Legislation mandating the use of both French and English in the federally regulated private sector is now law, as Bill C-13 amending Canada’s Official Languages Act received royal assent.
Also known as “An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages,” the legislation mandates the use of French by private airlines, banks, railways, and other workplaces under federal regulation in regions of Canada that are said to have a “strong francophone presence.”
Bill C-13 received royal assent on June 20. The bill was initially introduced in March 2022 by Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor.
“By receiving royal assent we have given ourselves the means to achieve substantive equality between French and English,” said the minister in the House of Commons the same day, as first reported by Blacklock’s Reporter. “With this act we will have better tools to reverse the decline of French, she added….