On March 6, 2020, in Saint-Hyacinthe, the Board of Directors of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) adopted a resolution urging the federal government to modernize the Official Languages Act

Sponsor of the resolution, the Association of Manitoba Bilingual Municipalities (AMBM) salutes the leadership of the Federal of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) in making the modernization of the Official Languages Act its official policy.

“Municipal governments can play a leadership role in fostering respect and equality for all residents while enhancing the diversity of their communities, said FCM President Bill Karsten. FCM looks forward to partnering with the federal government to support the efforts of local leaders to provide services in both official languages.”

“A modernized Official Languages Act that better reflects the role of Canadian municipalities in promoting bilingualism makes great sense for the development and sustainability of our official language minority communities,” said AMBM President Ivan Normandeau.

“This resolution calls for tools that will help Canadian municipalities actively offer municipal services in both official languages. This is a step in the right direction.”

The resolution calls on FCM to urge the federal government to fully modernize the Official Languages Act in order to reaffirm and strengthen a direct federal-municipal partnership on official languages.

The resolution also calls on FCM to encourage the federal government to explore the establishment of an official languages funding, resource and training program for Canadian municipalities to support and promote the development of official language minority communities.

Download the full version of the resolution

For more information: Justin Johnson, Chief Executive Officer, 204-289-4077, [email protected].