The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages of the

Canadian government The government of Canada (french: gouvernement du Canada) is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. A constitutional monarchy, the Crown is the corporation sole, assuming distinct roles: the executive, as the ''Crown-in ...

is responsible for achieving the objectives of, and promoting, Canada's Official Languages Act. Canada has two official languages:

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. The 1988 Official Languages Act mandates this office and its commissioner, who holds office for seven years. Its mission has three main objectives: ensuring the equality of English and French within the Government of Canada and institutions subject to the Act; preserving and developing official language communities; and ensuring the equality of English and French in Canadian society at large.

Commissioners of Official Languages

From 1999 to 2006, the commissioner was Dyane Adam, who was born in Casselman, Ontario, and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the

University of Ottawa The University of Ottawa (french: Université d'Ottawa), often referred to as uOttawa or U of O, is a bilingual public research university in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on directly to the northeast of Downtown Ottaw ...

. After the federal election of January 2006, Prime Minister

Stephen Harper Stephen Joseph Harper (born April 30, 1959) is a Canadian politician who served as the 22nd prime minister of Canada from 2006 to 2015. Harper is the first and only prime minister to come from the modern-day Conservative Party of Canada, ...

requested that Adam prolong her term by a few months to give him time to find a suitable replacement. On September 13, 2006, he nominated

Graham Fraser Graham Fraser (born 1946) is a Canadian former journalist and writer who served as Canada's sixth Commissioner of Official Languages. He is the author of several books, both in English and French. Early life and education Fraser is the son o ...

for the post.Harper propose Graham Fraser comme commissaire aux langues officielles
(

Canadian Press The Canadian Press (CP; french: La Presse canadienne, ) is a Canadian national news agency headquartered in Toronto, Ontario. Established in 1917 as a vehicle for the time's Canadian newspapers to exchange news and information, The Canadian Pre ...

, September 13, 2006) In November 2017, Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since ...

nominated Raymond Théberge, the President and Vice-Chancellor of

Université de Moncton The Université de Moncton is a Canadian francophone university in New Brunswick. It includes campuses in Edmundston, Moncton, and Shippagan. The university was founded in 1963 following the recommendations of the royal commission on highe ...

, as the commissioner replacing Fraser. The nomination was approved in December 2017. Théberge is the first Commissioner from

Western Canada Western Canada, also referred to as the Western provinces, Canadian West or the Western provinces of Canada, and commonly known within Canada as the West, is a Canadian region that includes the four western provinces just north of the Canada� ...

and from outside

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

and

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirte ...

. *

Keith Spicer Keith Spicer (born March 6, 1934) is a Canadian academic, public servant, journalist and writer. Between 1970 and 1977, Spicer was the first Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada. Education Spicer holds a BA in Modern Languages (French a ...

, 1970–1977 *

Max Yalden Maxwell Freeman Yalden, (April 12, 1930 – February 9, 2015) was a Canadian civil servant and diplomat. Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 1952, a Master of Arts degree in 1954 and a ...

, 1977–1984 *

D'Iberville Fortier D'Iberville Fortier, (February 5, 1926 – April 22, 2006) was a Canadian diplomat and public servant. Career A career diplomat, his service spanned the years 1952 to 1984. During this time, he was the Canadian ambassador to: Libya, Tunisia, ...

, 1984–1991 *

Victor Goldbloom Victor Charles Goldbloom (July 31, 1923 – February 15, 2016) was a Canadian pediatrician, lecturer, and politician. Early life and education He was born in Montreal, the son of Alton Goldbloom and Annie Ballon. He studied at Selwyn House Sch ...

, 1991–1999 * Dyane Adam, 1999–2006 *

, 2006–2016 *

Ghislaine Saikaley Ghislaine Saikaley (born 1962 in Rouyn-Noranda, Quebec) was the interim Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada from 2016 to 2018. During her tenure as commissioner, she called for a modernization of the Official Languages Act in order to ad ...

(interim), 2016–2018 * Raymond Théberge, January 29, 2018–present

References

External links

Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages
{{authority control Federal departments and agencies of Canada Bilingualism in Canada Language regulators Organizations based in Gatineau Officers of the Parliament of Canada