Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat
www.tbs-sct.gc.ca
Common menu bar links
Breadcrumb Trail
ARCHIVED - Official Languages Audit - Service to the Public - West - Number 20
This page has been archived.
Archived Content
Information identified as archived on the Web is for reference, research or recordkeeping purposes. It has not been altered or updated after the date of archiving. Web pages that are archived on the Web are not subject to the Government of Canada Web Standards. As per the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada, you can request alternate formats on the "Contact Us" page.
Number 20 - Official Languages Audit - Service to the Public
- West
1. Introduction
The purpose of this audit was to evaluate the degree to which selected federal offices comply with the requirements of the Official Languages Act to serve the public in the two official languages.
This report details the objectives, scope, approach, summary of audit results by regions and recommendations.
2. Objectives
The audit objectives were based on Part IV of the Official Languages Act. This part of the Act deals with the obligations of federal institutions, and of third parties on behalf of federal institutions, with respect to service to the public. The audit objectives were as follows:
- to determine the extent and the manner in which the offices meet their obligations with respect to service to the public;
- to determine the extent and the manner in which concessionaires meet their obligations with respect to service to the public; and,
- to evaluate the level of satisfaction of the linguistic minority with respect to the bilingual services provided in the official language of their choice.
3. Scope
We visited 45 federal institutions; nine each from Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Calgary, Vancouver, and Victoria. These federal institutions were selected by the Official Languages and Employment Equity Branch of the Treasury Board Secretariat.
4. Approach
Our approach included the following:
- A review of relevant documentation;
- Execution of tests and conduct of interviews; and
- Analysis of the results and preparation of the report.
5. Summary of Audit Results
WINNIPEG
Managers' Responsibilities
All the Winnipeg Region managers that we interviewed demonstrated a good knowledge of their responsibilities regarding the provision of service to the public in both official languages.
With the exception of the managers in charge of the Canada Post postal counter and the concessionaires at the Winnipeg International Airport and the VIA Rail Station, the offices visited have controls in place to ensure the provision of service in both official languages at all times. The controls ensure that there are sufficient bilingual employees at the reception, points of service, and on the telephone. Where there is insufficient bilingual capacity, appropriate administrative arrangements are in place. This is the case for the concessionaires at the Winnipeg International Airport.
Division "D" of the RCMP and Revenue Canada - Customs regularly consult their clients on official languages. The other institutions have no mechanisms to assess client satisfaction with service in the language of their choice.
Representatives from the departments meet regularly with representatives of the minority language groups.
Organization
Generally, the institutions visited in Winnipeg have adequate bilingual capacity to provide continuous service in both official languages. The exceptions are the Canada Post counter at the airport and the concessionaires at the Winnipeg International Airport.
Some sections of Division "D" of the RCMP do not have sufficient bilingual capacity. For instance, the Division has 1200 positions, fifty-two of which are bilingual, scattered throughout the Province. Thirty-one of these bilingual positions are located at the Winnipeg Headquarters Office. At the Winnipeg International Airport, most of the concessionaires have no bilingual capacity at their points of service.
In most of the offices visited, employees have the necessary work instruments for the provision of service in both official languages, except for the Canada Employment Centre, Human Resources Development Canada.
Active Offer
Generally, all the audited offices except for the Canada Post postal counter in the Winnipeg International Airport and the concessionaires at the airport and in the Via Rail Station, make an active offer of service in both official languages. Thus, signage is in both languages, but occasionally, there are temporary unilingual signs. The official languages symbol is prominently displayed except at the postal counter at the airport and at the concessionaire booths at the station. Publications are generally available in both official languages.
Service
The offices visited provide comparable service in both official languages at all times. The exceptions are the postal counter and concessionaires at the Winnipeg International Airport and the concessionaires at the VIA Rail Station.
Minority Organizations in Winnipeg
Representatives of the French-speaking community report that they receive good service from the designated federal departments. The French-speaking population knows which offices can provide services in French. Representatives of the minority groups suggested that these institutions make a point of always offering their services in both official languages at all times and create a better atmosphere of confidence for their clients.
