REFLECTIONS ON OUR FUTURE AGENDA

INFOACTION has offered me this opportunity to address its readers for the first time since my appointment as Commissioner of Official Languages.

Shorter than previous issues, this bulletin will above all describe my objectives and priorities at the outset of my seven-year mandate. It will also bring you up to date about a process of reflection we have begun at the Office of the Commissioner. This exercise will help us decide what needs to be done to ensure that the Official Languages Act remains relevant to a rapidly evolving Canadian society. This collective reflection will help the Office to better fulfil its mission.

The future of INFOACTION is part of our reflection. We need your comments and suggestions. In the centre of this issue, you will find a questionnaire we would ask you to complete. Do you find INFOACTION useful? Does it provide enough information? What other communications tools should the Office of the Commissioner use? How can we improve our communications with Canadians overall?

These are among the many questions we must answer. Please join us in our reflection. I look forward to reading your comments.

Dyane Adam

A MAJOR ISSUE

- The federal government must take action -

The Internet is now centre stage. As the newest arrival in communications technology, the Internet is a key development factor that we ignore at our peril. In view of the ever increasing influence of the Internet on the advancement of official languages in Canada, the federal government must be in the forefront, the more so since the Internet plays a vital role in government itself.

IN THE WORDS OF THE COMMISSIONER

Excerpts from speeches by the Commissioner of Official Languages

We currently have a deficit in rigorous reflection. We have mobilized our collective efforts to bring budget deficits under control; we must now overcome the deficit in reasoning in view of the formidable growth of the information highway. This deficit is certainly not typically Canadian, but Canada -- as an important economic player in the Americas, and with its connection to Europe through its official languages -- must nevertheless act quickly to preserve Canada's linguistic duality.

The Internet, which is linking more and more Canadians to one another, is rapidly transforming Canadian society and the Government of Canada. It is vital that these changes reflect the equal status of English and French stipulated in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the vitality of the official language minority communities as intended by Part VII of the Official Languages Act.

I am delighted by the measures announced in the Throne Speech concerning the Internet because they are in harmony with the recommendations in this study. This augurs well because the federal government must decide before the end of the year on the concrete measures it will take to follow-up on our recommendations.

Excerpts from a speech to the Cercle canadien de Toronto, October 14, 1999.

'Should we give priority to being citizens of the world or citizens of our country?' In my view, the choice should not be put in those terms. Just as the tree is the extension of its roots, just as the house only exists because of its foundations, citizenship of the world is at one end of a continuum, and citizenship of our own country is the other end.

Speech to the 52nd Conference of the ACELF, August 6, 1999.

When talking about the French language in Canada, one cannot ignore a phenomenon that has taken on major importance over the past few decades: the increasing appreciation for things French, and the ability to speak French, of our fellow Anglophone citizens. The very symbol of this evolution is one of the great Canadian success stories, generally called 'French immersion'.

Speech delivered to the members of the Fédération canadienne France-Canada and the Association nationale France-Canada, Moncton, August 13, 1999.

Economic globalization does not necessarily mean adopting a one-dimensional culture for the planet. Americanization is not a foregone conclusion, but as the Conference Board of Canada noted recently in its annual report on Canada's social and economic performance, Canada will have to make a much greater investment in research than it now does so as not to be wiped off the map, as far as innovation is concerned... The role of the Commissioner of Official Languages in this context is to publicly proclaim the importance and impact of these issues, for Canada's linguistic duality and for the promotion of official languages in Canada.

Speech to the Cercle canadien de Toronto, October 14, 1999.

It is up to all of us, and particularly the leaders of this country, to ensure that the vision of our country be continuously renewed in the light of changing times, and above all, that the flame of linguistic duality be perpetually rekindled and refuelled.

Speech given at a special screening of the film Just Watch Me: Trudeau and the 70s Generation, held at the House of Commons, October 18, 1999.

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTES

Dyane Adam took office as the Commissioner of Official Languages on August 1, 1999.

