Bill S-220

SUMMARY

This enactment amends the Official Languages Act. The concept of equal quality of communications and services in each official language is introduced. The enactment modifies the criteria used to determine when there is a significant demand for communications and services in one of the official languages.

This enactment specifies the locations where federal institutions have a duty to provide communications and services in both official languages. That duty is applied to cases where an official language minority is located in a specific geographic region or faces linguistic assimilation. Many of the duties of the federal institutions to provide communications and services in both official languages are extended to the carriers designated by regulation of the Governor in Council.

The provisions on prior consultation are applied more specifically to amendments to regulations that provide for exceptions to the application of Part IV of the Act in certain circumstances or to certain bodies.