Survey Results
We conducted the survey in the following offices: Canada Employment Centre and Income Security Programs, Human Resources Development Canada; "D" Division, RCMP; and Revenue Canada�- Customs.
Visitors reported to us that the signage in these offices indicated that service can be obtained in the language of their choice. The visitors were generally greeted in English, but on occasion a bilingual greeting was used. The visitors were served in English, with one exception, which was the visitors' language of choice. Almost all expressed satisfaction with the service provided.
�
The table below summarizes the results with respect to the clients' satisfaction with the language of service for each office where the survey was conducted.
|
SIGNAGE INDICATES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE IN BOTH OFFICIAL LANGUAGES |
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE USED DURING GREETING |
THE CLIENT COULD USE LANGUAGE OF CHOICE |
SATISFIED WITH QUALITY OF LANGUAGE USED |
|
| Canada
Employment Centre Human Resources Development Canada (eighteen clients surveyed) |
YES (18) |
English (4) |
YES (15)* |
YES (18) |
| Income
Security Programs Human Resources Development Canada (seven clients surveyed) |
YES (6) |
English (3) |
YES (6) |
YES (6) |
| "D"
Division, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (fifteen clients surveyed) |
YES (15) |
English (11) |
YES (15) |
YES (12)* |
| Revenue
Canada - Customs (twenty clients surveyed) |
YES (20) |
English (19) |
YES (20) |
YES (20) |
�
* The variance is due to some of the visitors not responding to all questions.
�
SASKATOON
Managers' Responsibilities
All but one of the managers we interviewed in Saskatoon, demonstrated a good knowledge of their responsibilities regarding the provision of service to the public in both official languages. The only exception was the office of the Labour Affairs Program of Human Resources Development Canada, where it was evident that the senior officer present had limited knowledge of the office's obligations relative to official languages.
Most of the offices have reasonably effective controls in place to ensure that service can be provided in both official languages. Where this is not the case, it is either because the demand for service in French is so infrequent that the question of controls has not arisen, or, as is the case for Atomic Energy of Canada, there are virtually no services provided to the public. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Prairies and Northwest Territories Regional Office considers that it does not provide services to the public.
We found that the only institutions that regularly assess their clients' satisfaction with the service provided are the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation and Veterans Affairs, although their surveys do not deal specifically with language of service.
Many of the federal institutions that provide services to the public took part in a day-long meeting with Francophone associations in 1995. Since then, most organizations continue to keep in touch with these associations.
Organization
Few of the offices visited have sufficient bilingual capacity to meet the demand for service in French. Veterans Affairs in Saskatoon has one officer who speaks excellent French but no designated bilingual positions. The veterans and their dependents are a known and virtually unchanging clientele whose language preferences are known and documented. All members of this clientele have chosen to be served in English, but it would be prudent if the office had one designated bilingual position to ensure its ability to respond in French.
The Canada Employment Centre has eight bilingual positions but as a result of early retirements, only four are occupied. The office is striving to maintain adequate levels of service but recognizes that French-speaking clients sometimes face unacceptable delays. The Labour Affairs office has one bilingual position but the incumbent does not meet the requirements of the position. Service in French is neither offered nor provided.
In most offices visited, the employees have the necessary work instruments to provide service in both official languages, but correspondence is in English only.
Active Offer
Telephone listings in the French-language blue pages do not always lead to an active offer of service in that language. The Canada Employment Centre has detailed recorded messages in English and French but a caller who follows French-language instructions to speak to a French-speaking officer, is answered in English. The only French-language listing for Labour Affairs in Saskatoon is for a Regina number that is not toll-free. A French-speaking caller seeking information in French would have to call long-distance at his or her own expense. This is unacceptable.
