IMPLEMENTATION OF SECTION 41 OF THE
OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT

Action Plan 1999-2002

• Preamble
• Summary
• General Information
• Contacts
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada
  Official Languages Action Plan 1999-2002
• Have Your Say
• Appendix: Acronyms used in this report

Preamble

Section 41 of the Official Languages Act (OLA) affirms the responsibility of federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations to give effect to the Government of Canada's statutory commitment to:

1. enhancing the vitality of the French and English linguistic minority communities and supporting and assisting their development; and
2. fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) is committed to the implementation of Section 41 of the OLA. We have prepared an action plan, which we believe contributes to the development of the Official-Language Minority (OLM) communities and addresses the concerns they raised during consultations with our officials. This plan also engages CIC employees throughout Canada and abroad to recognise and promote Canada's linguistic duality.

Summary

• During 1999-2002, CIC will continue to facilitate the integration of immigrants into OLM Communities through measures taken to promote best practices, improving service delivery and addressing settlement concerns.
  
  
• OLM communities will have access to services and materials in CIC offices in Canada and abroad and will also be encouraged to participate in CIC activities such as Citizenship ceremonies and public consultation exercises for the purpose of improving departmental efforts to recognize and promote Canada's linguistic duality.
  
  
• Promoting awareness of Canada's bilingual character and the recognition and presence of OLM communities in every province and territory. During 1999-2002, CIC will seek to continue to strengthen ties with OLM communities. The Assistant Deputy Minister (ADM) -- Corporate Services or his alternate will represent the department at major events. Other departmental representatives will liaise with national and regional OLM organizations. More emphasis will be placed on cooperation at special events. Measures will be taken to raise awareness in CIC offices in Canada and abroad of the importance of developing OLM communities.
  
  
• Policies and programs will continue to be developed in a manner that considers the interests of OLM communities. Committees will be established whose membership will include members of OLM communities to address community concerns. To ensure closer integration of Section 41 considerations within CIC's institutional culture, the ADM -- Corporate Services will continue to promote awareness among senior management and will provide broad direction on the implementation of the OLA.
  
  
• CIC will continue to foster the recognition and use of the French and English language in Canadian society through its external and internal communications. CIC clients, staff and the general public will be serviced in the language of their choice.

General Information

The Department of Citizenship and Immigration Canada

The objective of the Citizenship and Immigration program is to ensure that the movement of people into Canada and membership in Canadian society contribute to Canada's social and economic interests and the protection of the health and safety of Canadians, and that citizenship and immigration policies and programs are managed in a fashion consistent with Canada's domestic needs and capacities, and international commitments and responsibilities.

Programs or activities of particular relevance to the development of the Official-Language Minority communities are:

• Communications Branch
• Human Resources Branch
• Integration Branch -- Citizenship and Settlement Programs
• International Region
• Selection Branch
• Strategic Policy, Planning & Research Branch

 
Identification of Community Needs

Means used to identify needs of Official-Language Minority communities at national and regional levels:

Direct consultation of representative groups with CIC and through consultation processes initiated by Canadian Heritage. CIC also holds formal and informal meetings with local, regional and national OLM community representatives.

Contacts

For general information on the Citizenship and Immigration program, we can be reached at:

Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Jean Edmonds Tower South, 18th Floor
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1

Telephone: (613) 957-4166
Fax: (613) 957-5955
Internet: http://www.cic.gc.ca

Officers Responsible for Section 41 of the Official Languages Act:

CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA
Official Languages Action Plan
1999-2002

 
MISSION: To build a stronger Canada by: deriving maximum benefit from the global movement of people, protecting refugees at home and abroad, defining Membership in Canadian society, and managing access to Canada.
  

First Objective

Principle measures proposed

Expected outputs

- Bilingual promotion of the Integration Net website as a source of integration "best practices" by immigrant-serving organizations in both English and French communities.

- Integration specialists increased accessibility to "best practices" information in English and French speaking communities leading to the integration of newcomers to Canada.

- Tracking of the usage on English and French sections of the website will provide evaluation data that will allow for improving website utility.

Atlantic Region

- Availability of basic language training from Service Providing Organizations (SPO's) in New Brunswick to newcomers in either official language upon demand.

- Language training contracts with a clause identifying newcomers' option to select language instruction in the language of their choice.

