Official Languages and Parliament / : Langues officielles et le Parlement

This paper provides a brief overview of the various aspects of the issue of official languages in the context of the Canadian Parliament by examining: • the guarantees and obligations arising from the Constitution, including relevant provisions of the Constitution Act, 1867, and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms; • the statutory provisions contained in the Official Languages Act; • some [...] First, the “records” of the houses, which include their Acts and bills.11 Second, the “journals,” which are the Minutes of Proceedings and Journals – the official minutes of the votes and proceedings of the houses.12 Before 1976, the Journals were printed in separate English and French versions. [...] The Senate, the House of Commons and the Library of Parliament are “institutions” enumerated in section 3 of the OLA and, consequently, are subject to other parts of the Act involving, in particular, language of work and language of services offered to the public. [...] In Lavigne v. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, the Supreme Court of Canada confirmed that the OLA is no ordinary statute: The importance of these objectives and of the constitutional values embodied in the Official Languages Act gives the latter a special status in the Canadian legal framework. [...] The broadcasting of the debates and proceedings of Parliament constitutes a service within the meaning of Part IV of the OLA.27 Since 1977, the general public has been able to follow the debates of the House of Commons on radio and television.