Mr. Chair, thank you for the opportunity to appear before the committee here today.
As you already know, with me today is Karim Adam, and he is director of oversight and compliance at the Official Languages Centre of Excellence.
Today, in my brief remarks, I would like to provide some key information on the bilingualism of federal government executives.
Our two official languages are at the heart of the Canadian identity; they contribute to the values of diversity and inclusion. Bilingualism is a priority for the Government of Canada, and one of the reasons this is a priority is the right of Canadians to receive services from their government in either official language. This is a fundamental right, and our department is committed to ensuring that it is respected. A public service and institutional leadership committed to bilingualism can best meet the needs of Canadians to receive services in both languages.
In addition, federal public servants in bilingual regions for language-of-work purposes have the right to work in the language of their choice.
We are committed to fostering a workplace that is conducive to the use of both English and French.
Moreover, the modernized act strengthens and broadens the Treasury Board Secretariat's monitoring responsibilities in order to improve and maintain federal institutions' compliance with their official languages obligations, including obligations relating to service delivery and communications with the public and those relating to respect for employees' language of work rights.
As leaders, executives play a key role in setting the tone for the regular use of both official languages in the workplace.
Also, as you know, amendments to part V of the Official Languages Act address the bilingual capacity—as we just heard—of deputy ministers and associate deputy ministers, as well as the language-of-work rights of employees in bilingual regions. My colleague from the Privy Council Office has just spoken to that.
The Treasury Board Secretariat's responsibility extends up to the assistant deputy minister level, meaning the level below deputy ministers. Most appointments to deputy minister positions are made from within the public service, in particular by candidates from the pool of assistant deputy ministers.
The Directive on Official Languages for People Management requires that the assistant deputy minister positions be designated with a language profile of superior proficiency and that the incumbents of these positions be bilingual at the time of their appointment.
Of the approximately 6,000 public service executives, including assistant deputy ministers, 95% met the language requirements of their position as of March 31, 2023.
When we look at the situation from the employees' point of view, in the 2022 Public Service Employee Survey, three-quarters indicated that senior managers in their department use both official languages in their interactions with employees. Perceptions are similar between francophones, at 75%, and anglophones, at 76%.
That's a quick snapshot of the current situation.
However, despite this solid foundation for bilingualism, I would like to stress that official languages do need ongoing support and that we must be constantly vigilant so that the rights of Canadians and of public servants are respected.
I'll stop there and turn it over to my colleague from the Canada Border Services Agency.