Ontario Region

- Improve the Service Delivery Model.

- Recommendations on appropriate changes to the Service Delivery Model.

- Follow up to the consultations with Francophone community organizations in Ontario focussing on Settlement issues.

- Successful project proposals from the community were initiated during Fiscal Year 1999-2000 and are to be completed in this planning period.

- Adding French content to the new bilingual Settlement website intended for the public.

- The posting of appropriate information on the website.

- Launching a call for proposals for website content.

- Selecting a content provider.

Second Objective

Principle measures proposed

Expected outputs

- Participation of Francophone community representatives in citizenship ceremonies.

- OLM communities addressing new citizens on the linguistic duality of Canada.

- Participation by representatives of Francophone organizations in public consultation exercises undertaken by CIC on policy and or legislative changes.

- Obtaining the views of OLM communities on changes to departmental operations.

Third Objective

Principle measures proposed

Expected outputs

- Ensure that all promotional publications and materials pertaining to the integration of Newcomers to Canada are available in both official languages.

- Promoting the recognition and use of bilingual material for the purposes of facilitating the integration and recognition of Newcomers of Canada's bilingual nature.

- Create a virtual web site for the purposes of civic education that includes the integration of a simultaneous translation module to assist in chat room communications between Francophone and Anglophone youth.

- Facilitate civic education communication between Francophone and Anglophone minority youth.

- Foster the recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society by providing simultaneous interpretation at major events, translating abstracts produced by the project's Centres of Excellence and promoting bilingualism at Metropolis workshops.

- Translation of abstracts.
- Provision of interpreters at various events.

International Region

- Solicit information about OLM communities through the Department's Official Languages Network. This information will then be distributed to the Missions abroad.

- Sensitizing CIC employees and clients with respect to OLM communities in Canada.

- OLM communities information will be included in the annual Program Manager Course.

Atlantic Region

- Promoting the equal status of the French and English language in Canada.

- Informing new Canadians on the bilingual nature of Canada and of the equal status of both languages.

Prairies and Northern Territories

- All CIC offices will display informational brochures/packages promoting the local Francophone communities. This information will be developed and provided by the Francophone organizations.

- Raising awareness in regards to the presence of local Francophone communities.

- All Citizenship ceremonies will reflect Canada's linguistic duality and local Francophone organizations will be invited to participate as hosts or guest speakers or assist in the organization of special receptions.

- Maintaining cooperative relations and the communication of departmental information to organizations representing Quebec's linguistic minority.

- Raising awareness of OLM communities in regards to the department's citizenship and immigration program.

- Participation in joint advisory panels whose members include organizations representing Quebec's Anglophone minority.

Fourth Objective

Principle measures proposed

Expected outputs

- Improved impact of A Scattering of Seeds, a documentary series highlighting the experiences of various immigrant groups on OLM communities.

- All video products delivered in both official languages.

Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Branch

- Support for communities in federal provincial immigration agreements.

- Recognition of OLM communities in federal provincial agreements.

Metropolis

- Provide SPPR with a list of Metropolis Project research papers, highlighting those of potential relevance to the vitality of OLM communities.

- Research papers pertaining to OLM communities.

Prairies and Northern Territories

- Inviting representation from the Association Multiculturelle Francophone de l'Alberta (an organization that represents the majority of Francophone immigrants in Edmonton) to participate on the CIC Community Advisory Committee.

- Raising the community as well as CIC's understanding of the needs of French speaking immigrants in the area. Providing a forum for discussion regarding the potential for attracting additional French speaking immigrants to the local area or any other issue that the local Francophone communities wish to address.

- Establishing a CIC Community Advisory Committee in Calgary that will include representation from the local Francophone community.

- CIC will explore with the Province of Manitoba the possibility of establishing a Community Advisory Committee, which would include representation from the local Francophone communities. The Committee would be co-chaired by CIC, as the provincial government has the primary responsibility for the delivery of settlement services and a Provincial Nominee Agreement exists.

- CIC will continue discussions with the Province of Manitoba, the Societe Francophone Manitobaine and Francophone school divisions regarding integration difficulties for immigrant children into the Francophone school system.

- Establishing a CIC Community Advisory Committee in Regina and Saskatoon that will include representation from the local Francophone community.

