Departmental Action Plan for Official Languages 2017-2022

1. Vision

The Departmental Action Plan for Official Languages is inspired by best practices advocated by the federal government and incorporates policies adopted by the Department of Justice of Canada (the Department) with respect to official languages. It has been designed to facilitate the understanding of issues that pertain to Parts III, IV, V, VI, VII and XI of the Official Languages Act (OLA) and its related obligations. This tool is intended as a guide to help employees, managers and senior management to ensure the OLA’s full implementation and to do even more to respect and promote linguistic duality.

The Department must ensure that the country’s justice system is fair, efficient and accessible to all. Therefore, the Department is called upon to take a leadership role by promoting an organizational culture that recognizes the right of all Canadians to be served and informed in the official language of their choice. Such a culture must also foster an exemplary work environment that respects the language rights of employees.

In addition, for this action plan to be successful, the Department will continue to take positive measures toward the implementation of Part VII of the OLA. Working in collaboration with various legal and community partners, as well as with various levels of government, the Department will continue to encourage partnerships to support the development and vitality of official-language minority communities (OLMCs) and the promotion of English and French in Canadian society.

Senior management, managers and employees are encouraged to systematically address considerations related to the OLA in their professional practice so as to incorporate the objectives set out in this Action Plan.