Official bilingualism in public service

[kimmy]

hmm...

CP article: trouble in paradise

A series of focus groups, designed to explore whether official languages policy poses career barriers for minority groups, turned up some uncomfortable perceptions about what is supposed to be a motherhood issue for federal employees.

"We can clearly assert that official languages policies remain imperfectly understood and far from widely endorsed," says a report prepared for the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency.

"This negativity is directly responsible for what we observed in terms of active resistance and hostility towards the actual, systemic barriers that the official languages policies do impose."

First off, who actually constitutes a "minority group" within the civil service? People from outside Ontario and Quebec? People without pur-lain surnames? People who put in an 8-hour work-day? I digress. The government set out to find out if the bilingualism policy was an impediment to swarthy-people from outside Canada who try to pursue careers in the public service. And discovered that it's an impediment to many who aren't swarthy or from outside Canada, as well as a frustration and in many cases a ridiculous waste of resources.

"For most anglophones, it is clear that the official languages policies impact life at work and is something that can potentially impose limits or demands on them as employees," said the focus group report, first submitted in March 2004.

Among anglophones "the imperative to learn French is more political than practical," and the policy is considered to be "motivated by the central authority in Ottawa."

Awesome. Let's hear more.

One was "the folly" of forcing older unilingual workers who are in line for promotions to learn a second language at the end of their careers.

A related gripe concerned shunting aside people who are about to be promoted for up to 18 months of full-time French lessons, which focus groups said can "extract a tangible and difficult-to-justify price in terms of efficiency and logic."

And finally, bureaucrats complained of bilingual-designated jobs that only ever require French during rare meetings in Ottawa.

"Vancouver public servants are inclined to point out that other languages are more likely to be useful in their area than French," said the report.

The research noted "considerable consternation" among bilingual workers who had been trained by the government, only to find they didn't use their second language on the job and immediately started losing it.

This was especially true for those working in scientific fields or away from Ottawa.

Pretty much a confirmation of what critics and skeptics have been saying all along.

-k

[Guest eureka]

Pretty much a confirmation of what critics and skeptics have been saying all along

How true and how justified. I assume that the focus groups were members of the public service, The article does not say.

There has to be the capacity for service on the fronline but it should not matter in many of the categories in which it is now mandatory.

Of course, the question of official bilingualism begs the whole question of whether, as in just about every other society on earth, the onus is on a minority to be able to function in the majority language.

I am rapidly changing my mind on this issue as the intolerance of Quebec towards the use of the majority language grows.

[Argus]

First off, who actually constitutes a "minority group" within the civil service?  People from outside Ontario and Quebec?  People without pur-lain surnames?  People who put in an 8-hour work-day?  I digress.  The government set out to find out if the bilingualism policy was an impediment to swarthy-people from outside Canada who try to pursue careers in the public service. And discovered that it's an impediment to many who aren't swarthy or from outside Canada, as well as a frustration and in many cases a ridiculous waste of resources.

It's a matter of political correctness. It is acceptable to question whether the Official Bilingualism policy might hinder the advancement of swarthy people. It is most definitely not acceptable to suggest it might have some detrimental affect on Anglos. Recall one Ottawa area Alliance MP Scott Reid who dared to suggest in the House of Commons that the present application of OB was harming the employment opportunities and career prospects of Anglos. He was practically run out off parliament hill on a rail. The Liberals, NDP and media were outraged. His own party was outraged, and Stephen Harper immediately distanced himself from him, effusively praising Official Bilingualism and renewing his party's dedication to it as national policy (remember when Preston Manning's Reform Party wanted Official Bilingualism cut back?).

"For most anglophones, it is clear that the official languages policies impact life at work and is something that can potentially impose limits or demands on them as employees," said the focus group report, first submitted in March 2004.

Among anglophones "the imperative to learn French is more political than practical," and the policy is considered to be "motivated by the central authority in Ottawa."

I can tell you that bilingualism where I work is, for the most part, used to reward people who are bilingual. A job's bilingual designation changes back and forth depending on who they want to put into it. The job I used to do was "English Essential". When a bilingual Francophone was given the job it became "Bilingual Imperative". Likewise, the job I am doing now used to be bilingual imperative. Now it is English Essential. They can shift most jobs back and forth at will since none of them deal directly with the public anyway. Nevertheless, more than 2/3rds of jobs here are "bilingual essential", and when it comes to outside hiring of both officers and clerks all competitions I have seen have been for "bilingual imperative". Which means don't even apply unless you can pass stringent language tests.

In Ottawa, all executives, management and supervisory staff, and most administrators, require bilingualism because .... because.... well, just because.

It is worth noting that by the government's own statistics 78% of jobs designated bilingual are filled by Francophones. Actually, this figure is several years old. With the new crackdown, the cutting back of french language training, and the removal of the "bilingual non-imperative" designation (which allowed an anglo to win a job then be trained up to a certain bilingual standard) that number has certainly increased and will continue to increase.

[mcqueen625]

Although the Government of New Brunswick refuses to admit since declaring New Brunswick as the "Officially Bilingual is the fact that bilingualism has now become duality, and it has created segregation based on language right across the Province. Another thing that it has caused is a mass exodus of Anglo New Brunswicker's to more Anglo friendly friendly Provinces like Ontario, Alberta and BC. Most provincial jobs and many private industry jobs in NB are now designated as "Bilingual Essential," which effectively means that if your "Mother-tongue" is not French , do not apply, since it is specified as Fluency in French required.