Five out of the nine offices we visited, made an active offer of service in English and French. CMHC, the Business Development Bank and Atomic Energy of Canada were admirably consistent in that regard. At the Canada Employment Centre, we were greeted in both official languages on two out of three visits, but, at Labour Affairs, Income Security Programs and the RCMP, greetings were consistently unilingual English.
The official languages symbol was highly visible in all the offices visited, except at Labour Affairs, where there was no symbol at the reception. Signage was in both official languages, except at Atomic Energy of Canada, where the exterior signage and all other signs were in English only. At the RCMP Saskatoon subdivision, several temporary signs were unilingual.
Finally, publications exhibited at the offices visited were in English and French, although at Labour Affairs and at the RCMP, only the English titles were visible.
Service
Labour Affairs, which claims to have absolutely no demand for French services, was the only office unable to provide any service in French. Furthermore, it compels its French-speaking clients to pay for long distance telephone calls in order to be served in French. Income Security Programs, Veterans Affairs, the Canada Employment Centre, Atomic Energy of Canada and the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation do not make provision for bilingual services when the designated bilingual officer is not present. The RCMP can contact a French-speaking officer at all times but usually only after some delay. Where service in French is provided, apart from possible delays, the quality of service in French is comparable to service in English. On the other hand, Atomic Energy of Canada had only English signs.
Minority Organizations in Saskatoon
The President of the F�d�ration des francophones de Saskatoon informed us that the federal service most used and least satisfactory is Canada Post. Until recently a postal counter had been giving excellent service but this has now closed and French-speaking clients must now rely on the main Post Office where many members have encountered serious difficulties obtaining service in French.
Other frequently used services are Canadian Heritage, the Canada Employment Centre, and Revenue Canada. Canadian Heritage is the only one of these three that can provide service with no delays. While the RCMP does have several French-speaking officers, few people stopped on the highway are prepared to wait for a French-speaking officer. Air Canada's agents at the airport are often not bilingual. The Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) works with a francophone housing cooperative but it took some time for them to realize that this was a French-speaking group. Since that realization, service in French has been good.
Survey Results
We conducted the survey in the following offices: Veteran Affairs Canada; Business Development Bank of Canada; Canada Employment Centre, Human Resources Development Canada; Income Security Programs, Human Resources Development Canada; Atomic Energy of Canada Limited; Saskatoon Subdivision Royal Canadian Mounted Police; and Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, Saskatoon Branch.
Visitors reported to us that the signage in these offices indicated that service can be obtained in the language of their choice. Except for the Income Security Programs, Human Resources Development Canada, where visitors are always greeted in both official languages, visitors in all the other offices were generally greeted in both official languages. In almost all cases, visitors were served in English, their language of choice. Visitors expressed satisfaction with the service provided.
�
The table below summarizes the results with respect to the clients' satisfaction with the language of service for each office where the survey was conducted.
|
SIGNAGE INDICATES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE IN BOTH OFFICIAL LANGUAGES |
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE USED DURING GREETING |
THE CLIENT COULD USE LANGUAGE OF CHOICE |
SATISFIED WITH QUALITY OF LANGUAGE USED |
|
| Veterans
Affairs Canada Federal Building (four clients surveyed) |
YES (4) |
English (1) |
YES (4) |
YES (4) |
| Business
Development Bank of Canada (ten clients surveyed) |
YES (10) |
Both (10) |
YES (10) |
YES (10) |
| Canada
Employment Centre Human Resources Development Canada (eighteen clients surveyed) |
YES (18) |
English (1) |
YES (17)* |
YES (17)* |
| Income
Security Programs Human Resources Development Canada (six clients surveyed) |
YES (6) |
English (6) |
YES (6) |
YES (6) |
| Atomic
Energy of Canada (eight clients surveyed) |
YES (7)* |
English (3) |
YES (8) |
YES(8) |
| Saskatoon
Subdivision, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (ten clients surveyed) |
YES (8) |
English (6) |
YES(10) |
YES(10) |
| Canada
Mortgage and Housing Corporation Saskatoon Branch (four clients surveyed) |
YES (4) |
Both (4) |
YES(4) |
YES(4) |
�
* The variance is due to some of the visitors not responding to all questions.
