The Higgs government has introduced a bill in the legislature which would amend the Official Languages Act.
The amendments include creating a new position called a secretariat which would be responsible for continuously evaluating the Act.
“We feel strongly by making the new Secretariat of Official Languages responsible for coordinating, supporting and promoting the Official Languages Act, our province will be better equipped to continue fully realizing its role as a leader in bilingualism,” said Premier Blaine Higgs.
The bill will also clarify certain aspects of the commissioner’s role.
The commissioner would be allowed to delegate the power of investigating a complaint if there’s a conflict of interest.
A major change would eliminate an automatic 10-year review of the Act which is not sitting well with provincial opposition parties.
Both the Liberals and the Greens say they won’t support the bill unless that change is removed.
The amendments are in response to recommendations in a report from the commissioners appointed by the province to undertake a review of the Official Languages Act, Judge Yvette Finn and John McLaughlin.
“We are confident the clarification of certain aspects of the commissioner’s role and the creation of a secretariat will position us to continue advancing the rights of both linguistic communities while also meeting the needs of the general public with regard to official languages,” said Higgs.
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