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

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.

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

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.

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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.