Higgs told reporters it was possible another government entity, such as a proposed official languages office under his authority, would do a better job of promoting bilingualism than the commissioner. “It’s a very negative office, usually finding fault with one person or another, and you wonder to what extent has it provided a meaningful way forward?” Higgs said of the Commissioner’s role, which has been in place since 2003. The independent watchdog’s mandate is to field complaints from New Brunswickers who believe they have not received government services in the official language of their choice, as required by the Official Languages Act. The position has no enforcement power. Governments are free to ignore a Commissioner’s recommendations. The role also includes promoting awareness of the benefits of bilingualism in the province. Acadian Society of New Brunswick president Alexandre Cédric Doucet says he believes Higgs wants to get rid of the commissioner’s office entirely. (Ed Hunter/CBC) Higgs said some of the Commissioner’s duties could be transferred to a new entity, such as a secretariat within the government. “What can we do in a secretariat that would perhaps be what the Commissioner of Official Languages should or could do as part of his mandate? I’m talking about marketing and promotion and awareness.” Acadian Society of New Brunswick president Alexandre Cédric Doucet said the comments are troubling for French speakers who look to the commissioner to monitor the government’s compliance with the act. “It’s pretty clear from our understanding that he wants to abolish the office,” he said. “He needs to reassure the Acadian and French-speaking community that he won’t.” Late on Wednesday Higgs issued a statement saying his comments were about the Commissioner’s role in investigating complaints, “which can often be perceived as negative”. His statement also said he was referring to recommendations from an independent review of the Languages Act last year, “which did not include the abolition of the Office of the Commissioner for Official Languages”. Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard is sitting on the ad hoc committee drafting a response to a 2021 review of the Languages Act. (Roger Cosman/CBC) But nothing in the prime minister’s statement specifically said the Commissioner’s office would continue to exist. Social Development Minister Dorothy Shephard said on Wednesday there were “negative and positive connotations” to the commissioner’s role, but “we have to listen to what she has to say at all times. “I support the Office of the Languages Commissioner and listen to their input, and that input should always be validated and valued as long as the information we receive is validated and valued,” Shephard added. He is part of an ad hoc committee of Progressive Conservative ministers and MPs meeting behind closed doors to draft the government’s response to a review of the Language Act in December 2021. Cabinet minister Chris Austin, who sits on the committee with Shephard, said Saturday that there are other “avenues … where people have independent methods to make complaints and investigate them. We have an ombudsman who does a great job with this.” As leader of the People’s Alliance, Austin advocated eliminating the commissioner position. The appointment of cabinet minister Kris Austin to the ad hoc committee has been widely criticised. (Jacques Poitras/CBC) Last year’s independent review report did not recommend scrapping the Commissioner’s role, but said the position is seen primarily as a watchdog and recommended it be “much more balanced” with a greater emphasis on promotion. He also suggested that the prime minister and other officials be asked to respond to the commissioners’ inquiries within a specified time. In his comments on Tuesday, Higgs questioned whether the Commissioner’s oversight role “achieves what was intended by the Official Languages Act”. In an emailed statement, MacLean said the language act gives her “a clear mandate” to investigate, report and make recommendations about whether the government is complying with the law. He said her role is similar to that of the ombudsman, auditor general and other independent legislative officers. “In my case, I’m here to ensure the linguistic rights of the province’s English-speaking and French-speaking communities are protected, and I believe strongly in the importance of the work we do,” he said. Shirley MacLean is the province’s commissioner of official languages. (Shane Magee/CBC) MacLean criticized the Higgs government last year for not communicating effectively in both official languages about COVID-19. Higgs promised that the government’s response to the review of the language act would be made public before Christmas, with any amendments to the legislation coming next spring. Cabinet minister Daniel Allain said on Saturday that “nothing has been lost [and] we’re actually going to strengthen that law.” Meanwhile, Higgs continues to face criticism for choosing Austin to be part of the ad hoc team creating the response. On Tuesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, all six New Brunswick federal Liberal MPs and the provincial NDP criticized the choice. In a Facebook post, Austin responded that “our bogey prime minister is more concerned with sitting on a committee than with inflation, high gas prices, housing or any other issue that really matters to Canadians.” . He accused Trudeau of hypocrisy, pointing out how the prime minister wore blackface in a 2001 photo that surfaced during the 2019 federal election. On Wednesday, Dieppe Mayor Yvon Lapierre released an open letter on behalf of the city asking Higgs to remove Austin from the commission.
