Advertisement

N.B. to open Secretariat of Official Languages to oversee province’s language act

Click to play video: 'New Brunswick to establish Secretariat of Official Languages'
New Brunswick to establish Secretariat of Official Languages
WATCH: New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs says he’s creating a Secretariat of Official Languages. It was his government’s official response to the report delivered to the province a year ago. As Nathalie Sturgeon reports, critics say there are still many unanswered questions about the review – Dec 12, 2022

The New Brunswick government is launching a Secretariat of Official Languages that will begin operating next year.

Premier Blaine Higgs says the secretariat will oversee the way the government carries out its duties under the Official Languages Act, which establishes New Brunswick as the only officially bilingual province in the country.

Higgs says he is creating the new bureau in response to last year’s language act review, which released a series of recommendations to improve the government’s commitment to bilingualism.

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.

Get daily National news

Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day.
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The premier says the secretariat — unlike the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages — is not driven by complaints.

Story continues below advertisement

Instead, the bureau will monitor and evaluate the way the government is implementing the language law, and develop ways the province can ensure that high-quality services are delivered in both official languages.

Click to play video: 'Official languages dominates New Brunswick legislature'
Official languages dominates New Brunswick legislature

Higgs has been accused by francophone leaders across the province of not being sufficiently committed to bilingualism.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 12, 2022.

Sponsored content

AdChoices