One in four public servants say lack of language training affected career
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More than a quarter of federal public servants say that a lack of access to language training has impacted their career progress, according to a new government survey.
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The 2024 Public Service Employee Survey, which was published by the Treasury Board this week, found that 27 per cent of government employees said their career advancement over the previous year had suffered due to a lack of access to language training in their second official language.
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The survey results were released just a few days after more stringent language requirements came into effect for supervisors in bilingual and regions.
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The new rules require that supervisors in bilingual regions have a CBC level (proficient levels in reading and oral conversation, with intermediate levels in writing) in their second official language. Before June 20, the requirement was BBB (intermediate levels in reading, writing and oral conversation).
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Of the more than 186,000 public servants who responded to the survey, 10 per cent said a lack of access to language training had 'adversely affected' them to a small extent and seven per cent said they were impacted to a moderate extent.
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The results showed that 4 per cent of public servants said that the issue affected them to a large extent, whereas 6 per cent said it impacted them to a very large extent.
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More than 46,000 supervisors responded to the survey. When respondents were broken down into supervisors and non-supervisors, the same percentage of supervisors (27 per cent) said their career had been impacted by the issue.
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Rola Salem, a Treasury Board spokesperson, said in an emailed statement that the government is 'committed to strengthening bilingualism in the public service, not only to better serve Canadians, but also to foster a work environment where employees in bilingual regions feel truly comfortable working in the official language of their choice.'
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In addition to the new language requirements for supervisors in bilingual regions, Salam pointed to updates in government policy that say 'all employees in bilingual regions have the right to be supervised in the official language of their choice, regardless of the linguistic identification of their position.'
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Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account In an open letter to Prime Minister Mark Carney from the non-partisan Allies for a Strong Canada, the group expresses its concern over increasing efforts by Iran's theocratic regime to destabilize both the Middle East and the greater world — specifically here in Canada. 'Canada needs to do a better job, both in terms of the things we say out loud and the actions that we take,' Allies CEO Michael Westcott told the Toronto Sun. 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