The Federal Treasury Board said it had no plans to expand the bonus – currently paid to employees who speak English and French – to native language speakers.
The bilingual bonus is an additional $800 that employees receive a year if they work in a designated position that requires language skills in English and French, Canada’s two official languages.
Expanding it to compensate employees who speak an Indigenous language was one of the proposals senior civil servants proposed late last year when they discussed how to address language concerns. of some local civil servants.
Some details of those considerations are outlined in a brief note released to the Canadian Press under federal Access to Information law.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, a union representing more than 120,000 federal employees paid for by the Treasury Department, has proposed creating an Indigenous language grant to introduce compensation for people who are underprivileged. use a stipend during their employment.
National President Chris Aylward said the union has identified nearly 500 native-speaking federal employees at work.
“It’s a discriminatory practice,” he said in an interview. “When their co-workers get paid to speak a second language and these workers don’t? How can this government justify that? “
“This is a very progressive way and we feel this is a very tangible way for the government to recognize the importance of Indigenous languages in Canada? it’s a win-win outcome and good for all.”
Aylward said the union, which has been negotiating a new contract with the government for more than a year, is also proposing to increase its bilingual bonus to $1,500, up from the current $800, and would like to see similar compensation. offered to native speakers. .
“We certainly believe that indigenous workers should be recognized for the language they speak.”
The bilingual award is designed to support the government’s commitment that public servants can work in the language of their choice, said Alain Belle-Isle, spokesman for the Canadian Secretariat. .
“The Treasury Board has no plans to expand the scope of bilingual bonuses to include native languages,” Belle-Isle said in a statement.
In a follow-up statement, a spokesperson at the office of Mona Fortier, the minister responsible for the Treasury, said they were committed to creating a comprehensive public service and working with partners to address the issue. address barriers to employment and career advancement.
“We will never change the fundamentals of bilingualism in public service,” writes Scott Bardsley, adding that more than 40% of federal jobs require bilingualism.
He also pointed to an increase in Indigenous representation in the executive ranks of government, reported to be 4.4% in 2020-21, up from 3.7% in 2015- 16.
Preserving and promoting Indigenous languages is one of the promises regarding reconciliation that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal government has prioritized. In 2019, it passed legislation aimed at helping Indigenous communities revive languages their members are not allowed to speak under government policies, such as those adopted in the community school system. settlement, has been operating for more than a century.
Newly released census data from 2021 shows a slight decrease in the number of people who say they can speak a native language.
Statistics Canada also reports a decrease in the percentage of people who say they speak French at home.
Lori Idlout, Nunavut New Democratic Party MP, who speaks Inuktitut, said she plans to try to convince the Finance Committee to change course.
“I was quite disappointed,” she said. “I’m disappointed.”
The MP believes that federal employees who can speak an Indigenous language like Inuktitut will provide Indigenous residents better service and will enjoy the same benefits as their English-speaking counterparts. France.
“Canada was founded on the lands of the Indigenous peoples, on the lands of the First Nations, the Metis, the Inuit and if reconciliation is to happen, is this one of the ways it must happen? they should be provided with the same value as bilingual English or French federal employees. “
© 2022 Canadian Press
