Sacre bleu!.The Liberals are concealing the true cost of a landmark bill that would extend official bilingualism to the private sector, the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) said..Blacklock's Reporter said analysts are pegging the actual costs at more than a quarter billion dollars..“We expect private compliance costs to implement these rights to be $240 million in one-time costs plus $20 million each year in ongoing costs,” said a PBO report..Bill C-13 An Act To Amend The Official Languages Act would mandate bilingualism in federally regulated private businesses like airports, banks, grain mills, marine shippers, railways and interprovincial trucking companies that operate in any region with a “strong francophone presence.” .Cabinet in a Fall Economic Statement last December 14 put startup costs at $16 million..But that figure was misleading, wrote analysts: “The $16 million does not cover ongoing administrative costs and was not intended to cover these costs.”.Cabinet “wrongfully refused to disclose how this funding would be allocated on the basis that ‘this information is not publicly available,’” said the PBO..“They also refused to identify the additional ongoing tasks they plan to undertake as a result of the bill or associated staffing and costs.”.“Important details regarding these obligations are left to be established by regulation. Departments have not announced these details and refused to provide these details in response to Parliamentary Budget Office inquiries.”.The original 1969 Official Languages Act guaranteed French service at federal departments, agencies and Crown corporations..Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor said expanding the mandate to the private sector is needed to save the language..“The situation of French is worrisome,” Petitpas Taylor earlier told the Commons..“Whether we are talking about the predominance of English as an international language or about the fact that digital technologies, social media and streaming platforms far too often favour the use of English over French, one thing is becoming apparent. With eight million francophones in Canada in a sea of more than 360 million anglophones in North America the protection of French is an issue that deserves close and immediate attention.”.“As an Acadian, I understand the importance of being able to grow up, work and live in one’s own language. I also understand the fragility of our official language minority communities.”.Bill C-13 was introduced in the Commons March 1. It is currently undergoing committee study.
