Canada’s defence minister has announced a review of a directive from 2025 that dictates the languages used within military workplaces due to recent concerns. The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces modified rules in January 2025 regarding language requirements for internal activities and services, such as meetings and documents.
Previously, units were categorized as English, French, or bilingual. In response to challenges faced by organizations and units in unilingual regions in meeting language obligations, the directive DAOD 5039-2 came into effect in January 2025. This directive aligned internal language requirements with the language designation of the office location under the Official Languages Act.
Following the changes, only workplaces in designated bilingual regions like New Brunswick, the National Capital Region, and parts of northern Ontario were mandated to use English and French exclusively for communication. However, these adjustments did not affect interactions with the public or military families. The military continued to promote the use of both official languages to enhance inclusion and uphold Canada’s linguistic diversity.
A recent blog post on the matter garnered attention and criticism from advocates and critics of official languages from opposition parties, who viewed it as a weakening of French language protection within a significant federal department. In response to the feedback, Defence Minister David McGuinty acknowledged the concerns, stating that a review of workplace language designations has been initiated to assess the practicality of current language-of-work requirements and ensure the preservation of language rights for the Defence Team.
Although a timeline for the review was not specified in the announcement, the Conservative Party swiftly called for the immediate repeal of the changes. They emphasized the importance of ensuring that Francophone members have the ability to work, lead, and progress in French even in predominantly English-speaking regions.