The Official Languages Act turns 50 years old in 2019 and the Senate Committee on Official Languages wants to get Canadians involved in modernizing this important piece of legislation.

Senators are teaming up with the Fédération de la jeunesse canadienne-française (French only) for a roundtable discussion about how to update the act to meet the realities of the 21^st century.

The federation is run by and for francophones who are between the ages of 14 and 25 years, with the aim of preserving the vitality of the French language across Canada.

Senators Lucie Moncion and René Cormier, who are members of the official languages committee, will meet with federation delegates in Ottawa on September 8. Those discussions will be streamed on the Senate’s Facebook page so Canadians can watch them live.

The fruits of these discussions could guide the committee’s study on the act. Senators anticipate releasing a five-part study after hearing evidence from official language minority communities, people who have witnessed the evolution of the act, legal experts and representatives of federal institutions.

The committee also expects to release a number of interim reports to keep Canadians informed about the committee’s progress.

Follow the Senate on Twitter and Facebook for more information about this exciting event.