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 often publishes better independent summaries.

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 .

Elsewhere

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

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

Official Languages Committee, on June 6, 2022

Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Ariane Gagné-Frégeau
Marlene Jennings, President, Quebec Community Groups Network
Joan Fraser, Director, Board of Directors, Quebec Community Groups Network
Michel Doucet, Emeritus Professor, Faculty of Law, Université de Moncton, As an Individual
Janice Naymark, Lawyer, As an Individual
Marion Sandilands, Counsel, Quebec Community Groups Network

Official Languages Committee, on June 8, 2022

Liane Roy, President, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada
Alain Dupuis, Director General, Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada

Official Languages Committee, on June 20, 2022

Linda Cardinal, Associate Vice-Rector of Research, Université de l’Ontario français, As an Individual
Stéphanie Chouinard, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science, Royal Military College of Canada and Department of Political Studies, Queen's University, As an Individual
Carol Jolin, President, Assemblée de la francophonie de l'Ontario
Martin Théberge, President, Société nationale de l'Acadie

Official Languages Committee, on Sept. 22, 2022

Martin Normand, Director, Strategic Research and International Relations, Association des collèges et universités de la francophonie canadienne
Alex Silas, Regional Executive Vice-President, National Capital Region, Public Service Alliance of Canada
Marie-Nicole Dubois, Vice-President, Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique

Official Languages Committee, on Sept. 27, 2022

Vanessa Herrick, Executive Director, English Language Arts Network Quebec
Donald Barabé, President, Ordre des traducteurs, terminologues et interprètes agréés du Québec
Sophie Montreuil, Executive Director, Association francophone pour le savoir
Daniel Boucher, Executive Director, Société de la francophonie manitobaine
Jean-Michel Beaudry, Assistant Director General, Société de la francophonie manitobaine

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 4, 2022

Alexandre Cédric Doucet, President, Acadian Society of New Brunswick
Deepak Awasti, Member at Large, Legal Researcher, Case and Policy Analyst, India Canada Organization
Mona Audet, President, Réseau pour le développement de l'alphabétisme et des compétences
Ali Chaisson, Executive Director, Acadian Society of New Brunswick
Denis Desgagné, Executive Director, Réseau pour le développement de l'alphabétisme et des compétences

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 6, 2022

Raymond Théberge, Commissioner of Official Languages, Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
Arielle Warten, Sociology Student, Youth Advisory Committee, Bishop's Forum, As an Individual
Houston Rifai, Public Policy and Public Administration Student, Youth Advisory Committee, Bishop's Forum, As an Individual
Guillaume Rousseau, Full Professor, Faculty of Law, Université de Sherbrooke, As an Individual

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 18, 2022

Roger Lepage, Lawyer, As an Individual
Étienne-Alexis Boucher, President, Droits collectifs Québec
François Larocque, Canadian Francophonie Research Chair in Language Rights, Full Professor, Faculty of Law - Common Law, University of Ottawa, As an Individual
Ania Kolodziej, President, French for the Future
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 20, 2022

Jean-Paul Perreault, President, Impératif français
Jean-François Parent, Manager, Research and Policy Analysis, Réseau de développement économique et d'employabilité (RDÉE) Canada
Alain Laberge, Executive Director, Division scolaire franco-manitobaine
Antoine Désilets, Executive Director, Société Santé en français

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 25, 2022

Daniel-Robert Gooch, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of Canadian Port Authorities
Gillian Anderson, President, Commission nationale des parents francophones
Jean-Luc Racine, Executive Director, Commission nationale des parents francophones

Official Languages Committee, on Oct. 27, 2022

Michel Bastarache, Legal Counsel, As an Individual
Yves Giroux, Parliamentary Budget Officer, Office of the Parliamentary Budget Officer
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault
Patrick Taillon, Professor and Associate Director of the Centre for Constitutional and Administrative Law Studies, Faculty of Law, Université Laval, As an Individual
Pierre Asselin, President, Association canadienne-française de l'Alberta

Official Languages Committee, on Nov. 1, 2022

Denis Chartrand, President, Association des conseils scolaires des écoles publiques de l'Ontario
Sophie Bouffard, President, Université de Saint-Boniface
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault

Official Languages Committee, on Dec. 6, 2022

Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault
Mona Fortier, President of the Treasury Board

Official Languages Committee, on Dec. 8, 2022

Official Languages Committee, on Dec. 13, 2022

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Sarah Boily, Director General, Official Languages, Department of Canadian Heritage
Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Alain Desruisseaux, Director General, Francophone Immigration Policy and Official Languages Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat

Official Languages Committee, on Jan. 31, 2023

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault
Alain Desruisseaux, Director General, Francophone Immigration Policy and Official Languages Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration

Official Languages Committee, on Feb. 3, 2023

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat

Official Languages Committee, on Feb. 7, 2023

Émilie Thivierge, Legislative Clerk
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault
Alain Desruisseaux, Director General, Francophone Immigration Policy and Official Languages Division, Department of Citizenship and Immigration
Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice

Official Languages Committee, on Feb. 10, 2023

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice

Official Languages Committee, on Feb. 14, 2023

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice
Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Carsten Quell, Executive Director, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Marcel Fallu, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Émilie Thivierge, Legislative Clerk

Official Languages Committee, on Feb. 17, 2023

Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Marcel Fallu, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice
Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault

Official Languages Committee, on March 10, 2023

Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault
Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage

Official Languages Committee, on March 21, 2023

Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice
Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Marcel Fallu, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Clerk of the Committee, Ms. Michelle Legault

Official Languages Committee, on March 31, 2023

Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice
Karim Adam, Director, Oversight and Compliance, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Émilie Thivierge, Legislative Clerk

Official Languages Committee, on March 31, 2023

Warren Newman, Senior General Counsel, Constitutional, Administrative and International Law Section, Public Law and Legislative Services Sector, Department of Justice
Julie Boyer, Assistant Deputy Minister, Official Languages, Heritage and Regions, Department of Canadian Heritage
Karim Adam, Director, Oversight and Compliance, Official Languages Centre of Excellence, People and Culture, Office of the Chief Human Resources Officer, Treasury Board Secretariat
Chantal Terrien, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Marcel Fallu, Manager, Modernization of the Official Languages Act, Department of Canadian Heritage
Émilie Thivierge, Clerk of the Committee