- CIC will determine the extent of Francophone organizations within the territory and if interested, initiate discussions regarding CIC policies and programs.

- Informal meeting between CIC and the local Francophone association.

Quebec Region

- Development of objectives at the Regional Management Committee in regard to Part VII of the OLA.

- Identification of results to be achieved.

- Consultations with representatives of various organizations representing Quebec's Anglophone community on issues of common interest.

- Improved understanding of common objectives, identifying avenues for further cooperation and the development of projects for the next three years.

Fifth Objective

Principle measures proposed

Expected outputs

- Development and provision of all CIC publications, fact sheets, brochures, posters, new releases, and press kits in both official languages.

- Widening the access of Newcomers to print and electronic material.

- Serving the media in both official languages.

- Maintaining websites in both official languages.

- Access to electronic materials in both French and English.

- Consistent written communications through the development of a CIC Style Guide in each official language for use in all departmental documents.

- Availability of the Communications Branch Style Guide to users in the language of their choice.

- Formal electronic messages are sent to clients and staff in both official languages.

- Application of the recommendations of the Commissioner of Official Languages concerning electronic mail is applied.

- Informal electronic messages among colleagues at work are replied in the language of the writer.

Integration Branch

- Providing Citizenship Court judges with materials to assist in enhancing the public's understanding and appreciation of the values inherent in Canadian society, among which is the equality of status of both official languages.

- The delivery of Citizenship ceremonies in both official languages that promote Canada's bilingual nature.

- All guides and contribution agreement forms negotiated with SPO's shall identify official languages as an integral component to the contribution allocation process.

- Revised guides and contribution agreement forms which promote the official language obligations of SPO's.

- The development of an assessment methodology to ensure that Service Provider Organizations fulfil their linguistic obligations and that the services are being provided in a manner that meets client satisfaction.

- Implementation of a methodology that encourages SPO's recognition and use of both official languages in their operations.

- Initiate further discussions with Conseil de la cooperation de la Saskatchewan and the College Mathieu in Gravelbourg regarding the admission of foreign French speaking students.

- Should the college be interested in increasing its foreign student enrollment, updated information packages will be obtained and forwarded to posts abroad.

- Preparation of an information package about College St. Boniface by the Société Francophone Manitobaine.

- Information package will be sent to posts abroad if College St. Boniface expresses interest in increasing its foreign student enrollment.

Refugees Branch

- Destining and matching refugees through the use of tools such as community profiles.

- Facilitating and enhancing the successful settlement of refugees in Canada.

- Consideration of the ability of refugees to speak French in conjunction with other settlement factors such as the presence of other family members in Canada.

Have Your Say

CIC's Action Plan describes our efforts to support the vitality and growth of OLM communities and to foster the recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. This plan is also intended as a vehicle for communicating with these communities and with others interested in the implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act.

Please take a few minutes to complete this questionnaire. We welcome your comments and will consider them when developing future Action Plans.

• Do you believe that immigration is important to the vitality and development of OLM communities? If so, why?
  
  
• What should CIC do to support the vitality and development of OLM communities?
  
  
• What should CIC do to foster the recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society?
  
  
• This report describes a variety of proposed measures. Which proposed measures do you believe are most relevant or potentially effective? Why?
  
  
• How should CIC ensure that the interests of OLM communities are integrated into our policies and programs?
  
  
• CIC's clients include prospective visitors, immigrants and citizens in Canada and abroad. What should CIC do to promote awareness among its clients of OLM communities and the opportunities they offer?
  
  
• Other suggestions or comments:

 
Please return your comments to:

Daniel Wilson
Manager
Strategic Planning
Strategic Policy, Planning and Research Branch
Citizenship and Immigration Canada
Jean Edmonds Tower South, 18th Floor
365 Laurier Avenue West
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1L1

Telephone: (613) 941-9318
Fax: (613) 957-5946
E-mail: Daniel.Wilson@8752BSP.cina.cic.x400.gc.ca

Appendix:
Acronyms used in this report

ADM: ASSISTANT DEPUTY MINISTER

CIC: CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION CANADA

OLA: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES ACT

OLM: OFFICIAL- LANGUAGE MINORITY

SPO: SERVICE PROVIDER ORGANIZATION