Canada Official Languages Commissioner reports surge in complaints

In her first annual report, Canada’s Commissioner of Official Languages, Kelly Burke, reported a significant surge in complaints, with 4,110 admissible cases for 2025-2026—nearly quadruple the previous year’s total of 1,163. The majority of these complaints involve public services, which rose to 3,632 cases.

One notable driver of complaints was a video released by former Air Canada CEO Michael Rousseau following an aircraft accident in New York, which was criticized for being almost exclusively in English. The Commissioner emphasized that leaders should communicate equally in both official languages during crises.

To combat a “concerning trend” of unilingualism among federal officials, Burke has recommended that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat make official language training mandatory for public service managers by March 31, 2028. She noted that unilingual leaders set a “bad example” for staff and can hinder a bilingual workplace.

Additionally, the report highlights the need for a “Francophone lens” in government artificial intelligence strategies and addresses issues regarding unequal access to French-language training within federal institutions.