Bill C-13

An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages

An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

Sponsor

Status

This bill has received Royal Assent and is, or will soon become, law.

Summary

This is from the published bill. The Library of Parliament has also written a full legislative summary of the bill.

Part 1 amends the Official Languages Act to, among other things,
(a) specify that all legal obligations related to the official languages apply at all times, including during emergencies;
(b) codify certain interpretative principles regarding language rights;
(c) provide that section 16 of that Act applies to the Supreme Court of Canada;
(d) provide that a final decision, order or judgment of a federal court that has precedential value is to be made available simultaneously in both official languages;
(e) provide for Government of Canada commitments to
(i) protect and promote French,
(ii) estimate the number of children whose parents are rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms ,
(iii) advance formal, non-formal and informal opportunities for members of English and French linguistic minority communities to pursue quality learning in their own language throughout their lives, including from early childhood to post-secondary education, and
(iv) advance the use of English and French in the conduct of Canada’s external affairs;
(f) clarify the nature of the duty of federal institutions to take positive measures to implement certain Government of Canada commitments and the manner in which the duty is to be carried out;
(g) provide for certain positive measures that federal institutions may take to implement certain Government of Canada commitments, including measures to
(i) promote and support the learning of English and French in Canada, and
(ii) support sectors that are essential to enhancing the vitality of English and French linguistic minority communities and protect and promote the presence of strong institutions serving those communities;
(h) provide for certain measures that the Minister of Canadian Heritage may take to advance the equality of status and use of English and French in Canadian society;
(i) provide that the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration is required to adopt a policy on francophone immigration and that the policy is to include, among other things, objectives, targets and indicators;
(j) provide that the Government of Canada recognizes the importance of cooperating with provincial and territorial governments;
(k) provide that the Treasury Board is required to establish policies to give effect to certain parts of that Act, monitor and audit federal institutions for their compliance with policies, directives and regulations relating to the official languages, evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of policies and programs of federal institutions relating to the official languages and provide certain information to the public and to employees of federal institutions;
(l) enable the Commissioner of Official Languages to enter into compliance agreements and, in certain cases, to make orders; and
(m) enable the Commissioner of Official Languages to impose administrative monetary penalties on certain entities for non-compliance with certain provisions of Part IV of that Act.
It also makes a related amendment to the Department of Canadian Heritage Act .
Part 2 enacts the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act , which, among other things, provides for rights and duties respecting the use of French as a language of service and a language of work in relation to federally regulated private businesses in Quebec and then, at a later date, in regions with a strong francophone presence. That Act also allows employees of federally regulated private businesses to make a complaint to the Commissioner of Official Languages with respect to rights and duties in relation to language of work and allows the Commissioner to refer the complaint to the Canada Industrial Relations Board in certain circumstances. It also provides that the Minister of Canadian Heritage is responsible for promoting those rights. Finally, Part 2 makes related amendments to the Canada Labour Code .

Similar bills

C-32 (43rd Parliament, 2nd session) An Act for the Substantive Equality of French and English and the Strengthening of the Official Languages Act

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-13s:

C-13 (2020) An Act to amend the Criminal Code (single event sport betting)

C-13 (2020) Law COVID-19 Emergency Response Act

C-13 (2016) Law An Act to amend the Food and Drugs Act, the Hazardous Products Act, the Radiation Emitting Devices Act, the Canadian Environmental Protection Act, 1999, the Pest Control Products Act and the Canada Consumer Product Safety Act and to make related amendments to another Act

C-13 (2013) Law Protecting Canadians from Online Crime Act

Votes

May 15, 2023 Passed 3rd reading and adoption of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

May 11, 2023 Passed Concurrence at report stage of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

May 11, 2023 Passed Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (report stage amendment)

May 30, 2022 Passed 2nd reading of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

May 30, 2022 Failed 2nd reading of Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts (amendment)

May 20, 2022 Passed Time allocation for Bill C-13, An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

Debate Summary

This is a computer-generated summary of the speeches below. Usually it’s accurate, but every now and then it’ll contain inaccuracies or total fabrications.

Bill C-13 aims to modernize the Official Languages Act to achieve substantive equality between English and French in Canada. It seeks to protect and promote French, particularly in areas where it is a minority language, while also supporting official language minority communities, including English speakers in Quebec. The bill includes measures to strengthen the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages, promote bilingualism, and ensure the use of French in federally regulated private businesses.

