Three-Year Action Plan for Official Languages 2014-2017

Implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act (OLA)

General information

Federal institution:

Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC)
www.crtc.gc.ca

Minister responsible:

The Honourable Shelly Glover, Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages

Senior officials responsible for implementation of Part VII of the OLA:

Jean-Pierre Blais, Chairman

John Traversy, Secretary General

Scott Hutton, Official Languages Champion

Mandate of the federal institution:

Established by Parliament in 1968, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an independent public authority under the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Act (R.S.C. 1985, c. C-22, as amended) and reports to Parliament through the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

The CRTC supervises and regulates Canadian broadcasting and telecommunications systems. The CRTC derives its regulatory authority over broadcasting from the Broadcasting Act (S.C. 1991, c. 11, as amended). Its telecommunications regulatory powers are derived from the Telecommunications Act (S.C. 1993, c. 38, as amended) and the Bell Canada Act (S.C. 1987, c. 19, as amended).

National coordinator responsible for implementation:

Renée Gauthier
Senior Manager
French Language Policy and Programming
819- 997-4835
renee.gauthier@crtc.gc.ca

Legal Counsel, Official Languages:

Eric Bowles
Legal Counsel
819-953-5204
eric.bowles@crtc.gc.ca

Sectoral coordinators:

Lynn Asselin
Senior Radio Analyst
819-997-9382
lynn.asselin@crtc.gc.ca

Caroline Bédard
819-997-4834
caroline.bedard@crtc.gc.ca

Mario Bertrand
Director
Telecommunications Dispute Regulation
819-994-0294
mario.bertrand@crtc.gc.ca

Claude Brault
Senior Analyst
Distribution Policy and Applications
819-997-6064
claude.brault@crtc.gc.ca

Sheehan Carter
Senior Manager
TV Operations
819-997-4530
sheehan.carter@crtc.gc.ca

Michael Craig
Manager
English Television Applications
819-997-9394
michael.craig@crtc.gc.ca

Summary of expected progress according to the following categories of action:

For the years 2014–2017, the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) plans to undertake the following activities pursuant to section 41 of the Official Languages Act (OLA): awareness, consultation, communications, coordination, liaison and accountability. As an administrative tribunal, the CRTC neither manages programs or services, nor funds activities. However, several of its activities, including developing regulatory policies, reviewing existing policies, issuing or renewing licences, and approving tariffs, do contribute to the implementation of section 41 of the Official Languages Act (OLA).

Awareness

On an ongoing basis, the CRTC organizes awareness and information sessions on section 41 of the OLA and on the needs ad priorities of official language minority communities (OLMC). CRTC’s policy on section 41 of the OLA will be amended effective 2014. To ensure the systematic implementation of the policy, awareness and information sessions will be delivered to all Commissioners, managers and sectoral coordinators informing them of their roles and responsibilities as defined in the policy. The Official Languages and Minority Communities page on the Commission Web site, containing the official languages reports, the action plans for the implementation of section 41 of the OLA, as well as information on the CRTC-OLMC discussion group (mandate, work plan, list of members, minutes and agendas of meetings with this group) will be updated periodically.

Over the next three years, the Commission will continue its awareness efforts by reiterating the Commission’s obligations and the roles and responsibilities of all employees at orientation sessions for new employees in the context of CRTC-U, Commission meetings, management meetings and team meeting.

With a view to informing and developing awareness among its staff, CRTC will be responsible for adding content to Official Languages and Official Language Minority Communities webpage, which willpresent statistical data on the official languages and profiles of the OLMCs.

In addition, the CRTC will adopt a new, dynamic approach to further raise awareness among its staff with respect to official languages and OLMCs. To that end, it will carry out diverse activities in order to promote Canada’s linguistic duality, which honours the country’s heritage and history.

Consultations

The CRTC will ensure that the relationships between the CRTC and the OLMCs established since 2007 in the context of the CRTC-OLMC discussion group are maintained and strengthened. In addition, CRTC agrees with the idea that other member organizations of OLMCS join the discussion group so that a greater number of voices may be heard. Over the next three years, the CRTC will continue to foster discussion with OLMCs by emails, telephone exchanges and biannual meetings with OLMCs under the auspices of its discussion group.

Communications

The OLMCs are systematically and regularly kept informed of Commission proceedings that affect them to ensure that they have an opportunity participate.Footnote 1 OLMCs receive the information in two ways: by emails as the proceedings are posted on the CRTC’s website and through social media (Twitter and Facebook). In addition, potentially useful links that could provide additional or complementary information to OLMCs will also be available on the Official Languages and Minority Communities page of the CRTC’s website.

