Treasury Board rejects ‘blanket exemption’ idea for official language requirements – CityNews
OTTAWA — The Treasury Board is rejecting an idea pitched by some Indigenous public servants to offer “blanket exemptions” so they don’t have to learn both of Canada’s official languages.
A briefing note from last fall released to The Canadian Press under federal Access-to-Information shows senior officials responding to the exemption call coming from some members of the Indigenous Federal Employees Network.
Senior bureaucrats flagged a “growing tension” between Indigenous languages and official languages of French and English for some Indigenous employees. The note says the employees were “strongly asserting a blanket exemption.”
The office of Treasury Board President Mona Fortier said in a statement this week that it’s working with partners to explore options to address barriers public servants face in advancing their careers.
