personal identification (that is, the official language in which they are generally most proficient).

* On March 31, 2004, the participation of Anglophones in Quebec (excluding the NCR) stood at 1,506 employees compared to 1,550 the previous year. This figure is different from that on page 29 because it has been rounded off.

Source: PCIS

Table 13

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in the Public Service by occupational category

The terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" refer to employees in terms of their first official language. The first official language is the language declared by employees as the one with which they have a primary personal identification (that is, the official language in which they are generally most proficient).

Source: PCIS

Table 14

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in the RCMP and in institutions and organizations for which the Treasury Board is not the employer, by region

Note: See the explanation of the terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" in Table 12.

Source: OLIS II

Table 15

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in the RCMP and in institutions and organizations for which the Treasury Board is not the employer, by occupational or equivalent category

* These totals include the data from tables 15.A and 15.B.

** This total includes 117,540 members of the Canadian Forces for whom the occupational category was not available.

Note: See the explanation of the terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" in Table 12.

Source: OLIS II

Table 15.A

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in the Canadian Forces

(Treasury Board is not the employer.)

The information on the Canadian Forces is in the form of a sub-table to provide a better overview.

Sub-tables 15.A and 15.B relate to Table 15, presenting a global portrait of participation in those organizations for which the Treasury Board is not the employer.

* Distribution by category is not available for the 117,540 members of the Canadian Forces.

Note: See the explanation of the terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" in Table 12.

Source: OLIS II

Table 15.B

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones as regular members of the RCMP

(Treasury Board is not the employer.)

This table contains data concerning regular members of the RCMP. The civilian members of the RCMP are included in Table 15. For more information on the composition of the RCMP workforce, consult its annual report.

* For these two years, the data are found in Table 15.

Note: See the explanation of the terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" in Table 12.

Source: OLIS II

Table 16

Participation of Anglophones and Francophones in all organizations subject to the Act

This table gives a summary of the participation of Anglophones and Francophones in all organizations subject to the Act, that is, federal institutions and all other organizations that, under federal legislation, are subject to the Act or parts thereof, such as Air Canada and designated airport authorities.

Note: See the explanation of the terms "Anglophones" and "Francophones" in Table 12.

Sources: PCIS and OLIS II

^1. Subsection 16(1) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. [Return]

^2. See Graph 2 in Chapter II. [Return]

^3. These requirements apply to departments and agencies subject to the Public Service Employment Act. "CBC" means level C (superior) for reading, level B (intermediate) for writing, and level C (superior) for oral interaction. [Return]

^4. Census data on the first official language spoken by Canadians, collected under the Statistics Act. [Return]

^5. See the chapter on Institutions Serving Canadians (VI). [Return]

^6. See the chapter on Performance Measurement and Accountability (IX). [Return]

^7. The regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes are the National Capital Region, New Brunswick, parts of Northern and Eastern Ontario, the bilingual region of Montréal, and parts of the Eastern Townships, Gaspé, and Western Quebec. [Return]

^8. http://languagenook.translationbureau-bureaudelatraduction.gc.ca [Return]

^9. http://www.wordwizards.gc.ca [Return]

^10. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo [Return]

^11. Data system for institutions for which the Treasury Board is the employer. [Return]

^12. See the chapter on Performance Measurement and Accountability (IX). [Return]

^13. See the section on the Official Languages Innovation Program (III). [Return]

^14. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo [Return]

^15. The regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes are the National Capital Region, New Brunswick, parts of Northern and Eastern Ontario, the bilingual region of Montréal, and parts of the Eastern Townships, Gaspé, and Western Quebec. [Return]

^16. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ee [Return]

^17. For positions in the Public Service. [Return]

^18. Léger Marketing, March 2003. [Return]

^19. Attitudes Towards the Use of Both Official Languages Within the Public Service of Canada, September 2002, by NFO CFgroup. [Return]

^20. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/hr-rh/ar-pr/head_public/siglist_e.asp [Return]

^21. 2002 Public Service Employee Survey and Attitudes Towards the Use of Both Official Languages Within the Public Service of Canada. [Return]

^22. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo [Return]

^23. These requirements apply to departments and agencies subject to the Public Service Employment Act. "CBC" means level C (superior) for reading, level B (intermediate) for writing, and level C (superior) for oral interaction. [Return]

^24. Official Languages (Communications with and Services to the Public) Regulations. [Return]

^25. www.burolis.gc.ca [Return]

^26. See graph 5. [Return]

^27. See Table 6. [Return]

^28. See Table 7. Table 5 gives more details about second-language proficiency levels. [Return]

^29. Census data on the first official language spoken by Canadians, collected under the Statistics Act. [Return]

^30. See Table 10. [Return]

^31. See Table 11. [Return]

^32. See Table 8. [Return]

^33. See Table 9. [Return]

^34. Walking the Talk: Language of Work in the Federal Public Service, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, March 2004. [Return]

^35. Strengthening Public Sector Management-An Overview of the Government Action Plan and Key Initiatives. [Return]

^36. Information from the APEX report following consultations on the policy review, August 2003. [Return]

^37. See Table 16. [Return]

^38. See Table 12. [Return]

^39. Statistics Canada 2001 Census data. The missing 1 per cent refers to the percentage of the Canadian population that identifies itself as neither English-speaking nor French-speaking. [Return]

^40. See Table 12. [Return]

^41. Participation by English-speaking Canadians in the federal Public Service in Quebec: Clarification of the situation and strategies for the future, Erin Mallory, August 2003. [Return]

^42. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, March 2000. [Return]

^43. Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, March 2003. [Return]

^44. The results of this activity should be available this fall. [Return]

^45. www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo [Return]

^46. "Position" here means a position staffed for an indeterminate period or a determinate period of three months or more, according to the data available as at March 31, 2004. [Return]

^47. According to PCIS, the total population of the Public Service as at March 31, 2004, is 165,679, comprared to 165,976 in the Incumbent System. [Return]