Bill C-336
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2nd Session, 36th Parliament, 48 Elizabeth II, 1999
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The House of Commons of Canada
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BILL C-336 |
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An Act to amend the Official Languages Act
(provision of bilingual services)
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| Preamble
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Whereas the policy of official bilingualism
has served as a source of national division
rather than national unity; and
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Whereas the policy of national
bilingualism was created without the support
of the majority of Canadians; and
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Whereas it is estimated that the annual cost
of official bilingualism for the public and
private sectors is five billion dollars; and
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Whereas the international language of
business is English, which constitutes a
greater incentive for francophones to learn
English as a second language than for
anglophones to learn French as a second
language; and
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Whereas while pursuing a policy of official
bilingualism in the rest of Canada, the
Government of Canada has tolerated the
declaration of the National Assembly of
Quebec that the only official language of
Quebec is French, which has undermined the
rights of Quebec's anglophones; and
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Whereas it is a matter of public concern
that the Official Languages Act has resulted in
discrimination against unilingual
anglophones seeking employment with and
advancement within the federal government;
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Now Therefore Her Majesty, by and with the
advice and consent of the Senate and House of
Commons of Canada, enacts as follows:
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| R.S., c. 31
(4th Supp.);
1993, c. 28;
1995, c. 11
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1. Section 2 of the Official Languages Act
is amended by deleting the word ``and'' at
the end of paragraph (b) and adding the
following after paragraph (b):
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2. The Act is amended by adding the
following after section 23:
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| Demand by at
least twenty
five percent
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23.1 For the purposes of sections 22 and 23
a demand is significant for service in an
official language if the number of persons who
speak the language as a mother tongue is at
least twenty five percent of the total number of
persons
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as the case may be.
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