Language of Work, Equitable Participation and Staffing Generally
About Parts V, VI and Section 91 of the Official Languages Act
The Human Resources Services Branch (HRSB) is responsible for providing the Department with leadership, functional direction, and expert advice on Part V, Part VI and Section 91 of the Official Languages Act (OLA).
Language of work (Part V)
- Part V of the Official Languages Act sets out the circumstances in which employees in certain regions have the right to use English or French when working within federal institutions, for example, when they are participating in meetings, receiving instructions or writing internal documents. It also sets out the obligation of departments to create a work environment that enables employees to use the official language of their choice in bilingual regions for language-of-work purposes, when they are not serving the public.
Equitable participation (Part VI)
- Part VI of the Official Languages Act sets out the Government of Canada’s commitment to ensuring that English‑speaking Canadians and French‑speaking Canadians, without regard to their ethnic origin or first language learned, have equal opportunities to obtain employment and advancement in federal institutions.
Staffing generally (Section 91)
- Section 91 of the Official Languages Act emphasizes the need for objectivity in the application of the official language requirements to perform the functions, for the purposes of a particular staffing action.
Policies and Directives
Tools and Resources
- 2014-2017 Official Languages Parts V, VI and Section 91 Action Plan (PDF, 399 KB)
- Departmental Language of Work Strategy
- Part V (Language of Work), Part VI (Equitable Participation) and Section 91 (Staffing generally) of the Official Languages Act - FAQ
- Official Languages Toolkit
Contact
For information or service requests related to Parts V, VI and Section 91 of the OLA, please contact the Human Resources Service Centre.