Major Changes
New Official Languages Policies
(effective April 1st, 2004)

Imperative staffing

• becomes the norm for all bilingual positions;

• becomes mandatory for all positions or functions that are indispensable in providing services to the public or to employees in both official languages and

• becomes mandatory when staffing bilingual positions at the EX-03 level in 2005 and at the EX-02 level in 2007:

  • in regions designated bilingual for language of work purposes and

  • in unilingual regions when functions include the supervision of incumbents of bilingual positions in bilingual regions.

Non-imperative staffing

• can be used exceptionally with a written justification and approval by the Deputy Minister for executive positions or by an Assistant Deputy Minister for other positions for:

  • all positions open to the public at all levels and

  • EX-1 positions and below.

Language Training

• is taken upon appointment or deployment of EXs to bilingual positions staffed non imperatively; exceptionally, it may start at a later date when an institution has an important and immediate operational need or in a unilingual region if it is not immediately available;

• is recommended as soon as possible after the appointment or deployment of incumbent s of positions at other levels and

• is integrated into career development and recruitment and development programs.

• Hour limits are increased and apply to all employees, including EXs and CAP participants:

  • 1,210 hours for level A (approximately 32 weeks);

  • 1,710 hours for level B (approximately 46 weeks) and

  • 2,270 hours for level C (approximately 61 weeks).