As I said to the previous commissioners at some point in their mandate, the Commissioner of Official Languages should have more power. They all told me that these increased powers would undermine their independence and that they preferred the status quo. I replied that it would be possible to separate the powers or to step them up. There are undeniably all sorts of ways to calm the apprehension of commissioners who are afraid of losing their credibility because of increased powers.
This is an administrative agency. Initially, the idea was for the commissioner to conduct investigations, prepare reports and make recommendations to Parliament and federal institutions. In the event of a problem, the matter could ultimately be referred to the Federal Court. The commissioners weren't given the tools they needed to carry out their mandate properly.
I agree that the commissioner should be given more power, not only the commissioner for the federal government, but also to the provincial commissioners, whether it be New Brunswick, Ontario or somewhere else.