Coordination and liaison

The Commission will continue its cooperation with its federal partners, including Canadian Heritage and the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, in order to foster information sharing. The Commission will take part in national coordinators’ meetings organized by Canadian Heritage in the National Capital Region and the Official Languages Champion will take part in meetings organized at his/her level. The Commission will also consult the best practices and tools posted on Gateway 41 and will identify a federal partner for exchanging practices and initiatives for implementing the objectives of section 41 of the OLA.

Commission activities in connection with the implementation of section 41 of the OLA

The CRTC’s activities, such as issuing, renewing and amending licences, developing new policies and reviewing existing policies, and regulating and overseeing all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system under the Broadcasting Act and the Telecommunications Act, will contribute to achieving the objectives of section 41 of the OLA.

Accountability

The CRTC will develop, where necessary, measurement instruments to evaluate the progress made further to the activities implemented under the intervention categories: awareness (A), consultations (B), communications (C).

A. Awareness

The CRTC will use innovative methods to inform, educate and raise awareness among its staff and the members of its Board of its obligations under section 41 (OLA), linguistic duality and OLMC rights in order to promote the organizational culture of this federal institution.

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected result

Provide awareness and information sessions to staff and senior management, including regional offices, on section 41 of the OLA and on the impact of CRTC proceedings on OLMCs:

  • at team, senior management and Commission meetings;
  • at orientation sessions for new CRTC employees and new Commissioners at CRTC-U;
  • at meetings of the Internal Official Languages Committee meetings, chaired by the CRTC’s OL Champion
  • Timetable and agendas for planned sessions
  • Sessions delivered to employees, senior management and Commissioners
  • Number of employees, Commissioners and regional offices participating in these sessions
  • Degree of employee and Commissioner knowledge of their commitment and of the CRTC’s obligations and the impact of CRTC proceedings on OLMCs
  • Degree of integration of issues concerning OLMCs:
  • Number of analysis documents
  • Number of proceedings
  • Number of decisions
  • Degree of awareness of obligations and responsibilities

Promote the Commission’s organizational culture:

  • All employees, executives and Commissioners are aware of and understand their responsibilities under section 41 of the OLA.
  • Analysts are able to identify the issues relating to OLMCs and incorporate them into their impact analyses;
  • The Commissioners and the Chairman are able to have a better understanding of the impact of their decisions on OLMCs

Prepare internal information bulletinsFootnote 2 reiterating the objectives of section 41 of the OLA and implementation of lens 41 using the document available on the intranet titled Obligations of the CRTC with respect to section 41 of the Official Languages Act, Part VII, Enhancement of English and French

  • Documents
  • Broadcast material
    • Internal information bulletins
    • Emails

Organize activities to promote the full recognition and use of English and French in Canadian society and stimulate linguistic duality within the Commission.
The Committee’s communication efforts will be coordinated with human resources as part of their internal communications campaign.

Examples of interactive activities:

  •  Hulk’s quiz
  •  Hulk’s message/Words of wisdom from Hulk
  • Did you know?
  • HR cafes dedicated to official languages
  • Fair-exhibit of OLMCs (in conjunction with members of the CRTC-OLMC discussion group)
  • Games organized as part of special events (e.g. celebration of linguistic duality)
  • Number of participants
  • Degree of awareness of linguistic duality

Gather information from OLMCs to better identify their needs and realities by identifying barriers

  • Meetings with the discussion group: minutes of meetings
  • Degree of familiarity with the concerns and needs of OLMCs

Update, obtain approval from the Chairman and CEO, publish, disseminate and implement the revised policy and internal guidelines on official languages incorporating CRTC’s obligations under the Broadcasting Act, the Telecommunications Act and the Official Languages Act.

  • Internal policies and guidelines posted on the intranet
  • Internal information bulletins
  • Presentation during the CRTC employee meeting
  • Degree of awareness, of understanding and knowledge of OL, CRTC’s obligations and the accountability structure

Adding content to the CRTC’s Official Languages and Official Language Minority Communities Web page to clarify what “OLMCs” are and who belongs to them

  • Presentation of statistical data on official languages
  • Profiles of OLMCs
  • Level of staff’s awareness of what “OLMC” means, of who is part of these communities and of the geographical dispersion of the communities

Make the information on official languages, OLMCs and the CRTC-OLMC discussion group available on the Official Languages and Official Language Minority Communities website

  • Reports on official languages;
  • Action plan for the implementation of section 41;
  • Information on the CRTC-OLMC discussion group (history, mandate and activities)
    • Workplan
    • List of members
    • Minutes
    • Meeting agendas
  • Level of knowledge  of what work is done at CRTC to ensure that the institution meets its OL and OLMC obligations

Provide pertinent information to the Internal Official Languages Committee on the CRTC’s Official Languages and Official Language Minority Community website and onthe Commission’s intranet site.

