Our Official Language Rights and Obligations during an Appointment Process - FAQ
What are the linguistic rights of participants in an appointment process?
Participants in an appointment process may communicate and receive all messages pertaining to the appointment process in the official language of their choice. The same applies to assessment tools used to assess their qualifications (other than language proficiency); participants may receive these tools in the official language of their choice.
Note, however, that English and French versions of all messages and assessment tools must be of equal quality and must be available simultaneously.
Does the requirement to communicate information concerning the appointment process in both official languages or in accordance with the linguistic preferences of each participant (when these are known) apply to all types of appointment processes?
Yes, except if information is communicated in a region that is unilingual for language-of-work purposes, and if the work to be performed only requires the knowledge and use of the language of that region. In these two cases, participants must be informed that the information is available in the other official language, on request.
Does the requirement to assess a person in the official language of their choice apply only to bilingual positions or to positions in the NCR and in regions designated bilingual?
No. The requirement to assess a person in the official language of their choice, other than when assessing language proficiency, applies to all positions in the federal public service, regardless of the language requirements or the location of the position.
Does "have the language proficiency required" mean that assessors require a level C in oral interaction to assess candidates in the appointment process?
Not necessarily. The level of second language proficiency required by assessors depends on the technical or specialized nature of the position, and on the complexity of interactions and communications with the persons to be assessed.
For example, to assess candidates for a position requiring a P given its technical or specialized communication requirements, assessors would most likely need a level C, whereas for a position that involves more common usage language, a level B may be sufficient.
Whatever their language level, assessors must be competent to communicate in a candidate's official language of choice.