Message from the President of the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario)
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This Results-Based Action Plan, Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act, contains information about the activities we intend to undertake during the 2011–12 fiscal year.
The Plan shows an increased understanding of the requirements of section 41 with respect to executives and employees as well as the working relationships among the organizations that represent official language minority communities (OLMCs). We are targeting specific results with a view to increasing the contribution of OLMCs to a flourishing southern Ontario economy. Furthermore, the creation of an accountability framework will engage Agency executives and employees alike in the Action Plan's implementation.
I am therefore pleased to present our first Action Plan to you, and I am confident that with the leadership of our Official Languages Champion, Jeff Moore, we will successfully accomplish the activities described in the Plan.
B.A. (Bruce) Archibald, Ph. D.
Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act 2011–2012
PDF version
This Action Plan is designed to cover the period from April 1, 2011, to March 31, 2012
Website:
www.feddevontario.gc.ca
Jeff Moore, Vice-President
Infrastructure and Intergovernmental Affairs
Official Languages Champion
Jeff.Moore@feddevontario.gc.ca
Grace Hodder
Summary of the Main Progress Expected During the Period Covered by the Action Plan
The Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (FedDev Ontario) will make all employees aware of the obligations of the Official Languages Act. The Official Languages Champion will provide senior management with a monthly report on the application of section 41 of the Official Languages Act. The Official Languages Executive Committee will liaise between the Champion and the Working Group.
The Agency will hold regular dialogue sessions with the official language minority communities (OLMCs) of Southern Ontario in order to better understand their needs. These meetings will improve communication and allow us to acknowledge our respective mandates. Moreover, these meetings will help to influence and improve the Agency's services and programs.
The Agency will use various methods and tools to communicate with Southern Ontario's OLMCs. A communications plan will ensure that OLMCs are aware of the Agency's services and programs.
FedDev Ontario will take part in numerous interdepartmental coordination activities and thereby develop partnerships. These partnerships will provide tremendous support in the development of the Agency's services and programs.
As a new agency, FedDev Ontario will develop tools to support the analysis and evaluation of its programs and services. In addition, the OL grid will be applied to both new and existing programs.
FedDev Ontario's President and Language Champion will guide the Agency in advancing and raising awareness of linguistic duality. To make this possible, the Official Languages Executive Committee and the Official Languages Working Group have been established. This accountability framework will allow all of the Agency's units to become involved in applying the Official Languages Act. By analyzing its services and programs, the Agency will be able to adjust and improve the application of its services and programs in order to better serve OLMCs.
A. Awareness (In-house activities)
[Training, information, orientation, awareness, communication and other activities carried out in-house in order to educate employees and/or senior managers of the federal institution about linguistic duality and the priorities of OLMCs; senior manager performance contracts and recognition programs; consideration of the viewpoints of OLMCs in research, studies and investigations carried out in-house.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1. Employees and managers are made aware of and informed about their responsibilities under the Official Languages Act (OLA) and its application at the Agency | The OL Champion and Coordinator tour the Agency's offices and share information through blogs, newsletters, articles and e-mails | Employees have a better understanding of the OLA (survey); the number of articles and meetings and amount of information distributed at the Agency | Introduction to a FedDev Ontario organizational culture. All employees and executives are familiar with and understand their responsibilities with respect to section 41 of the Official Languages Act and OLMCs. |
| A2. The Official Languages (OL) Working Group ensures that the official languages are taken into consideration and a part of the Agency's organizational culture, as well as in the corporate values and policy development. The Working Group supports the OL Champion and the OL Executive Committee | The OL Working Group meets every two months | The number of working group meetings and the tools developed | |
| A3. The OL Executive Committee liaises between the OL Champion and the Working Group and oversees the development of the Action Plan | The OL Executive Committee meets on a quarterly basis | The number of Executive Committee meetings and progress made in implementing the Action Plan | |
| A4. Employees are given better access to information on official languages | Development of a section on the intranet with official languages links and resources | The intranet site has a section with OL links and resources | |
| A5. Executives are encouraged to implement official languages | Inclusion of an OL commitment in the executives' performance management agreements | Executives are committed to the application of OL at the Agency | |
| A6. Encouraging employees and managers to be aware of key Francophone organizations | A list of key Francophone organizations is drawn up | Degree of knowledge of key Francophone organizations | |
| A7. The development of a bilingual culture within the Agency is promoted | Organization of internal activities: Rendez-vous de la francophonie, Linguistic Duality Day, Journée franco-ontarienne, etc. | Employees have a better understanding of Francophone culture | |
| A8. Passive bilingualism is encouraged and promoted | Use of both languages in the Agency's activities | Extent to which both languages are used during Agency meetings and activities | |
| A9. The use of both official languages is promoted in-house and the importance of official languages to professional development is communicated | Opportunities for second language courses are provided | A greater number of bilingual employees | |
