Government of Canada Welcomes Report on Official Languages in the Canadian Sport System
OTTAWA, June 11, 2003 -- Minister of Canadian Heritage Sheila Copps and Secretary of State (Amateur Sport) Paul DeVillers today welcomed the report of the Commissioner for Official Languages on the use of Official Languages in the Canadian Sport System.This report follows up on a study published in 2000 on the use of Canada's two official languages in the Canadian sport system, and tracks progress on the study's 16 recommendations. The report indicates that since the publication of the study in June 2000, "efforts made by Sport Canada and other sport organizations demonstrate their commitment to incorporate linguistic duality within the Canadian sport system."
Furthermore, the report shows that the Government of Canada has fully implemented three of the 16 recommendations, has made progress on 10, and has yet to implement three.
"We are making great strides in meeting the remaining recommendations of the Commissioner for Official Languages, and we are confident we can make further progress quickly," said Mr. DeVillers. "The Government of Canada has an ongoing commitment to work with our client groups to ensure that the level of service in both of Canada's official languages for high-performance athletes continues to improve even after we've fulfilled the recommendations made in this report."
"The Government of Canada is committed to ensuring that Canadian high-performance athletes are able to train and receive services in both official languages," said Minister Copps. "That is why we are working closely with the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages to continue making progress on the remaining recommendations as quickly as possible."
Since the 2000 study, the Government of Canada has undertaken significant actions to improve the use of official languages in the Canadian sport system, including:
The establishment of national standards for official languages for all funded organizations
The establishment of clear guidelines on bilingual services for hosting major Games such as the Canada Games, the Commonwealth Games, and the Olympic and Paralympic Games
The Government of Canada has developed an action plan in order to make rapid progress in advancing the remaining recommendations, and will meet or exceed the deadlines established by the Commissioner for Official Languages. The action plan is available on the Canadian Heritage website at the following address:
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/sc/pubs/index_e.cfm
Information:
Sonya-Kim St-Julien
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Canadian Heritage
(819) 997-7788
Mario Tremblay
Press Secretary
Office of the Secretary of State (Amateur Sport)
(819) 953-7329
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