Liberal

Support for Bill C-13: The Liberal Party strongly supports Bill C-13, viewing it as vital for promoting Canada's official languages, halting the decline of French, and ensuring the vitality of official language minority communities. The bill aims to establish substantive equality between French and English in Canada, allowing Canadians to live and thrive in both languages.
Recognizing French's minority status: The bill recognizes the special status of French as a minority language in Canada and North America and takes necessary legislative measures to protect it. It also aims to enhance support for French throughout Canada, including in Quebec, and internationally, while remaining committed to English-speaking communities in Quebec.
Strengthening linguistic rights: Bill C-13 includes measures to enforce linguistic rights, such as regulating the implementation of positive measures by federal institutions, clarifying their duty to include language clauses in agreements with provinces and territories, enhancing the powers of the Treasury Board, and strengthening the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages.
Historic Investment: An action plan for official languages accompanies the bill, with a historic investment of over $4.1 billion to support the vitality of official language minority communities. The plan focuses on francophone immigration, lifelong learning support, strong community measures, and federal government leadership.

Conservative

Bill doesn't go far enough: The Conservative party believes the bill, while better than nothing, does not go far enough to protect French language rights and reverse its decline. They feel that despite significant effort, the final result is lacking, and that the Liberal government was unprepared and unwilling to consider amendments proposed by the opposition and key stakeholders.
Central agency needed: The Conservatives advocated for the Treasury Board to become the central agency responsible for enforcing the Official Languages Act, which they believe is crucial for effectively addressing violations and ensuring compliance. They criticized the Liberals for abandoning this approach despite initially supporting it in a white paper.
Enumeration of rights holders: The party raised concerns that Bill C-13 does not adequately ensure the accurate enumeration of rights holders under section 23 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, potentially leading to an underestimation of children of rights holders and undermining their language rights. They proposed including a question in the census to address this issue, but it was rejected.
Strengthen Commissioner's Powers: The Conservatives sought to enhance the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages, giving them more tools to enforce the act with businesses and federal agencies. They argued that this would enable the Commissioner to address non-compliance issues more effectively, particularly regarding communications in both official languages, but these efforts were unsuccessful.

NDP

Unequivocal support for bill: The NDP fully supports Bill C-13, highlighting its importance for the francophonie, Quebec, Acadia, Franco-Manitobans, and all francophone communities across Canada, viewing it as a historic step after 30 years without changes to the Official Languages Act.
Focus on immigration: The NDP emphasizes the need for ambitious immigration targets to welcome francophone immigrants and families, along with investments in consular and settlement services, particularly focusing on recruiting early childhood, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary educators to address the shortage of French teachers.
Mandatory language clauses: The NDP pushed for the inclusion of mandatory language clauses in agreements between the provinces and the federal government to ensure that francophone and anglophone minority communities receive their fair share of funding for essential services like health care, employment services, and day care.
Strengthening enforcement: The NDP supported changes to increase the Treasury Board's powers regarding the enforcement of Bill C‑13, give more powers to the Commissioner of Official Languages, and improve access to justice in French for minority communities.

Bloc

Conditional support for Bill C-13: The Bloc Québécois views Bill C-13 as a potential step towards a more favorable language policy, particularly for Quebec, but acknowledges it may not be enough. The Bloc supports the bill due to the recognition of Quebec's Charter of the French Language and the asymmetrical elements included, viewing it as the most progress achievable at this time, while recognizing the ongoing anglicizing influence of the Official Languages Act.
Official Languages Act is flawed: The Bloc believes that the Official Languages Act undermines the French language in Quebec, arguing it is based on flawed principles like the presumed symmetry between anglophones in Quebec and francophone minorities elsewhere, and that it promotes institutional bilingualism that encourages the use of English, the majority language. They assert that the Act supports English in Quebec while not adequately supporting French language communities elsewhere and that the Act has an anglicizing influence on Quebec.
Territoriality-based approach needed: The Bloc advocates for a territoriality-based language policy, where French is the official and common language within Quebec, as opposed to the current policy of institutional bilingualism, and believes this approach is essential for the survival and development of the French language in Quebec.
Quebec self-determination is ultimate solution: Ultimately, the Bloc sees Quebec independence as the only true solution to ensure the survival and flourishing of the French language and culture, given the limitations and ongoing anglicizing influence of federal language policies.

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An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official LanguagesGovernment Orders

May 15th, 2023 / 3:40 p.m.

The Speaker Anthony Rota

I declare the motion carried.

(Bill read the third time and passed)

I wish to inform the House that, because of the deferred recorded divisions, Government Orders will be extended by 25 minutes.