Section 91 of the Official Languages Act requires an objective assessment of the language requirements of a position, which can be “English essential”, “French essential” or “bilingual”. When a position is said to be bilingual, the level of bilingualism required must be determined, as there are different levels.
A study we did last year showed that, across all the federal institutions, there isn't a good understanding of section 91 and what it actually means.
Properly identifying language requirements is crucial to creating the capacity to provide services in both official languages. If we can't properly identify the language requirements of positions based on needs, how can we create the capacity to respond to Canadians in the language of their choice?
I'll give you a perfect example: the issue of public safety—