Bill C-13 At A Glance

Bill C-13 An Act to amend the Official Languages Act, to enact the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act and to make related amendments to other Acts

Short title: An Act for the Substantive Equality of Canada’s Official Languages

Introduced: March 1, 2022, House of Commons (Government bill)
Status: This bill received royal assent on June 20, 2023

Synopsis

This bill updated the Official Languages Act and created the Use of French in Federally Regulated Businesses Act.

Highlights of the debate

This legislation passed the House of Commons at third reading on May 15, 2023, with a vote of 301 yeas, 1 nay (Liberal MP Anthony Housefather). It was similarly passed by the Senate at third reading, with 5 nays, and 5 abstentions.

Why QCGN is concerned:

• The QCGN’s brief to the House Standing Committee on Official Languages (June 6, 2022) summarized our concerns with C-13.
• The purpose of the Official Languages Act has been changed. The Act now asymmetrically addresses Canada’s two official languages, with an emphasis on the protection and promotion of French.
• The OLA makes specific mention of Quebec’s Charter of the French Language, the only provincial language regime so mentioned. C-13 incorporates the Charter of the French Language into federal law through the Use of French in Federally Regulated Businesses Act.
• The modernization of Part VII did not go far enough to ensure legally enforceable obligations on federal government institutions. Moreover, the protection of French is now a statutory goal of positive measures. Other changes to Part VII threaten the direct relationship and support English-speaking Quebec receives from the federal partner.
• The Use of French in Federally Regulated Businesses Act, created – for the first time in Canadian history – language rights at the federal level for only one official-language group (Francophones). When implemented, federally regulated businesses operating in Quebec (and parts of Canada with a significant Francophone presence) will have no rights-based language obligations toward English-speaking customers and employees.