| A10. Employee innovation is fostered | Consideration of the possibility of organizing an award for OL innovation in the workplace | A competition is held and awards are given out |
B. Consultations (Sharing of ideas and information with OLMCs)
[Activities (e.g. committees, discussions and meetings) through which the federal institution consults the OLMCs and interacts with them to identify their needs and priorities or to understand potential impacts on their development; activities (e.g. round tables and working groups) to explore possibilities for co-operation within the existing mandate of the federal institution or as part of developing a new program or new policy; participation in consultations with OLMCs coordinated by other government bodies; consultation of OLMCs by regional offices to determine their concerns and needs.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| B1. OLMCs and Francophone organizations are engaged in consultations with FedDev | Development of an OLMC consultation strategy | Implementation of a consultation strategy | Creation of lasting relationships between FedDev Ontario and OLMCs; FedDev Ontario and OLMCs understand each other's needs and mandates. |
| B2. FedDev programs and services are presented and the needs of provincial Francophone organizations in Southern Ontario are targeted | Meetings of the OL Champion and Coordinator with key Francophone organizations in Southern Ontario (AFMO, AFO, RDÉE Ontario, FCFA, CCO, etc.) | Number of meetings and degree of familiarity with the concerns and needs of OLMCs | |
| B3. Attendance of consultation meetings with OLMCs in co-operation with other government institutions | Conferences, meetings and activities that consult OLMCs (e.g., dialogue on linguistic duality organized by Canadian Heritage) | ||
| B4. Attendance of the meetings of bilingual CFDCs | Attendance of meetings of Boards of Directors, annual general meetings and awareness-raising meetings with OLMCs | ||
| B5. Attendance of various meetings led by Francophone organizations | Activities of the funders' forum, general meetings and/or special events led by OLMCs | ||
| B6. Participation in various networks, Francophone issue tables (immigration, CFDCs, etc) | Various networks that consult OLMCs |
C. Communications (Transmission of information to OLMCs)
[External communications activities to inform OLMCs about the activities, programs and policies of the federal institution and to promote the bilingual character of Canada; inclusion of OLMCs in all information and distribution lists; use of the federal institution's website to communicate with OLMCs.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| C1. Implementation of the Official Languages Communication Plan | External communication activities | The activities identified in the Communication Plan are carried out | OLMC culture reflects a broad understanding of FedDev Ontario's mandate; OLMCs receive up-to-date and relevant information about FedDev Ontario's programs and services. |
| C2. Identification and use of Francophone media in Southern Ontario | FedDev activities and announcements are published in Francophone media | The number of published articles promoting the Agency's services and programs with OLMCs | |
| C3. The public receives quality services of substantive equality in both official languages through the promotion of its programs and services | Brochures and fact sheets on various programs and services are published in both official languages and are distributed to OLMCs | The number of meetings or brochures, and fact sheets are distributed in OLMCs | |
| All promotional materials from bilingual CFDCs, including their Web sites, are produced in both official languages | CFDC materials give OLMCs access to their services | ||
| C4. The success stories of Francophone communities are published | Success stories are gathered and published in the newsletter and on FedDev's Web site | The number of success stories published | |
| C5. If necessary, all public events take official languages into consideration | When required, all speeches, signs and promotional tools are produced in both official languages | The extent to which tools have been published in both official languages |
D. Coordination and liaison
(Does not include funding – Internal coordination and liaison with other government institutions)
[Coordination activities (research, studies, meetings, etc.) carried out by the federal institution itself along with other federal institutions or other orders of government; participation in activities organized by other federal institutions, other orders of government, etc.; participation of official languages champions, national and regional coordinators, and others in various government forums.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| D1. The OL Champion attends meetings in order to share information and best practices | Meetings of the Council of the Network of Official Languages Champions (Treasury Board) | Creation of a partnership and collaboration between FedDev and other departments and agencies in the implementation of OL across the federal network | Co-operation with multiple partners to enhance OLMC development and vitality and to share best practices. |
| Meetings of the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers on Official Languages (CADMOL), OL Secretariat | Participation in Canadian Heritage OL meetings and contribution to the development of policies that take the viewpoints of all federal institutions into account | ||
| D2. The OL Coordinator participates in horizontal management of the Roadmap | Meetings of the Official Languages Program Interdepartmental Coordination Steering Committee (OLPICSC), OL Secretariat | Contribution to the strategic development of OL related to Government of Canada objectives | |
| D3. Coordination of the Economic Development Initiative (EDI) | Meetings with Industry Canada and the regional economic development agencies | Maintenance of national consultation on economic development through the delivery of the EDI | |
| D4. Sharing of best practices and joining a network of coordinators working to apply the OLA | Meetings of the National Coordinators, Part VII, Section 41 | New partnerships established and best practices for applying the OLA shared | |
| D5. The Champion and the Coordinator attend various meetings organized by government partners | Ad hoc and regular meetings (e.g., National Committee on Economic Development and Employability) | Degree of co-operation and information sharing to encourage the development of OLMCs |
