Air Canada failing to provide full services in both official languages: report
OTTAWA –
Whether travelling by airplane, practice or car, francophone travellers are struggling to entry providers of their language, Canada’s official languages commissioner stated Tuesday.
Raymond Theberge stated it is an ongoing battle that has gotten worse within the final decade, particularly as folks start travelling once more.
“After more than two years of the (COVID-19) pandemic, Canadians have finally been able to return to a certain degree of normalcy and resume activities that were put on hold due to pandemic-related health restrictions,” Theberge informed reporters Tuesday after presenting his annual report.
“This normalcy, however, has highlighted official language issues that I’ve repeatedly raised in the past, but are still very much present.”
His 2022-23 report reveals Air Canada acquired essentially the most complaints. But airport authorities in main cities and the Canada Border Services Agency are additionally at fault of violating the Official Languages Act by not offering full providers in folks’s official language of alternative, stated Theberge.
The complaints are typically round an absence of bilingual providers and workers, however his report additionally highlighted an absence of signage in English and French, and never having multilingual reservation programs.
Some 495 complaints have been lodged in opposition to federally regulated journey establishments between April 2022 and the tip of March, with 276 of these complaints singling out Air Canada, stated Theberge.
The complaints in opposition to Air Canada are at a 10-year excessive, even in case you exclude the numerous variety of complaints the corporate acquired in 2021-22 after its CEO delivered an English-only speech in Quebec, stated the report.
A spokesperson for Air Canada stated the corporate is reviewing the findings and can take each alternative to enhance, as a result of it takes each grievance introduced ahead critically.
“We are one of the few Canadian companies, and the only airline, to be subject to the Official Languages Act. We have maintained our commitment toward the act for the past 50 years, in an industry governed by complex rules, while serving our customers in more than 20 languages in 51 countries in addition to Canada,” the spokesperson stated in an announcement.
The commissioner stated he is hoping that laws to modernize official languages regulation will convey firms into higher compliance.
Bill C-13, which is being studied within the Senate, would grant the commissioner new powers and permit firms to be fined as much as $25,000 for each breach of the act — however Theberge stated he would not essentially consider it’ll make firms like Air Canada shake of their boots.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra acknowledged there must be an total tradition change throughout the journey business.
“We need to work together at further enhancing the culture, reminding organizations in the transport sector how important it is that they meet those obligations. Canadians expect to be served in the (official) language of their choice and we need to ensure that transport sector meets that obligation,” Alghabra stated Tuesday.
The commissioner’s report famous that airport authorities spoke about their challenges in recruiting bilingual workers, whereas some look to automated multilingual programs to deal with shortcomings.
The commissioner has tasked the federal government with growing instruments and pointers that may be shared with airport authorities. He can also be requiring federal officers to submit a plan on how official language obligations will likely be met.
“We’ll continue to do everything we can to ensure that those (language) rights are protected,” Alghabra stated.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed May 30, 2023.
