VI. Methodology
Page 8 of 14
A systemic approach was used to audit IT&E. Our goal was not to verify a training establishment’s compliance compared to another or encourage comparisons among the institutions we visited. Rather, we used an approach that focused on the processes and systems in place for IT&E as a whole. We examined, within IT&E’s structure and operations, the required controls to ensure compliance with the Official Languages Act. These became the audit criteria against which we measured the CF’s performance. Given the recurrent official languages problems linked to the implementation of IT&E over the years, we believed this approach was best to get to the heart of implementation problems from an official languages perspective and to recommend lasting solutions that would lead to compliance with the Act.
First, with the assistance of the CF, we mapped IT&E processes and support systems from beginning to end. This helped us to understand clearly how IT&E works as a whole. Next, we determined where control and decision points should be in place to ensure IT&E compliance with the Act. Our visits, interviews and document analysis helped us subsequently to verify whether IT&E processes and systems were effectively adapted to the Act’s requirements.
This IT&E process enabled us to determine the audit controls required. The following are the objectives and criteria for this audit (a list of the audit objectives and criteria can also be found in Appendix B):
Ensure that strategic planning leading to the IT&E plans takes into account the need to provide training in the official language of choice of Canadian Forces members.
-
Verify whether, in the Annual Military Occupational Review process and the preparation of strategic intake and production plans, the number of human resources required is identified while taking into consideration the language designations of the various Canadian Forces units.
-
Verify whether the IT&E plans include an estimate of training needs based on the official language of choice of military personnel.
Ensure that IT&E governance promotes the respect of the official language of choice of non-commissioned members and officers with respect to their training and education.
-
Verify whether the structure and sharing of responsibilities of the various stakeholders support training in the official language of choice.
-
Verify whether training establishments take the necessary measures to integrate training in the official language of choice into their operational planning.
-
Verify whether training in the training establishments is adapted to the language requirements of non-commissioned members and officers.
-
Verify whether the training establishments promote an environment conducive to learning in both official languages.
-
Verify whether the IT&E performance measurement system takes into account the issue of training in the official language of choice.
Ensure that the IT&E system does not negatively impact the employment, posting or advancement of non-commissioned members and officers from both official language groups.
-
Verify whether recruits from both official language groups who want training in their official language of choice are not prejudiced by systemic barriers at the enrolment stage.
-
Verify whether non-commissioned members and officers from the two language groups who took training in their official language of choice are not hindered by systemic barriers in terms of their posting or advancement.
Ensure that language training is provided in a way that increases the language competencies of officers, as provided for in the Official Languages Program Transformation Model.
-
Verify whether IT&E integrates the language training of officers as planned.
-
Verify whether newly trained bilingual officers are assigned to positions requiring the use of both official languages.
The next section contains our findings and subsequent recommendations for each of the identified objectives and criteria.
Finally, we have requested an action plan from the CF, which is included in this final report in Appendix D. The plan includes measures the CF intends to take over a 24-month period to implement the recommendations in this report. The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages intends to follow up on the various CF initiatives during this period.