We have a French Immersion Program throughout the Province, but even our former Acadian Education Minister stated; "The French Immersion Program in NB was not designed nor expected to produce fluently bilingual graduates." That being the case most graduates from these programs, upon graduation are classified as "Functionally Bilingual", a classification that is not sufficient to gain employment in most bilingual designated jobs. Most of our young Anglo graduates have left the Province and have no reason to return. Acadian's who gained employment in these bilingualally designated position because of their supposed ability to speak both languages fluently, and now demanding that provisions be made for them to be able to work exclusively in the French language. They are upset that client's and co-workers speak English and they resent the fact that they have to work in an English environment even though they were hired to work as bilingual employees.

The Provincial Government of NB would have the rest of Canada believe that bilinguaism is a huge success, but the reality is quite different. An example of this just happened in Saint John, with a declared French population of 6.9%, demanded and received a French Medical Clinic be set up in the Samuel de Champlain Cultural Centre through the local Healthcare Corporation. With a grant fromHeritage Canada a grant of $360,000.00 was allotted for the hiring of a French speaking doctor and support staff. Ongoing financial support will come from the Saint John Regional Hospital and the Healthcare Corporation even though one of our ER's in the city had to be cut back drastically due to lack of staff to man it, and the existing hospital is staffed by bilingual personnel. Obviously they don't want an English speaking medical professional who is bilingual to look after their medical needs, they need to somehow be made to feel elite.

I feel sorry for any Province or Territory who is tempted to go down this road called bilingualism, because that alone will not be enough to satisfy French speaking people. They do not want builingualism they want French only.

[Argus]

We have a French Immersion Program throughout the Province, but even our former Acadian Education Minister stated; "The French Immersion Program in NB was not designed nor expected to produce fluently bilingual graduates." That being the case most graduates from these programs, upon graduation are classified as "Functionally Bilingual", a classification that is not sufficient to gain employment in most bilingual designated jobs. Most of our young Anglo graduates have left the Province and have no reason to return. Acadian's who gained employment in these bilingualally designated position because of their supposed ability to speak both languages fluently, and now demanding that provisions be made for them to be able to work exclusively in the French language. They are upset that client's and co-workers speak English and they resent the fact that they have to work in an English environment even though they were hired to work as bilingual employees.

Yes, that is what happened with the national program. The original idea was merely to allow services to the public in either official language. This basically meant front line people in designated areas. The really big expansion of bilingualism came when they were given the right to work in and be supervised in the language of their choice. That meant that all internal administration, IT, messaging, HR, and GS services had to be staffed by bilingual people, as well. And of course, all their supervisors - and then all THEIR supervisors, and then all THEIR supervisors, had to be bilingual as well. Most of the people getting bonuses for their bilingualism never have any contact with the public.

But it has been good for Quebecers. The vast majority of the 78% francophones who get the bilingual positions are Quebecers. For that matter, though I've seen no statistics on it, most of the Anglos who get the other 22% seem to be Quebecers, as well, simply because Quebec Anglos need to learn French early on to survive, and most non-Quebec anglos, even those who went through immersion programs, even though they are 'functionally" bilingual, can't pass the stringent language tests required.

Now you put together the new crackdown on bilingualism in the senior ranks of the public service with the pullback on training and the removal of bilingual non-imperative positions, the rapidly retiring boomer workforce (mostly anglo) and the fact 78% of all bilingual jobs already go to Francophones, and within 10-15 years more than 90% of all senior management positions in the federal public service will be staffed by Quebecers.

Meanwhile, despite the fact they have a far, far higher level of bilingualism than Francophone Quebecers, the numbers of Anglophone Quebecers in the federal public service in that province is well below their numbers in the Quebec population at large. It seems bilingualism is not being stressed quite so much in Quebec, where it might tend to give Anglophones an advantage, as it is elsewhere, where it gives Francophones an advantage.

And of course, the number of Anglphones in the Quebec public service remains very, very small, a fraction of their population representation.

Quebec public service remains extremely small, something in the neighborhood of 2%, last time I heard.

[kimmy]

I can tell you that bilingualism where I work is, for the most part, used to reward people who are bilingual. A job's bilingual designation changes back and forth depending on who they want to put into it.

So, essentially, it's a tool that they can use to legitimize biased personnel decisions?

-k

[Riverwind]

I can tell you that bilingualism where I work is, for the most part, used to reward people who are bilingual. A job's bilingual designation changes back and forth depending on who they want to put into it.

So, essentially, it's a tool that they can use to legitimize biased personnel decisions?

That kind of nonsense happens in every large company has strict rules regarding qualifications for jobs. If the person you want to hire does not meet the job requirements then change the job requirements. Keeps the bureaucrats in HR happy and you happy.

[Argus]

I can tell you that bilingualism where I work is, for the most part, used to reward people who are bilingual. A job's bilingual designation changes back and forth depending on who they want to put into it.

So, essentially, it's a tool that they can use to legitimize biased personnel decisions?

-k

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It can be used in that way, yes. But it also disqualifies non-bilingual people - unless they have connections - from jobs they are otherwise well-qualified for.

Example, there is a director who is very zealous about bilingualism, to the point virtually every employee in his area must be bilingual. Then he brings in a unilingual english woman as his administrative assistant, and at a higher pay level than the previous admin assistant. Huh? Turns out she's related to one of his managers. Quelle surprise!

So bilingualism is essential - except when it's not essential, which frankly, depends on the mindset of those in charge. However, everyone in charge is now bilingual. If you're French bilingual you obviously support bilingualism. If you're English bilingual and you've spent a ton of time getting your rating, well, chances are you're going to support bilingualism too. Every summer we get several college students in. I can't recall one ever being English. I mentioned last year that so and so's English was really bad, and how did she pass the langauge tests. I was told that students don't have to pass language tests. Then why are they all French? Because the adverts always demand bilingualism, and most Anglos don't bother to even apply.

Most of the managers are English, but in their fifties, nearing retirement. Every new manager appointed since I've been there has been French. Almost all new employees are French.