More work needed to comply with Official Languages Act in New Brunswick: report – CP

Source: The Canadian Press
Jun 21, 2016 9:09

FREDERICTON _ New Brunswick’s commissioner of official languages says the provincial government must to do a better job of providing front-line services in both English and French.

Katherine d’Entremont has released her third annual report, which includes the results of an audit to determine if government departments and agencies offer and provide services in both official languages.

She says that while the audits found relatively high rates of service delivery in both languages at the provincial level, there were four areas of the province where there were failures in obtaining services in French.

D’Entremont says after nearly a half century of official bilingualism in New Brunswick one might expect excellent delivery of bilingual services, but that’s not the case.

She says the government has not acted on recommendations she has made over the last two years that are necessary to fully comply with the Official Languages Act.

D’Entremont says if that continues, citizens may have to apply to the courts to have their language rights respected, which would be very costly to the province.

INDEX: HUMAN INTEREST NATIONAL ATLANTIC POLITICS