Before her appointment, she was Principal of Glendon College at York University from 1994 to 1999. A psychologist by training, she practised in Sudbury and Cornwall in Ontario and Rouyn-Noranda and Hauterive in Quebec. She taught psychology at the University of Ottawa and Laurentian University, where she was Assistant Vice President, French Programs and Services from 1988 to 1993. Dr. Adam was a founding member of the Regroupement des universités de la francophonie hors Québec, serving as president from 1997 until her appointment as Commissioner of Official Languages. She has also been active in various organizations in the field of post secondary education. For two years, she chaired the Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs of the Ontario government's Ministry of Education and Training. In addition to taking part in significant initiatives in health care and social services, she was the founding president of the Collectif des femmes francophones du Nord-Est ontarien. She has shown a great interest in women's issues and concerns, in particular in the health care and educational fields. Throughout her career, Dr. Adam has served on numerous boards and committees in the health and social services sector. She is the author of numerous professional publications and the recipient of several awards of recognition.

Dr. Adam is the fifth Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada.

IN CONVERSATION WITH DYANE ADAM

The Commissioner of Official Languages spoke recently with INFOACTION, responding to some questions and discussing current issues. Here is a summary of this interview.

A simple telephone call in November 1998 ultimately changed the direction of your career towards the National Capital. What was your immediate reaction?

I was very surprised. It is not every day that you get a call from the Prime Minister's Office. I knew about the role of the Commissioner of Official Languages, but not in depth. Before accepting, I did my homework. I carefully read the job description and the associated responsibilities. I consulted the OCOL Web site, and thought about it. The next day I was on a plane to Ottawa to meet Mr. Chrétien.

What specifically led you to accept the Prime Minister's offer?

The offer came at the right time in my career. I was preparing for a year's sabbatical when, suddenly, as has often been the case in my life, a new window opened. I saw the continuity in this opportunity. Throughout my career, I have worked with community organizations in bilingual areas. In Baie Comeau and Rouyn-Noranda, I had the opportunity to get to know the Anglophone minority. So the Prime Minister's offer seemed to logically follow the positions I had held.

Will your training as a psychologist and your clinical experience be of use to you?

Certainly! As a psychologist, I learned and practised the arts of listening and rigorous analysis in order to intervene as objectively as possible. These attitudes and skills will be of great use to the Commissioner of Official Languages.

So it was relatively easy to accept Mr. Chrétien's offer?

I felt ready for this new challenge. I was proud to be asked to work to protect the linguistic rights of Canadians, while being very aware of the responsibilities that await me.

You have been in the position for four months now; what is your assessment?

It is still too early for an assessment, but I would like to share some of my impressions. First of all, I consider it a great privilege to be in this position. I enjoy great latitude of action which allows me to define my objectives, to establish priorities with my team at the Commissioner's Office, and to bring to the process my own personal style. Increasingly, I am becoming aware that the Commissioner can exert influence and can initiate change.

Are you limited by directives from the government?

As an agent of the Parliament of Canada, I do not receive any specific directives on how to carry out my duties. My role is dictated instead by the Official Languages Act. To begin with, one of my priorities will be to ensure the equal status of English and French, our official languages, both inside and outside of federal institutions. I will ensure that these official language minority communities flourish in accordance with this equal status. In short, I am realizing that I have broad latitude of action. I and the team from my Office will soon be ready to implement an action plan based on a renewed vision of our mandate, a plan I would like to tailor to our modern reality and the linguistic needs of Canadians.

The Commissioner has some latitude of action, but does she have enough power?

The Commissioner is required to be objective and non-partisan. While the position does not include executive power, it can nevertheless bring influence to bear. The Commissioner's role as ombudsman, protector of linguistic rights and arbiter is the source of this power to influence decisions.

Who in particular would you like to influence?

I intend to work very closely with parliamentarians, decision-makers, and with public servants in pivotal positions. I would like to help ensure that the Official Languages Act becomes an inherent part of the culture of all federal institutions. I would like to see departments and agencies increasingly incorporate the Act into daily operations at all levels of their organization and in their delivery of services to the public. This is one of my primary objectives.

Working with elected officials means working for official language minority communities and for Canadian society as a whole, as my predecessors have done.

Can you give an example of some activity to influence elected officials?

Yes, I recently appeared before the Standing House Committee on Transport and the Standing Senate Committee on Transport and Communications. As you know, the government is considering the restructuring of the airline industry in Canada.

Did you make any recommendations to these committees?