Commission’s site:

  • Presentation of the Internal Official Languages Committee on official languages and its mandate

Intranet site:

  • Description of the Internal Official Languages Committee
  • Updating of currently available information
  • Providing a list of members of the Official Languages Committee
  • Adding a definition of OLMC
  • Knowledge of the existence of the Committee, its members and its mandate

B. Consultation (CRTC-OLMC Discussion Group)

The CRTC created an informal, structured forum for discussion with OLMCs: the CRTC-OLMC discussion group. Introduced in 2007, the group’s mandate is to identify ways and ensure the follow-up required to maximize the communities’ participation in the CRTC’s public proceedings and take their realities into account in the Commission’s analysis and discussions leading to its decisions. For additional information, go to http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/5000/lo_ol/olb-lob.htm.

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected results

Hold bi-annual meetings of the CRTC-OLMC discussion group

  • Chaired by the national coordinator
  • With participation of sectoral coordinators, including experts, analysts, lawyers and managers of the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors
  • Agendas
  • Minutes
  • Meetings
  • Participation rate (% of participants compared with guests)
  • Degree of satisfaction of all participants
  • Level of understanding among OLMCs of the CRTC’s public proceedings
  • Level of understanding of Commission’s employees (including sectoral coordinators) of OLMC-related issues
  • Degree of information sharing by sectoral coordinators
  • Degree of exchanges and level of collaboration between OLMCs and Commission staff
  • Maintain lasting relationships between the Commission and OLMCs;
  • Clear understanding of each other’s mandates;
  • The Commission, sector coordinators and managers are aware of OLMC needs and priorities and share information with their colleagues and employees;
  • OLMCs are better informed of and participate in relevant proceedings.

Participate in various meetings with OLMCs, coordinated by Canadian Heritage and/or other departments and central and community agencies.

C. Communications (Transmission of information to OLCMs)

Aware of OLMC-related issues and needs, Commission staff will convey up-to-date information on the relevant proceedings to the communities so that they can participate in them.

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected results

Update and manage the content of the Commission’s Official Languages and Official Language Minority Communities page on its website

Post information and relevant links

Webpage:

  • Action plans
  • Reports
  • Mandate of CRTC-OLMC discussion group
  • Work plan
  • List of group members
  • Minutes
  • Agendas
  • Relevant links
  • Degree of use of Web page
  • Degree of OLMC access to up-to-date information
  • Quality and relevance of the content of the material disseminated
  • Level of visibility of CRTC proceedings and activities
  • Level of participation by OLMCs in Commission proceedings
  • Number of contacts between OLMCs and Commission’s employees, including sectoral coordinator and managers
  • OLMCs demonstrate a greater mutual understanding of respective mandates and expectations;
  • OLMCs receive relevant and up-to-date information about Commission proceedings that affect them so that they can participate in the proceedings;
  • OLMCs are more aware of contacts and their sectoral coordinators and are able to contact them for specific information

Regularly inform OLMCs of relevant CRTC practices and proceedings via email, social media and informal exchanges

Reply inquiries, calls and questions from OLMCs by involving sectoral coordinators and experts

  • Emails
  • Social media: Twitter and Facebook
  • Telephone calls

D. Coordination and liaison

Cooperation with multiple partners to foster OLMC development and vitality and to share best practices.

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected results

Create and maintain regular contact with federal partners for the implementation of section 41

Take part in interdepartmental groups

Take part in meetings of national coordinators and in workshops

  • Meetings
  • Shared tools
  • Effectiveness of participation
  • Level of cooperation and exchanges of information
  • Collaboration with multiple partners to enhance OLMC development and vitality and share best practices

Share information among sectoral coordinators within CRTC to exchange and coordinate outcomes of meetings

  • Extent to outcomes are included in analyses
  • Level of knowledge  of the realities of OLMCs

Where necessary, conduct studies and collaborative research (basic data, trends, OLMC diversity and geographic distribution, impact of technology)

  • Study and research reports

Consult Gateway 41 on a regular basis

  • Tools and best practices identified
  • Number of Gateway visits per month
  • Extent to which Gateway 41 is the source of new ideas and sharing of best practices

