English-only RCMP officers on Parliament Hill spark complaints

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is not meeting its obligation to offer services in both official languages on Parliament Hill, according to a preliminary report stemming from four complaints last year.

Yvon Godin — who at the time was NDP MP for the New Brunswick riding of Acadie–Bathurst and official languages critic — complained that RCMP officers were not able to provide service in French.

With security on his mind following the Oct. 22, 2014 shootings, Godin noted that when he said, "Bonjour" to RCMP officers on the Hill, the response would be, "I don't speak French," he told Radio-Canada.

"I thought this made no sense," he said. "As official languages critic, I started a little investigation."

Godin did not run for re-election in 2015.

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages found in an April 2016 report that the complaints​ — dated Feb. 15, May 27, June 5 and June 8 in 2015 — were founded.

As a federal institution, the RCMP is required to offer services in both French and English on Parliament Hill, according to the Official Languages Act. The report highlighted the fact that Mounties are responsible for the security of visitors and, as such, may have to give evacuation orders.

"It is critical that members of both official language communities be able to understand the instructions given," according to the report.

2 recommendations

The RCMP told the commission that officers assigned to Parliament Hill must read a letter that details how they are working in a designated bilingual region. RCMP representatives said that between 72 and 83 per cent of officers on the Hill were bilingual at time of the complaints in 2015, according to the report.

If an officer is unable to answer a question in the language asked, he or she is required to use a language reference card to let the person know a bilingual officer is on the way, according to the report.

Still, the report detailed that RCMP representatives "were unable to pinpoint the events related to the incidents."

Since the RCMP was unable to "confirm or refute the incidents as recounted" the report found that officers failed to provide services in each of the four cases in French.

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages recommended that the RCMP:

• "Draft and implement a procedure that requires biannual reminders of official language obligations to be made to all officers assigned to Parliament Hill security so that they understand the obligations set out in Part IV of the (Official Languages) Act;
• Establish a monitoring mechanism by August 31, 2016 that will make it possible to confirm that the service is available at all times on Parliament Hill."

 Scott Bardsley, press secretary for the office of Canada's public safety minister, said in an email that the RCMP has an obligation to respect the Official Languages Act.

​The government will ensure that both the RCMP and the Parliamentary Protective Service meet the recommendations in the report quickly, Bardsley said.

"Bilingualism is a fundamental element of our Canadian identity and we recognize our responsibility to with respect to both official languages," he said.