Accountability and Coordination Framework of the Roadmap for Canada’s Linguistic Duality - Justice Canada Component Evaluation
Appendix B: Interview Guides
Evaluation of the activities of the Official Languages Law Section under the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality 2008-2013
Interview Guide
The Department of Justice Canada hired the firm Universalia to conduct an evaluation of the activities of the Official Languages Law Section (OLLS), which helps coordinate the Official Languages Program of the Government of Canada and the Roadmap for Linguistic Duality 2008-2013. This coordination is provided by the Official Languages Secretariat of the Department of Canadian Heritage and the OLLS. The evaluation looks at the relevance of the mandate assigned to the OLLS under the Roadmap, as well as its performance in that connection. In the box below, we set out the mandate and specific duties of the OLLS. The evaluation covers the period from 2008 to today.
As part of this evaluation, we are conducting interviews with key stakeholders in the area of official languages. Thank you again for accepting our invitation. Before we start, be aware that we will keep your answers strictly confidential. All answers will be presented in aggregate form. Also, we are asking that you not disclose information on the content of the legal opinions issued by the OLLS. Our interview should take no longer than 60 minutes.
The OLLS’s mandate
The OLLS is a centre of expertise on language rights that responds to requests for legal opinions, guidance and training from federal institutions, including coordination of the Official Languages Program, and that pro-actively ensures consistency in government positions and anticipates litigation risks.
Duties of the OLLS
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To closely monitor issues arising in legislation, case law and the media that present legal risks relating to official languages that are likely to affect the federal government;
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To systematically review initiatives, programs and policies (including Memoranda to Cabinet and Treasury Board submissions) to ensure that they comply with the official language requirements;
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To support lawyers from the various departmental legal services units in handling legal matters relating to official languages;
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To coordinate the development of the government’s position in litigation involving language rights;
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To educate federal institutions about the requirements under the Official Languages Act and the Official Languages Program by providing them with training and various information materials;
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To provide legal guidance to the Committee of Assistant Deputy Ministers on Official Languages and to other bodies with an official languages coordination role.
(Key staff from the Official Languages Law Section of Justice Canada and from the Official Languages Secretariat at the Department of Canadian Heritage)
Introduction
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1. Please describe the role you play in implementing the Accountability and Coordination Framework.
Relevance
The mandate and duties of the OLLS under the Roadmap’s Accountability and Coordination Framework are shown in the box.
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2. With reference to the changes in the official language priorities of the federal government and the Department of Justice since 2008, do you feel that this mandate and each of these duties assigned to the OLLS are still relevant? (Q1)
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3. Do you consider it necessary to keep each of these duties for the purposes of Canada’s Official Languages Program? If applicable, should these duties continue to be the responsibility of the OLLS? (Q2)
Performance - effectiveness
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4. Can you describe the instruments and resources that were provided to federal institutions by the OLLS to help them fulfill their responsibilities under the Official Languages Act? (Q5)
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5. In your opinion, has the OLLS played a significant horizontal role (for all federal institutions) for facilitating implementation of the Official Languages Act in its entirety? Please explain. (Q3)
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6. Have you seen an improvement in horizontal coordination among federal institutions in implementation of the Official Languages Program since 2008? If yes, to what extent has the OLLS contributed to that? Please support your answer with examples. (Q4)
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7. How helpful have the instruments and resources provided by the OLLS been for the federal institutions? (Q5)
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8. In your opinion, have the federal institutions acquired a better understanding of the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act since 2008? If yes, to what extent have the duties carried out by the OLLS contributed to that? Please support your answer with examples. (Q6)
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9. Have you noticed any unexpected impacts - favourable or unfavourable - arising from the duties carried out by the OLLS? (Q7)
Performance - efficiency and economy
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10. The OLLS received the amount of $2.5 million over five years to enable it to fulfill its Roadmap coordination responsibilities. In your opinion, given the results produced by the OLLS in carrying out its duties, was this investment worth it? Please explain your answer. (Q8)
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11. Can you think of other ways of achieving similar results at a lower cost? If yes, what are they? (Q9)
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12. In your opinion, are there any factors or trends that may have had an impact on the OLLS’s role and activities since 2008? If yes, what are they and what has that changed in the OLLS? (Q10)
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13. Beyond what we have discussed, do you have any other comments to make about the Justice component of the Accountability and Coordination Framework?
Thank you!
(Senior managers, official language champions and key staff from federal institutions)
Introduction
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1. Please describe your role and the relationship you have with the OLLS.
Relevance
The mandate and duties of the OLLS under the Roadmap’s Accountability and Coordination Framework are shown in the box.