E. Funding and program delivery

As an administrative tribunal, the CRTC neither manages programs or services, nor funds activities. However, the CRTC, in carrying out its mandate with respect to broadcasting, issues, renews or amends broadcasting licences, develops new policies and examines existing policies, and regulates and oversees all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system. These activities are carried out pursuant to the Broadcasting Act. Also, the Commission exercises the powers and performs the duties conferred on it by the Telecommunications Act (TA) so as to achieve the Canadian telecommunications policy objectives and ensure that the services and tariffs of Canadian common carriers are in compliance with section 27 of the TA. A number of these activities contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in section 41 of the OLA.

F. Commission activities in connection with implementation of section 41 of the OLA

As an administrative tribunal, the CRTC neither manages programs or services, nor funds activities. However, the CRTC, in carrying out its mandate with respect to broadcasting, issues, renews or amends broadcasting licences, develops new policies and examines existing policies, and regulates and oversees all aspects of the Canadian broadcasting system. These activities are carried out pursuant to the Broadcasting Act. Also, the Commission exercises the powers and performs the duties conferred on it by the Telecommunications Act (TA) so as to achieve the Canadian telecommunications policy objectives and ensure that the services and tariffs of Canadian common carriers are in compliance with section 27 of the TA. A number of these activities contribute to the achievement of the objectives set out in section 41 of the OLA. The list that follows is not exhaustive.

Targeted results:

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected results

Inform OLMC about upcoming public hearings in order to maximize their participation in hearings affecting OLMCs regarding:

  • The issuing, renewing and amending of broadcasting licences;
  • The development of new policies or review of existing policies and other decisions:
  • By implementing lens 41, meaning, taking into account the impacts of proceedings on the OLMC
  • Questions, conditions, expectations and encouragements taking into account OLMC’s needs in public notices of consultation, regulatory policies, decisions, where appropriate
  • Number of times OLMCs participated/intervened
  • Quality of interventions
  • OLMC issues and interests are taken into account and integrated
    • Number (enumeration) of OLMC relevant proceedings ;
    • Number (enumeration) of proceedings contributing to the promotion and full recognition of the linguistic duality in Canadian society
  • OLMCs participate in proceedings that affect them;
  • their needs are taken into account in the Commission’s analysis and decision-making processes;

the Commission’s proceedings contribute to enhancing the reflection of OLMC within the broadcasting system and to increasing access to services in both official languages promoting linguistic duality within Canadian society

G. Accountability

Planned activities to achieve the expected result

Expected outputs

Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result

Expected results

Create, on occasion, data collection instruments to evaluate progress made following implementation of activities under categories of action (A, B, C)

  • Activities to measure, in a fun and inspiring way, knowledge of staff, senior executives and Commission members
  • Level of knowledge
    • Understanding
    • Incorporation (lens 41)
    • Accountability
    • Participation by OLCMs
    • Exchanges and sharing

Full integration of section 41 of the OLA and of the OLMC perspective into Commission practices

Record the proceedings, analysis documents, and decisions that implemented lens 41

  • Analysis document
  • Consultation notice
  • Proceedings
  • Decisions
  • Section F (activities unique to the CRTC)from the results report
  • Number (documents, proceedings, decisions) that integrate section 41 objectives

Incorporate objectives of section 41 of the OLA into annual reports (RPP and DPR)

  • Paragraphs in the annual reports (RPP and DPR)
  • Departmental planning and reporting mechanisms integrating section 41 objectives

Develop and coordinate reports on results

  • Results reports
  • Degree of compliance
  • Degree of progress

Distribution list

Colleen Swords
Deputy Minister
Canadian Heritage
25 Eddy Street
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5

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

Suzie Cadieux
Clerk of the Standing Committee on Official Languages of the House of Commons
House of Commons
131 Queen Street, 6th floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A6

Daniel Charbonneau
Clerk
Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages
Senate of Canada
Chambers Building, Room 1051
40 Elgin Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A4

Suzanne Bossé
Serge Quinty
Fédération des communautés francophones et acadiennes du Canada (FCFA)
Place de la francophonie
450 Rideau Street, Suite 300
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Z4

Eric Dubeau
Simone Saint-Pierre
Fédération culturelle canadienne-française (FCCF)
Place de la francophonie
450 Rideau Street, Suite 405
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Z4

Benoit Henry
Alliance nationale de l’industrie musicale (ANIM)
390 Rideau, PO Box 20171
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Y0

