Official Languages Program

The Official Languages Program encompasses all federal government activities intended to fulfill the Government of Canada's obligations and commitments under the Official Languages Act and the Roadmap.

These obligations and commitments include but are not limited to:

• communicating with and providing services to the public in both official languages;
• ensuring that English and French have equal status as the languages of work in federal institutions and that Anglophone and Francophone Canadians participate equally in federal institutions;
• fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society;
• promoting linguistic duality in Canada; and
• supporting and nurturing the development of Anglophone and Francophone minority communities in Canada.

Program Coordination

Within this context, the Official Languages Secretariat provides strategic direction, defines policy statements, informs federal institutions and follows-up with partners in order to elaborate internal and external documents. In doing so, it ensures that the Program's objectives are met.

To facilitate the implementation of the Official Languages Program, the Secretariat develops and distributes management tools designed to guide and structure the federal institutions' efforts.

• Official Languages Accountability and Coordination Framework

• The Horizontal Results-based Management and Accountability Framework (2005) (HRMAF) makes it possible for the Government of Canada to manage the Official Languages Program while respecting the mandates of the departmental partners and their respective responsibility concerning the management of public resources. The Horizontal Results-based Management and Accountability Framework also enables the Government to monitor and evaluate the implementation of the Official Languages Program and use its findings to inform decision-making and policy development.

• The Framework for Performance Measurement (FPM) includes definitions of the concepts guiding the development of policies and programs. It establishes quantitative and qualitative indicators that are set as benchmarks for measuring performance.