I began by showing these committees that the restructuring process cannot be viewed separately from one of the basic values of Canadian identity, namely linguistic duality. I reminded the Committees that the government is responsible for clarifying the linguistic obligations of affiliated regional transporters, such as Air Ontario and Air Nova, both on the ground and in the air. Without going into detail, I can assure you that I insisted on the services that Canadians are entitled to demand in the official language of their choice. I submitted recommendations which would impose this. I will return to this task ... following up on this kind of intervention is crucial.

In the numerous media interviews you have given since your appointment, you have stated that you want to make a difference, have an impact. How do you hope to accomplish this?

First of all, I would like to see a different approach. I intend to be proactive, to become involved on several levels and to "dare" to appear as often as possible before parliamentary committees, since that is where the decisions are made. This will allow me to keep elected officials and senior managers better informed and, in particular, to tell them about the real needs of the official language communities.

This "difference" will, I hope, help build a renewed vision of Canada which has changed since the Official Languages Act was first proclaimed in 1969. Our country lacks a vision which accurately reflects the aspirations of a modern Canada. The government has been busy balancing its budgets. That is done now. Our society is lacking in rigorous reflection. We must now make up this deficit. I will go to great lengths to see that official languages are more and more integrated into the operations of federal institutions.

The Official Languages Act is therefore closely related to the renewed vision you recommend?

In my opinion, the Act must be supported by a vision for Canada in the 21st century. I believe this vision represents the cornerstone of the Act. I know it is not easy to enforce an Act. There are countless constraints and limitations. The Official Languages Act affects the daily lives of Canadians and is within the human realm. This is why it must be firmly linked to a vision.

Can we return to the difference you would like to make?

I would like the Commissioner to act as an agent of change, a facilitator. Our monitoring of the various issues should serve as a reminder of a basic Canadian value that we must all respect: the equal status of French and English, a status that must be respected as much inside as outside federal institutions.

Do the complaints you receive not serve as a reminder of this value?

Federal institutions need not wait for a complaint to evaluate the delivery of their services in both official languages. The Commissioner must help them in this regard, working continuously, hand-in-hand with them to promote this value. There would be far fewer complaints if federal institutions were to include the official languages to a greater extent in their daily operations, in the management and delivery of their services to the public. Official languages should not be on the margins, but rather at the heart of all institutional action. To achieve this, we must all share the same vision: respect for the equal status of both official languages or, in some cases, progress towards equal status.

You seem to be very interested in informing Canadians and demystifying everything about official languages. Do you have any specific plans in this regard?

This part of my mandate is of particular interest to me. We must reach the greatest number of Canadians possible. The context has changed dramatically in thirty years. Our communication activities must therefore reflect this reality and be adapted to modern technology. If we want to communicate effectively with the public, to make a difference, we must not only adapt our message, that is, what we say, but we must also adapt our means of communication.

Do you mean by that the Internet, the information highway?

Do we really have any choice? I make it a priority without neglecting the traditional methods and tools. We will undoubtedly make the latest communication technology part of our daily operations at OCOL. For the first time in history we can reach the public directly, within a few seconds. We can reach them in their homes, their schools, their universities, their industries, their organizations etc. We can respond to their questions almost immediately. We can create forums, places for debate and discussion of all kinds. All without moving an inch! In other words, it is simply up to us to begin a dialogue with the Canadian people and to provide information as we should.

Is this current practice in the federal government?

Increasingly so. Allow me to quote the latest Throne Speech. In my opinion, this passage unavoidably alters our course. "The Government will become a model user of information technology and the Internet. By 2004, our goal is to be known around the world as the government most connected to its citizens, with Canadians able to access all government information and services on-line at the time and place of their choosing." The Office of the Commissioner will be part of this, I have no doubt. We are undergoing a full-scale revolution in communication technology, with changes occurring at a dizzying pace, so we must act quickly.

Have you identified specific groups in society you would like to reach?

Without hesitation, young people between the ages of 14 and 30. These are the people who will create the renewed vision of Canada, who will provide input for our collective reflection on a modern Canada, which respects the equal status of English and French. We sometimes forget that young people between 14 and 30 did not live through the evolution of bilingualism. Our role is to educate and inform them and above all to draw inspiration from them.

Isn't the context today completely different?

Yes, clearly it is. First of all, Statistics Canada reports that one in four Canadians (14 to 24 years of age) is bilingual. These young people are tomorrow's leaders. They are more open to the globalization of markets and communications and to the space occupied by French and English. Linguistic duality will no longer be experienced in the same way. Young people are increasingly aware that English and French are spoken around the world and that these languages convey universal civilizations.

