Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, members of the committee.
I would like to acknowledge that we are meeting on the traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabe people.
It's a pleasure to be here with you today. As the chair stated, my name is Julie Boyer, and I am the Department of Canadian Heritage's assistant deputy minister for official languages, heritage and regions.
I am here with Sarah Boily, director general, official languages, and Richard Léger, director, official languages regulations.
First, I would like to thank the committee for its contribution on the proposed official languages administrative penalties regulations and for its interest in reviewing the regulatory framework. The four recommendations aimed at expanding the scope of the regulations will be examined closely and taken into consideration in accordance with the legislative framework established by the Official Languages Act.
The publication of the proposed regulations on administrative penalties in the Canada Gazette as well as the tabling of the draft regulations on the use of French in federally regulated private businesses in Parliament mark an important milestone in the implementation of the modernized Official Languages Act. These developments build on a historic commitment made in 2021 when the federal government pledged to protect the French language in the federally regulated private sector.
The government has taken concrete action by recognizing that French is in a minority situation in Canada and North America due to the predominant use of English. Thus, the Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada's Official Languages received royal assent in June 2023. It enacted a new statute, the use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act. The act and its regulations will come into effect at the same time, and will first apply in Quebec, and then in regions with a significant francophone presence two years later.
This regime is important for all francophones and francophiles in Quebec and across the country. It creates new rights regarding the language of service and communication, as well as the language of work. The act provides a framework for the use of French to structure relations among businesses, their employees and their consumers.
In the designated regions, businesses maintain working and commercial relationships with francophone clients and employees. Our cost-benefit analysis demonstrates that despite initial costs, the proposed framework would generate net-positive benefits, notably through better quality of services, reduced internal friction and greater stability of business relations.
As Minister Miller emphasized during his appearance before the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on April 27, 2026, the measures will not harm English. They will strengthen French. Canadians who use French must be provided with adequate protection.
At the end of a 30-day waiting period in the House of Commons, the regulations may be published in part I of the Canada Gazette, the Government of Canada's official consultation mechanism for regulatory matters.
The proposed regulations are the result of rigorous years-long work that included extensive consultation with businesses, unions and the public to concretely address the needs of French-speaking Canadians. The regulations are an essential tool to give full effect to the language reform and reaffirm the government's commitment to advance substantive equality between English and French.
We're now ready to answer your questions.