SENATORS’ STATEMENTS — Bilingualism of Senior Public Servants

Honourable senators, the Supreme Court of Canada celebrated an important milestone in 2025: its one hundred and fiftieth anniversary.

Established in 1875, the Supreme Court is Canada’s final court of appeal and the only bilingual and bijural apex court in the world.

Today, I would like to draw attention to this historic anniversary for our democracy and, above all, acknowledge the important role that official languages play in this great institution.

Recently, the Supreme Court of Canada heard arguments in the case challenging Quebec’s Act respecting the laicity of the State, or Bill 21. Aside from the major legal issues raised during those hearings, I want to commend the court for one very important thing.

The parties were able to present their arguments in the official language of their choice and, more importantly, they were immediately heard and understood by the judges in their own language without the need for interpretation services.

This milestone was achieved following the 2023 reform of the Official Languages Act, which now requires Supreme Court judges to understand the parties’ language of choice, whether it be English, French or both, without assistance.

In other words, direct understanding without interpretation is no longer optional. It is a requirement.

That said, to ensure functional bilingualism among Supreme Court justices, it has to be baked into the appointment process. I therefore welcome the Prime Minister’s recent initiative to fill the position Justice Sheilah L. Martin will retire from in May.

In the news release announcing the launch of the selection process, the Prime Minister directed the independent advisory board to recommend jurists who are “functionally bilingual” and representative of the diversity of our country.

This sends a clear message: Effective proficiency in French and English is not secondary; it is an integral aspect of legal excellence. These two requirements are not mutually exclusive; they go hand in hand.

I hope that this principle will extend beyond the Supreme Court and inspire all appointments to senior executive positions under federal jurisdiction. I hope that linguistic excellence will be fully, consistently and intentionally integrated into the highest echelons of management so that a strong, inclusive institutional culture that respects our official languages can emerge. Thank you for your attention.