�
CALGARY
Managers' Responsibilities
All the managers that we interviewed demonstrated a good knowledge of their responsibilities regarding the provision of service to the public in both official languages. In most offices visited, appropriate controls were in place to ensure services are provided in both official languages.
None of the offices visited in Calgary had a mechanism to assess client satisfaction regarding service to the public except Revenue Canada - Customs which has a brochure entitled "Your Opinion Counts", which is used to this end.
Only the Income Security Programs, Human Resources Development Canada, the Citizenship and Canadian Identity Programs, Heritage Canada and the Canada Post Corporation have meetings with representatives of minority language groups.
Organization
With the exception of the Calgary Airport concessionaires, the Calgary offices visited have sufficient bilingual capacity required to provide continuous service in both official languages. The employees have the work instruments necessary for the provision of service in both official languages.
Active Offer
In the offices visited, telephone reception is in both official languages, except at the Canada Post postal counter located on 9th Avenue, at the RCMP District Office and at the postal counter at the airport where lines in French are not identified in the telephone book. Only the Heritage Canada's Citizenship and Canadian Identity Programs and the Canada Post postal counter actively offer service, in both official languages, at the reception.
Permanent signage is in both official languages, but not all temporary signs are bilingual. Most publications are available in both official languages.
Service
In the offices visited, service in both languages is provided at all times, except at concessionaire booths at Calgary International Airport where a person seeking service in French is directed to a bilingual airport employee.
With the exception of the Citizenship and Canadian Identity Programs, Canadian Heritage, and the postal counters of Canada Post Corporation, the offices visited do not provide a comparable service in both official languages as there is some delay in obtaining services in French.
Minority Organizations in Calgary
According to representatives of the minority language groups in Calgary, the French-speaking community considers itself lucky when it can obtain service in French from the federal government. Nevertheless, the representatives indicated that they were generally satisfied with the services provided in their language of choice.
Survey Results
We conducted the survey in the following offices: Immigration and Refugee Board; Income Security Programs, Human Resources Development Canada; Headquarters, Calgary Subdivision, Royal Canadian Mounted Police; Citizenship and Canadian Identity Programs Office, Heritage Canada; Calgary Regional and District Offices, Revenue Canada-Customs; and the postal counter, Canada Post Corporation.
Visitors reported to us that the signage in these offices almost always indicated that service can be obtained in the language of their choice. Visitors were generally greeted in English, with some exceptions when a bilingual greeting was used. In almost all instances, visitors were served in English, their language of choice. They expressed their satisfaction with the service provided.
�
The table below summarizes the results with respect to the clients' satisfaction with the language of service for each office where the survey was conducted.
|
SIGNAGE INDICATES AVAILABILITY OF SERVICE IN BOTH OFFICIAL LANGUAGES |
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE USED DURING GREETING |
THE CLIENT COULD USE LANGUAGE OF CHOICE |
SATISFIED WITH QUALITY OF LANGUAGE USED |
|
| Immigration and Refugee Board (nine clients surveyed) |
YES (9) |
English (3) |
YES (9) |
YES (9) |
| Income
Security Programs Human Resources Development Canada (three clients surveyed) |
YES (2)* |
English (3) |
YES (3) |
YES (3) |
| Headquarters, Calgary Subdivision Royal Canadian Mounted Police (eleven clients surveyed) |
YES (11) |
English (3) |
YES (11) |
YES (10)* |
| Citizenship and Canadian Identity Programs Heritage Canada (two clients surveyed) |
YES(2) |
English (1) |
YES(1)* |
YES (2) |
| Calgary
Regional and District Offices Revenue Canada-Customs (seven clients surveyed) |
YES (7) |
English (7) |
YES (7) |
YES (7) |
| Postal
Counter-207 9th Avenue Canada Post Corporation (thirteen clients surveyed) |
YES (10) |
English (9)* |
YES (12)* |
YES (13) |