E. Funding and program delivery
[Implementation of the federal institution's programs and delivery of its services; funding, alone or in co-operation with other federal institutions, of OLMC projects; inclusion of the needs of OLMCs in the delivery of the federal institution's programs and services.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| E1. Review of OL obligations in the context of renewing agreements with Community Futures Development Corporations (CFDCs) | Updated OL clauses in contribution agreements | Contribution agreements have appropriate OL clauses | OLMCs are part of FedDev Ontario's regular clientele and have adequate access to its programs and services; OLMC needs (e.g. geographic dispersion and development opportunities) are taken into account. |
| E2. Increase in the Agency's capacity to deliver programs in both official languages through third parties (CFDCs) and becoming acquainted with their needs | The ability of third parties (i.e., CFDCs) to provide the active offer is identified
|
Francophones in rural areas have access to CFDC services and a review of CFDCs' needs is completed | |
| E3. Provide support to program officers and managers to apply the OLA to Agency services and programs | A policy on OL for the delivery of programs and services is developed | A policy is developed and implemented | |
| E4. Use of the Info Kit on the Active Offer in the Agency's services and program delivery | The active offer is provided and applied by employees | Extent of understanding and use of the active offer | |
| E5. Becoming acquainted with OLMCs; the concentration of the Francophone population, the territory of bilingual CFDCs, bilingual municipalities and Francophone organizations | A map identifying the location of OLMCs, the territory of bilingual CFDCs, and the location of Francophone organizations and municipalities is created | A map is created and made available to Agency employees | |
| E6. Recognition of how projects funded by FedDev support OLMC development | Application and evaluation forms and contribution agreements contain sections that identify how projects support the development of OLMCs | Number of documents that include a section on support for the development of OLMCs | |
| E7. Identification of whether OLMC needs are included in program submissions and development | Industry Canada's OL lens is used for submissions to Treasury Board and Memoranda to Cabinet | Submissions consider the needs of OLMCs | |
| E8. Ensuring that Agency programs and services take OLMC needs into consideration | The evaluation grid for all FedDev programs and services is applied | The Agency offers programs and services that are of substantive equality | |
| E9. Encouraging partnership, innovation, diversification and the development of OLMCs through delivery of the Economic Development Initiative | Contribution agreements with OLMCs are developed | Number of projects, amount of funding | |
| E10. Through various Agency programs, provision of funding for projects that support the development of OLMCs | A report on funding that supports the development of OLMCs is produced | ||
| E11. Evaluation of contribution agreements with third parties that encourage development through funded support | A report on contribution agreements with third parties that support the development of OLMCs |
F. Accountability
[Activities through which the federal institution integrates its work on the implementation of section 41 of the OLA into departmental planning and accountability mechanisms (e.g. report on plans and priorities, departmental performance report, departmental business plan and status report on implementation of section 41 of the OLA); internal audits and evaluations of programs and services; regular review of programs and services as well as policies by senior managers of the federal institution to ensure implementation of section 41 of the OLA.]
| Planned activities to achieve the expected result What activities will be carried out during the period covered? What will be done? |
Expected outputs What products or services will flow from the activities carried out during the period covered? |
Indicators to measure progress in achieving the expected result What information will you use to show progress in achieving the above result? How can you demonstrate and measure this change? |
Expected Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| F1. Employees, managers and the executive are informed of OL obligations | An accountability framework for OL is developed, and
|
Employees, managers and the executive are acquainted with their OL obligations |
Full integration of the OLMC perspective and section 41 of the OLA into FedDev Ontario's policies, programs and services; the reporting structure, internal evaluations and policy reviews determine how to better integrate OLMCs' perspective. |
| F2. The Executive Committee monitors the progress made in the Agency's Integrated Action Plan on Official Languages | A report on the results is created | Results report and summary of results | |
| F3. Evaluation of the impact of the Action Plan and Performance Indicators | A performance management strategy for the Action Plan on Official Languages is developed
|
Evaluation tools are created to monitor progress and assess performance | |
| F4. Production of reports on the delivery of the EDI for the OL Secretariat, Canadian Heritage | Collection of data, quarterly report | Data are gathered and reviewed and reports are submitted | |
| F5. Production of a report on Action Plan activities, section 41, 2011–2012 | Collection of data, annual report | Data are gathered and reviewed and reports are submitted | |
| F6. Submission of an Action Plan, section 41, 2012–2013 | Internal consultation and inclusion of knowledge of OLMC needs in the development of the Action Plan | An Action Plan is written and submitted | |
| F7. Evaluation of services offered by bilingual CFDCs | Evaluation Report | Degree of satisfaction with the quality of services | |
|
F8. Evaluation of projects that support the development of OLMCs |
Analysis grid to evaluate projects |
Degree of evaluation of projects that meet OLMCs' needs |
- Clerk of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages
- Clerk of the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages
- Commissioner of Official Languages
- Community organizations: AFO, RDÉE Ontario, AFMO, La Clé d'la Baie. A comprehensive list will be developed after consultation with the OLMCs.