Official Languages Committee on Dec. 4th, 2025

[Shafqat Ali]

This is a technical question. I'm going to pass it to my secretary to respond, please.

[Bill Matthews]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

The Treasury Board Secretariat is certainly responsible for developing the regulations in relation to part VII. As the President of the Treasury Board has already stated, we have responsibilities related to other parts as well, including parts IV and V. It is therefore the responsibility of the Treasury Board Secretariat.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Thank you, Mr. Matthews.

You have other regulations to table. We are waiting for those regulations. This is what is delaying the implementation of the new version of the Official Languages Act. If it’s that important, I remind you that the Bill to implement those new legislative provisions received royal assent in June 2023.

Can you tell us the dates when the upcoming regulations will be tabled and who will be tabling them? My question is simple, Mr. President of the Treasury Board.

[Shafqat Ali]

Chair, is that a question to me or my deputy?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Mr. Godin, is the question addressed to the minister?

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

It is addressed to the President of the Treasury Board; that’s what I just said when I asked my question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

The floor is yours, Minister.

[Shafqat Ali]

I'm going to ask my deputy to respond to this question, please.

[Bill Matthews]

The act is in effect, so everyone must respect it.

The government will establish the regulations as soon as possible. It will be done in the future, and we will discuss the regulations at the appropriate time.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

My question was more detailed. Will it be tabled by the President of the Treasury Board, who is responsible for it, in my opinion? Why was he not the one to table the regulations on the new power granted to the Commissioner of Official Languages to impose monetary penalties?

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

You have 55 seconds left, Mr. Godin.

[Bill Matthews]

For the regulations related to part VII, the President of the Treasury Board will be doing it. It will be done soon.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Why were the regulations regarding the powers of the Commissioner of Official Languages tabled by the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture? Was it because the President of the Treasury Board was unavailable, or not interested?

[Bill Matthews]

I don’t know, but I can provide a written response to the committee.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes, that’s what I would like you to do, please. Thank you.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

You have 30 seconds left, Mr. Godin.

[Joël Godin, Conservative, Portneuf—Jacques-Cartier, QC]

Yes, thank you.

To the President of the Treasury Board: You stated that you enforce the act. What have you implemented since the publication of the CBC/Radio-Canada report on the use of French by the Prime Minister and in government institutions? You have been in your position for almost eight months.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

I ask you to give a very quick answer, as there are only 15 seconds left.

[Shafqat Ali]

I expect all departments across the government to continue to meet their obligations under the Official Languages Act.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

Thank you, Mr. Godin.

I now give the floor to Ms. Mingarelli for five minutes.

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

Thank you, Mr. Chair.

I thank the President of the Treasury Board for being here today.

I would like to begin by making a comment, as this is the official languages committee.

It is the expectation that all of us speak in both official languages. I grew up in a riding, a community, that's Franco-Ontarian. It's 60% francophone and 40% anglophone. My father was francophone and my mother was anglophone. Both were from Montreal. That environment is the environment that exists around this table at this committee, and I think it's important that we celebrate all of the efforts of all of our colleagues who speak both languages, regardless of their level of fluency.

I think it’s very important to note that.

I will now ask my questions.

There remains some confusion about the distribution of roles and responsibilities between the Department of Canadian Heritage and the Treasury Board Secretariat under the modernized Official Languages Act. Could the President of the Treasury Board please clarify this point?

[Shafqat Ali]

Thank you very much for the question.

Thank you for the comment that we should celebrate.

I'd like to talk a little bit about myself, because my Conservative colleague was questioning my ability to understand French. This is my sixth language. I have three kids. They're learning French. Even my wife and I try to speak French words.

We should celebrate. This is great news. Across the public service, 96% of our workforce is bilingual. I think we need to celebrate.

Yes, we have a lot more work to do. That's what this committee is for. This committee is to focus on the work that matters to Canadians, not to play politics. Canadians sent us to focus on service delivery to them.

As President of the Treasury Board, my roles and responsibilities include the implementation of the Official Languages Act across government institutions and to make sure services are provided to Canadians in the language of their choice. That is my responsibility. We're committed to making sure that those policies and guidelines are provided across government departments and that the Official Languages Act is fully implemented. As someone who is not francophone and a non-anglo, I am committed to making sure the Official Languages Act is fully implemented.

Thank you.

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

Thank you.

To that point, congratulations for speaking six languages. I think that's amazing.

I actually tried to bring up, once before, at this committee the use of indigenous languages in Canada. Unfortunately, it's beyond the scope of this committee.

Nonetheless, further to your point, I think that multilingualism in Canada is to be celebrated.

Thank you.

I will ask a second question.

[The Chair, Liberal, Yvan Baker]

You have 25 seconds left.

[Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland, ON]

What is the Treasury Board Secretariat doing in response to the 2024-25 annual report from the Commissioner of Official Languages?