Senate Testimony on Official Languages and Economic and Linguistic Vitality

On October 19, 2026, CEDEC’s President and CEO, John Buck, delivered remarks to the Standing Senate Committee on Official Languages on proposed regulations governing the use of French in federally regulated private businesses.

His testimony underscored that advancing both Official Languages, supporting Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs), including Quebec’s English-speaking minority, and protecting and promoting French are legitimate, concurrent federal commitments. They must be pursued together in a coherent way. Different circumstances may call for different measures, but the law requires that all these commitments be respected.

There was strong emphasis on why economic vitality underpins community and linguistic vitality.Employment, income, enterprise development, and investment enable OLMCs to retain members, sustain institutions, use their Official language in day-to-day life, and pass it on to future generations.  Accordingly, the Committee was urged to address potential risks to English speakers’ economic participation, including the workplace entry and career advancement barriers identified in the Government’s own regulatory risk analysis.

CEDEC fully supports the protection and promotion of French. However, diminished economic opportunities for Quebec’s English-speaking minority must not be accepted as its price. Both protecting and promoting French and strengthening the English-speaking Official Language Minority Community in Quebec, which inherently includes strengthening the use of its Official Language, warrant vigorous pursuit, and neither should be traded off against the other.

Download CEDEC’s full position or watch the video recording of the hearing. John Buck’s presentation to the Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages begins at roughly 1:12:20.