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2. With reference to the changes in the official language priorities of the federal government and the Department of Justice since 2008, do you feel that this mandate and each of these duties assigned to the OLLS are still relevant? (Q1)
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3. Do you consider it necessary to keep each of these duties for the purposes of Canada’s Official Languages Program? If applicable, should these duties continue to be the responsibility of the OLLS? (Q2)
Performance - effectiveness
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4. The OLLS has produced a variety of tools and resources for helping federal institutions fulfill their official language responsibilities. Which of the following items do you know about or have you used? Where applicable, how useful do you consider them to be? (Q5)
- The information in the space reserved for the OLLS on the Department of Justice’s JUSnet intranet site, such as fact sheets, annotated federal language legislation, framework opinions and articles published by the OLLS;
- The information on the Osez! Dare! site of the Official Language Champions Network;
- Legal opinions from the OLLS on specific matters involving official languages;
- The summaries from language-related litigation regularly published by the OLLS;
- The sheet from the OLLS explaining official language governance;
- The presentations given to the horizontal coordination bodies of the Official Languages Program (CADMOL, DACOL and their support committees);
- The language rights practice group meetings arranged by the OLLS;
- The training given by OLLS staff;
- The 40th anniversary conference of the Official Languages Act in 2009.
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5. In your opinion, has the OLLS played a significant horizontal role (for all federal institutions) for facilitating implementation of the Official Languages Act in its entirety? Please explain. (Q3)
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6. Have you seen an improvement in horizontal coordination among federal institutions in implementation of the Official Languages Program since 2008? If yes, to what extent has the OLLS contributed to that? Please support your answer with examples. (Q4)
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7. In your opinion, have your Department and the other federal institutions acquired a better understanding of the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act since 2008? If yes, to what extent have the duties carried out by the OLLS contributed to that? Please support your answer with examples. (Q6)
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8. Have you noticed any unexpected impacts - favourable or unfavourable - arising from the duties carried out by the OLLS? (Q7)
Performance - efficiency and economy
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9. The OLLS received the amount of $2.5 million over five years to enable it to fulfill its Roadmap coordination responsibilities. In your opinion, given the results produced by the OLLS in carrying out its duties, was this investment worth it? Please explain your answer. (Q8)
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10. Can you think of other ways of achieving similar results at a lower cost? If yes, what are they? (Q9)
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11. In your opinion, are there any factors or trends that may have had an impact on the OLLS’s role and activities since 2008? If yes, what are they and what has that changed in the OLLS? (Q10)
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12. Beyond what we have discussed, do you have any other comments to make about the Justice component of the Accountability and Coordination Framework?
Thank you!
(Legal advisors from the Department of Justice and other federal institutions)
Introduction
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1. Please describe your role and the relationship you have with the OLLS.
Relevance
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2. Based on your understanding of the current priorities of the federal government and the Department of Justice regarding official languages, do you feel that the mandate and duties assigned to the OLLS (see box) are still relevant? (Q1)
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3. Which of the duties carried out by the OLLS address your needs? (Q2)
Performance - effectiveness
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4. Have you been in a position to identify whether the OLLS has played a horizontal role (for all federal institutions) in facilitating the implementation of the Official Languages Act in its entirety? If yes, how positive have the outcomes been? (Q3)
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5. Have you seen an improvement in horizontal coordination among federal institutions in the implementation of the Official Languages Program since 2008? If yes, to what extent has the OLLS contributed to that? Can you provide examples? (Q4)
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6. The OLLS has produced a variety of tools and resources for helping federal institutions fulfill their official language responsibilities. Which of the following items do you know about or have you used? Where applicable, how useful do you consider them to be? (Q5)
- The information in the space reserved for the OLLS on the Department of Justice’s JUSnet intranet site, such as fact sheets, annotated federal language legislation, framework opinions and articles published by the OLLS;
- The information on the Osez! Dare! site of the Official Language Champions Network;
- Legal opinions from the OLLS on specific matters involving official languages;
- The summaries from language-related litigation regularly published by the OLLS;
- The sheet from the OLLS explaining official language governance;
- The presentations given to the horizontal coordination bodies of the Official Languages Program (CADMOL, DACOL and their support committees);
- The language rights practice group meetings arranged by the OLLS;
- The training given by OLLS staff;
- The 40th anniversary conference of the Official Languages Act in 2009.
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7. In your opinion, has your Department and the other federal institutions acquired a better understanding of the spirit and intent of the Official Languages Act since 2008? If yes, to what extent have the duties carried out by the OLLS contributed to that? Please support your answer with examples. (Q6)
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8. Have you noticed any unexpected impacts - favourable or unfavourable - arising from the duties carried out by the OLLS? (Q7)
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9. Beyond what we have discussed, do you have any other comments to make about the Justice component of the Accountability and Coordination Framework?
Thank you!
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