Study on Issues Relating to Official Languages Generally

Moved:

That the second report of the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages, entitled Proposed Official Languages Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations, tabled in the Senate on May 7, 2026, be adopted and that, pursuant to rule 12-23(1), the Senate request a complete and detailed response from the government, with the Minister responsible for Official Languages being identified as minister responsible for responding to the report.

He said: Honourable senators, I rise today to speak to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages’ report on the proposed official languages administrative monetary penalties regulations. These new regulations are necessary to implement the last of the new powers conferred on the Commissioner of Official Languages when the Official Languages Act was modernized in 2023.

The AMP regime will enable the commissioner to impose a penalty on regulated entities in the transportation sector that fail to meet their obligations towards the travelling public as set out in Part IV of the Official Languages Act.

In the report, the committee makes five recommendations, which, in our view, are essential for strengthening the proposed regulations published by the government in Part I of the Canada Gazette.

In particular, the committee is calling on the government to revise the regulations to ensure a more effective and consistent implementation of the AMP regime. Among other things, we are asking the government to review the criteria that the commissioner must consider when imposing an AMP or to review the list of regulated entities.

Honourable colleagues, this is the fourth time since 2012 that the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages has issued a report highlighting the importance of ensuring a consistent experience for the travelling public when it comes to receiving services in the official language of their choice. To comply with the quasi-constitutional Part IV obligations, the AMP regime must be a simple, fast, credible deterrent. That’s why we are asking the government for a clear response outlining how it will take our recommendations into account and incorporate them into the regulations.

Thank you for your attention, honourable colleagues.