FREDERICTON (May 28, 2026) – The Commissioner of Official Languages appeared before the Legislative Assembly’s Standing Committee on Official Languages to discuss the recommendations contained in the brief submitted by the Office of the Commissioner regarding the review of the Official Languages Act. The brief contains a total of nine recommendations, as well as commentary on other recommendations found in the Finn-McLaughlin report.
“In developing our recommendations, I sought to reference the recommendations contained in the Finn-McLaughlin Report,” said Shirley MacLean, Commissioner of Official Languages, during her appearance before the committee. “While this objective has largely been achieved, we have also included a limited number of additional recommendations which, in our view, are necessary to support the effective exercise of our mandate.”
The following subjects can be found among the recommendations in the Office of the Commissioner’s brief:
- the establishment of a Department of Official Languages;
- requiring institutions to account for their actions following the submission of an investigation report;
- the ability to enter into enforcement agreements; and
- legislating the right of provincial public servants to work in the official language of their choice.
“The recommendations we make and those that we support come from extensive experience and a true desire to effect positive change by supporting amendments to the Official Languages Act that will move the dial toward true equality for our two official linguistic communities,” concluded Commissioner MacLean.
The full brief submitted by the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages may be found here: https://bit.ly/OCOLNB_Brief2026