Will you address young people differently?

The content will not be different. The Official Languages Act is still the same. We must however remind them of the history of official languages in our country. What must change is our way of speaking to them. It is so much easier to lead discussions with modern technology, to make greater use of visual language, and less bureaucratic language. I think there should be some room for a bit of humour, some spirit, maybe even a cartoon. Above all, we can stimulate a real dialogue with young people by using the Internet and E-mail. And with young people in all parts of the country. It can be a nearly continuous dialogue, if we wish. They have things to tell us and we have things to learn. Yes, youth will be a big priority at the Commissioner's Office, but we will not neglect the other age groups either.

We know that your work demands long hours; what do you like to do to unwind, to recharge your batteries?

Gardening! I can easily spend the whole day in the vegetable plot or the flower garden, not to mention how much I enjoy tending our fruit trees. I also like cycling, something I have done for ever, it seems. Golf and skiing, depending on the season, are very enjoyable leisure activities, and if I have the time, I enjoy cooking for friends.

And reading?

I cannot be without a good book even if tons of documents are demanding my attention. In fact, I need a good novel or a book of short stories all the more then. Whenever possible, I read the latest best-sellers as they appear on the market. I like Canadian authors, both Anglophone and Francophone, but I also enjoy good authors from other countries. I like Marie Laberge, Daniel Poliquin, Patricia Cornwell, Alexandre Jardin, Gabriel Marquez, etc. Right now, I am reading something by a colleague, Jean Mohsen Fahmy, Director of Communications for the Commissioner's Office, who wrote Amina et le Mamelouk blanc.

By July 2006, what would you like to have accomplished for Canada as the Commissioner of Official Languages?

I hope to have been able to speak to Canadians, with passion and emotion, about the equal status of the official languages. If I can in my own way help see this status recognized by an ever greater number of Canadians, I will be delighted. I hope to have been able to help them experience the many benefits of living in a country which defines itself through its two official languages. A worthy challenge, wouldn't you say?

INFOACTION MARKS ITS FIFTH ANNIVERSARY

As you read on the first page, INFOACTION is part of a reflection process underway at the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. For five years INFOACTION has provided you with information on the main activities of the Commissioner.

We have received a number of ideas on how to improve this bulletin. For example, it was suggested that we publish it more regularly, and perhaps more often, since the information is often outdated. Some would like a less bureaucratic style. Others suggested that we make the contents more results-oriented. Others suggested more news about the activities of the regional offices. We have already included these comments in our reflection process.

For our part, we are asking numerous questions about the most effective use of the various means of communication available to better inform the Canadian public. There is more than one method, and none is complete in and of itself. We must choose the most effective. We need your help to make the best choices among the new technologies and resources available to us.

INFOACTION needs your ideas. We would ask you to complete the following questionnaire and send it in, if possible, before January 8, 2000.

Thank you for your cooperation.

QUESTIONNAIRE FOR INFOACTION READERS

Please print this questionnaire and return it by fax to (613) 993-5082 or by mail to the following address:

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
344 Slater Street
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0T8

1. You live in:
   
   Province _____________________________
   
   Territory _____________________________
   
   
2. Your age group
   
   ____ 15-30
   ____ 31-45
   ____ 46-65
   ____ 65 +
   
   
3. In which language do you read INFOACTION?
   
   ____ English
   ____ French
   
   
4. Does anyone else you know read it?
   
   ____ Yes
   ____ No
   
   
   • How many people? _____________________________
     
     
5. Do you read INFOACTION
   
   ____ in part
   ____ in full
   ____ not at all
   
   
6. Does INFOACTION provide you with enough information about the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages?
   
   ____ satisfactory
   ____ somewhat satisfactory
   ____ not satisfactory
   
   
7. Does INFOACTION provide you with enough information about official languages, your linguistic rights and the services provided by the Office of the Commissioner?
   
   ____ satisfactory
   ____ somewhat satisfactory
   ____ not satisfactory
   
   
8. What other kinds of information would you like to find in INFOACTION?
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   
9. What would be the most effective methods and the best communication tools the Office of the Commissioner could use to inform Canadians about everything relating to official languages?
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   _________________________________________________________________
   
   

Other comments

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