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[ Backgrounder ]
October 31, 2003
OTTAWA - The Honourable Lucienne Robillard, President of the Treasury Board of Canada and MP for Westmount-Ville-Marie,
today announced disbursement of $800,000 to reinforce bilingualism within federal institutions.
Treasury Board Secretariat will fund 18 projects under the Official Languages Innovation Fund.
"This initiative demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to strengthening the Official Languages Program
in the public service," said Madame Robillard. "Thanks to these investments, federal institutions will be able to
improve their ability to provide service in both official languages and to create a workplace that is favourable to the
use of English and French."
The Innovation Program has been allotted $14 million over five years. It aims to improve service to the public in
both official languages; as well as greater use of both official languages in the workplace in designated bilingual
regions, and more equitable participation of English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians in the Public Service. It
also seeks more efficient management of the Official Languages Program. There are two components to the program, the
Innovation Fund and the Regional Partnerships Fund.
Approved projects were submitted by federal departments and agencies, as well as federal regional councils. They
cover such wide-ranging issues as service delivery, organizational culture and recruitment. Approved funding varies
from $5,000 to $80,000 per project.
"I warmly congratulate the 18 recipients who will employ innovative ideas and techniques to solidly establish
linguistic duality in their respective organizations," the Minister added.
Treasury Board Secretariat received 32 proposals, which were reviewed by a steering committee made up of
representatives of the Secretariat, as well as official languages champions from both federal institutions and federal
regional councils. Approved projects must be completed by March 31 of the fiscal year following their approval.
The Innovation Program is part of the initiatives announced under the five-year
Action
Plan for Official Languages, of which one objective is to ensure that the public service is a model of linguistic duality in
Canada.
A Backgrounder listing the projects announced today is attached. For more information on the Innovation Program,
please consult the following Web site:
http://www.hrma-agrh.gc.ca/ollo/index-sm_e.asp
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For more information, contact:
Daniel GrenierPress 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
IF THERE IS A DISCREPANCY BETWEEN ANY PRINTED VERSION AND THE ELECTRONIC VERSION OF THIS DOCUMENT, THE
ELECTRONIC VERSION WILL BE CONSIDERED OFFICIAL.
TTY (Telecommunications device for the hearing impaired) - (613) 957-9090
SUMMARY OF APPROVED PROJECTS
Official Languages Innovation Fund
The Official Languages Innovation Fund allows federal institutions to implement projects that improve their ability
to offer services in both official languages, to create a workplace that is favourable to the use of both official
languages, to encourage a change in organizational culture and to improve their management of the Official Languages
Program. Institutions must contribute an amount equal to the funds allocated.
1. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency will receive $80,000 to continue implementation of a quality control system to
improve communications in regions designated as bilingual for purposes of language of work by promoting a workplace
conducive to the use of both official languages.
2. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (Tax Services Office, Saint John, New Brunswick) will receive $22,000 to
produce a compact disc and an accompanying brochure that will be used as communications and promotional tools to
recruit bilingual Francophone candidates outside Saint John.
3. Canada Customs and Revenue Agency (Tax Services Office, Burnaby Fraser, British Columbia) will receive $20,000 to
establish a training program in French for grade 11 and 12 students. The program deals with Canada's tax system and the
vital role that CCRA plays in ensuring Canada's socio-economic welfare.
4. Citizenship and Immigration Canada (International Region) will receive $40,000 for an addition to its Web site
aimed at potential Francophone immigrants. The site will contain information about Canada's Francophone minority
language communities and on the right to receive government services in the official language of choice.
5. Natural Resources Canada will receive $25,000 to offer electronic linguistic mentoring services.
6. Veterans Affairs Canada will receive $24,000 to implement an assignment program that will offer bilingual
employees at the level C the opportunity to work in a Francophone or Anglophone setting in their department.
7. The Canadian Transportation Agency will receive $5,000 to develop a set of "best practices" that would be used to
determine if a work unit is to be considered bilingual.
Regional Partnership Fund
The Regional Partnership Fund is intended to help federal regional councils fund innovative projects that are
adapted to regional conditions in order to improve service to the public, language of work in regions designated as
bilingual, and equitable participation of Francophones and Anglophones in the Public Service of Canada.
1. Newfoundland and Labrador Regional Council will receive $50,000 for a project dealing with community development
and development of a service delivery model for departments on the Port-au-Port Peninsula.
2. Prince Edward Island Regional Council will receive $76,000 to carry out a number of activities related to
providing quality service delivery in both official languages. Activities planned include consulting with the
Francophone and Acadian community, production of communications tools and implementing practical applications for use
by departments.
3. Nova Scotia Regional Council will receive $65,000 to organize an inter-departmental official languages forum
dealing with language of work, equitable participation of Francophones and Anglophones in the Public Service of Canada,
and quality service delivery in both official languages.
4. New Brunswick Regional Council will receive $76,000 to organize activities that will promote change of
organizational culture with long-lasting effects. Activities will include creation of an official languages Internet
site for the Atlantic provinces and development of a twinning program between Anglophone and Francophone employees.
5. Québec Regional Council will receive $70,000 for its project, La dualité linguistique, une affaire de coeur et
de raison. [Linguistic duality: A matter of the heart and the mind]. Among the many project activities are
preparation of a communications plan and development of a strategy to improve recruitment of Anglophones into the
Public Service of Canada in Quebec.
6. Ontario Regional Council will receive $55,000 to establish a one stop delivery service that will respond to the
needs of the official language minority community in the London-Sarnia area.
7. Saskatchewan regional council will receive $26,000 to hire a person to coordinate efforts for retention of staff,
establishing the "metrics" for the learning academy around official languages and identifying service delivery
requirements in both official languages.
8. Pacific Regional Council will receive $50,000 to follow up a pilot project on service to the public in both
official languages in British Columbia. Planned activities include an official languages awareness workshop for
managers.
9. Pacific Regional Council in cooperation with Language Training Canada and Western Economic Diversification will
receive $27,000 to organize the Francofun Network, which includes informal monthly discussions between bilingual public
servants and representatives of the Francophone community. The goal of the discussions is to promote the use of French,
to retain acquired language skills and to establish a network with the Francophone community of British Columbia.
10. Western Economic Diversification, in cooperation with the four western federal regional councils, will receive
$60,000 to organize an official languages symposium. The objective is to better understand and promote the Official
Languages Program in the western region.
11. Northwest Territories regional council will receive $29,000 to prepare an official languages strategic plan for
the Territories and to develop a service delivery plan that responds to the needs of the Francophone community of
Yellowknife.
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