As the Trudeau government introduces its reform of the Official Languages Act, the largest federal public service union is calling on the government to increase the bilingualism bonus if it wants to demonstrate that it is serious about the issue.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) is demanding that the bilingual bonus, which has been $800 since the early 1990s, be increased to $1,500.
Federal Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor tabled her reform of the Official Languages Act on March 1, which includes giving the Commissioner of Official Languages the power to impose financial penalties in certain cases. The reform also specifies that the Francophone immigration policy must include objectives and targets.
The PSAC said that Bill C-13 does not have enough teeth to ensure the sustainability of French in Canada and to promote bilingualism in the federal public service.
The alliance maintains that with the pandemic and the resulting remote meetings, many managers are not transmitting information in Canada's two official languages.
-- This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on March 7, 2022.
