Pandemic hurting bilingualism in the public sector, francophone workers say

Some francophone public servants are expressing concern over the impact the pandemic is having on bilingualism in federal workplaces.

Among the examples cited by federal bureaucrats who spoke to Radio-Canada is the dominance of English during teleconferencesand the repeated failureto translate documents into French.

One employee at Employment and Social Development Canada told Radio-Canada he's reluctant to interrupt his boss and colleagues during virtual meetings to ask them for clarifications and follow-ups in French, because he worries they may deem his intervention to be a nuisance.

"It creates frustration because I'm not as comfortable in English as I am in French, so I can easily feel lost in the flood of information," said the employee.

CBC has agreed not to identify the employee since he fears repercussions from his employer and colleagues for speaking to the media.

Concern widespread among francophones: Union

Those concerns aren't isolated, according to the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), the union representing 200,000 public sector employees.

Chantal Fortin, PSAC's alternate regional executive vice-president for the National Capital Region, estimates 90 per cent of meetings in the public sector are happening in English only, and that's a problem for francophones fearful of speaking up.

"In a virtual setting you don't have the same feel or the same interaction with your colleagues, so it's more difficult to access French documents," said Fortin. "People may be shy to ask for French copies of the handouts."

Fortin points to Canada's Official Languages Act, which states that federal employees in six regionsincluding the National Capital Regionhave the right to work in the official language of their choice, and federal institutions must provide a work environment conducive to the use of both English and French.

Regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes are:

• National Capital Region.
• New Brunswick.
• Parts of northern Ontario.
• The bilingual region of Montral.
• Parts of the Eastern Townships.
• Gasp.

"Yes, most [francophones]are bilingual, but it's still difficult for us to work in the second language even though most of us do anyway," she said.

Treasury Board sends reminder to ministers

The president of the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat, which oversees management of the public service, told Radio-Canada he's very much aware of the concerns raised by francophone workers.

"It is both unacceptable and inappropriate that employees aren't able to work in the language of their choice," said Jean-Yves Duclos.

Since Radio-Canada first approached the secretariat last week to request a response for this story, Duclos has written to all cabinet ministers asking them to reaffirm within their ministries the right to effectively communicate in French.