Guy Rodgers
English Language Arts Network (ELAN)
460 St. Catherine Street West, Suite 610
Montreal, Quebec H3B 1A7

François Coté
Alliance des radios communautaires du Canada (ARC)
325 Dalhousie Street, 2nd floor
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 7G2

Sylvie Peltier
Natalie McNeil
Alliance des producteurs francophones du Canada (APFC)
66 Muriel Street, Suite 210
Ottawa, Ontario K1S 4E1

Sylvia Martin-Laforge
Quebec Community Groups Network (QCGN)
1255 University Avenue, Suite 1000
Montreal, Quebec H3B 3W6

Hugh Maynard
Quebec Association for Anglophone Community Radio (QU’ANGLO)
PO Box 100, St-Augustine, Quebec
G0G 2R0

Gaël Corbineau
Fédération des francophones de Terre-Neuve et du Labrador (FFTNL)
65 Ridge Road, Suite 233
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador A1B 4P5

Aubrey Cormier
Société Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin (SSTA)
5 Maris Stella Ave.
Summerside, Prince Edward Island C1N 6M9

Marie-Claude Rioux
Fédération acadienne de la Nouvelle-Écosse (FANE)
La Maison acadienne- 54 Queen Street
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2Y 1G3

Peter Hominuk
Assemblée de la francophonie de l’Ontario (AFO)
1173 Cyrville Road, Suite 306
Ottawa, Ontario K1J 7S6

Daniel Boucher
Société franco-manitobaine (SFM)
383 Provencher Blvd., Suite 212
Saint-Boniface, Manitoba R2H 0G9

Marc Masson
Assemblée communautaire fransaskoise (ACF)
2445 - 13 Avenue, Suite 101),
Regina, Saskatchewan S4P 0W1

Isabelle Laurin
Association canadienne-française de l’Alberta (ACFA)
303-8627 91 Street NW,
Edmonton, Alberta T6C 3N1

Mylène Letellier
Fédération des francophones de la Colombie-Britannique (FFCB)
1575 West 7th Avenue
Vancouver, British Columbia V6J 1S1

Léo-Paul Provencher
Fédération Franco-Ténoise (FFT)
PO Box 1325
Yellowknife, Northwest Territories  X1A 2N9

Roch Nadon
Association Franco-yukonnaise (AFY)
302 Strickland Street, Whitehorse, Yukon
Y1A 2K1

Kirwan Cox
Quebec English-language Production Committee (QEPC)
5 St-Anselme
Rigaud, Quebec J0P 1P0

Éric Corneau
Association des francophones du Nunavut (AFN)
PO Box 880, Iqaluit, Nunavut
X0A 0H0

Bruno Godin
Société de l’Acadie du Nouveau-Brunswick (SANB)
702 Main Street, Suite 204
Petit-Rocher, New Brunswick
E8J 1V1

Laurence Véron
Vital Kasongo
Front des réalisateurs indépendants du Canada (FRIC)
450 Rideau Street, Suite 405
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Z4

Jean-Pierre Caissie
Association acadienne des artistes professionnel.l.e.s
du Nouveau-Brunswick (AAAPNB)
140 Botsford Street, Suite 29Moncton, New Brunswick E1C 4X5

Shelley Robinson
National Campus and Community Radio Association
(NCRA)
180 Metcalfe Street, Suite 608
Ottawa, Ontario K2P 1P5

Association des professionnels de la chanson
et de la musique (APCM)
450 Rideau Street, Suite 401
Ottawa, Ontario K1N 5Z4

Nicole Matiation
On Screen Manitoba
003-100 Arthur Street
Winnipeg, Manitoba R3B 1H3

Jean-Sébastien Jolin-Gignac
Voice of English-speaking Québec (VEQ)
1270 Sainte-Foy Road, Suite 2141

Jeffery Hale Pavillion
Quebec City, Quebec G1S 2M4

Footnotes

Footnote 1

As a courtesy service, the members of the discussion group are informed by email of various publications of interest on the Commission’s Internet site. The emails are sent by Commission staff in order to help OLMC representatives participate in Commission proceedings that are of particular interest for them. Commission staff would like to state that this service does not exempt OLMC representatives from informing themselves about Commission proceedings, as all Canadians are expected to do.

Return to footnote 1 referrer

Footnote 2

Called Frequencies, the main objective of these bulletins is to disseminate information swiftly and efficiently, sent out to all the employees of the CRTC, including regional offices, through emails in French and English as well as a link to the message on the intranet of the CRTC.

Return to footnote 2 referrer

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