Baird’s business cards violate law: watchdog
OTTAWA — Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird has joined his cabinet colleague International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino under the microscope of Parliament’s language watchdog over separate “English only” controversies.
While Fantino is under investigation over a directive for bureaucrats to send him correspondence for review in English only, a new report by Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser said Baird’s Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade had violated its obligations under federal language legislation by printing English-only business cards for the minister.
Baird had also ordered bilingual business cards, but Fraser’s report concluded that the two sets of cards violated provisions of Canada’s Official Languages Act as well as government branding requirements, under the Treasury Board Secretariat’s Federal Identity Program, to promote the use of English and French in Canadian society.
“Providing bilingual business cards on some occasions and cards in English only at other times does not foster the promotion of linguistic duality in Canada and abroad and does not express the equality of both official languages which is at the heart of FIP objectives and stipulated by the (Official Languages) Act,” said Fraser’s report, dated April 4 and produced in response to a complaint by NDP official languages critic Yvon Godin.
Fraser’s report also recommended that Baird’s department fix the problem by the end of September.
Baird’s business cards first generated controversy following a Canadian Press report in September 2011 that uncovered documents showing he requested specific changes, including asking officials to remove an official Canada logo and use gold ink for a coat of arms.
Baird’s office, referring to the controversy as “cheap political games” from the media and opposition parties, said it had 30 days to respond to Fraser’s report.
Godin said the two cases demonstrate a pattern of members of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government who openly flout the language law, only making corrections when they get caught.
“He (Baird) didn’t care at all and I think we’ve reached a point when the prime minister has to call his ministers to order and ask that they respect the Official Languages Act, which has been around for more than 40 years,” said Godin, who also asked for the investigation into Fantino.
Canada’s Official Languages Act is designed to protect minority English and French-speaking communities, allowing them to get federal services in the official language of their choice and federal employees to work in the official language of their choice.
Baird’s spokesman Rick Roth said Baird was promoting Canadian interests and values during his recent travels and “all Canadians, no matter what language they speak, can be proud of that fact.”
Meantime, Fantino said his own English-only directive at the Canadian International Development Agency was meant to help him review drafts of correspondence, adding that he corresponds with Canadians in both official languages.