Recommendations

Recommendation 1

The Commissioner recommends that the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs propose to the Legislative Assembly a comprehensive revision of the French Language Services Act, which should but not be limited to, the following issues covered in this report:

1. Preamble
2. Purpose of the act
3. Definitions
   1. “government agency”
   2. “services”
   3. “communications”
4. Inclusive Definition of Francophone (IDF)
5. Consultations with the Francophone community
6. Formalization of an advisory council on Francophone affairs
7. Translation of regulations
8. Designation of areas
9. Designation of agencies
10. Exemptions
11. Active offer
12. Regulatory colleges
13. Staffing of bilingual positions and human resources
14. Roles and responsibilities
    1. Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs
    2. Office of Francophone Affairs
    3. French-language services coordinators
    4. French Language Services Commissioner

Recommendation 2

The Commissioner recommends that the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs initiate the process of revising the French Language Services Act during the Current Session of Parliament, no later than the fall of 2016, as part of the Act’s 30^th anniversary.

Recommendation 3

The Commissioner recommends that the Minister Responsible for Francophone Affairs launch, without delay, a mechanism for consulting the residents of Ontario, particularly the Francophone community, as a first step in the process of revising the French Language Services Act.