Make Governor General Bilingual at Appointment

Summary#

This bill adds the Governor General to the list of jobs that must be bilingual under the Language Skills Act. It also covers any person who carries on the Government of Canada on behalf of the Sovereign (for example, an Administrator acting in place of the Governor General). The bill does not create new programs or funding. It changes who can be appointed by setting a language rule at the time of appointment (Clause 1; Language Skills Act, s.2).

• Requires the Governor General to be able to “speak and understand clearly” both English and French at appointment (Clause 1; s.2).
• Extends the same requirement to any other person carrying on the Government on behalf of the Sovereign, by whatever title (Clause 1).
• Keeps all current bilingual requirements for other offices (e.g., Auditor General) and renumbers them (Clause 1; s.2).
• Does not include training, exemptions, or grace periods; the standard must be met on day one (s.2).
• No explicit spending or revenue changes.

What it means for you#

• Households and the public

  • Future Governors General will be able to communicate directly in English and French without interpretation in their own remarks (Clause 1; s.2).
  • Public ceremonies, speeches, and meetings with the Governor General can occur in either official language at the person’s choice (s.2).

• Prospective vice‑regal candidates

  • Unilingual candidates will be ineligible; you must already speak and understand English and French clearly when appointed (s.2).
  • The same standard would apply to any person designated to carry on the Government on behalf of the Sovereign (Clause 1).

• Federal government and appointment process

  • The appointing authorities will need to assess language ability before appointment to confirm compliance (s.2).
  • Effective on Royal Assent, the rule would apply to appointments made after that date (general statutory rule; no alternate coming-into-force clause appears in the bill).

• Current office holders

  • The requirement applies “at the time of appointment.” It does not retroactively affect any past appointment (s.2).

Expenses#

Estimated net cost: Data unavailable.

• No appropriations, fees, or revenue changes are in the bill text (Clause 1).
• Any administrative screening costs for language assessment: Data unavailable.
• Any change in use of interpretation services for vice‑regal communications: Data unavailable.

Proponents' View#

• Ensures the Sovereign’s representative can serve Canadians in both official languages in person, without relying on interpretation for their own speech (Clause 1; s.2).
• Aligns the Governor General with other top federal watchdogs and officers who already must be bilingual (e.g., Auditor General) under the same Act (s.2).
• Provides a clear, uniform standard at appointment, avoiding case-by-case discretion (s.2).
• Supports equal status of English and French in federal institutions by making bilingual capacity a condition of holding the top ceremonial and constitutional office (s.2).

Opponents' View#

• Narrows the candidate pool by excluding qualified unilingual Canadians, which could limit diversity of backgrounds among potential appointees (s.2).
• May lengthen selection timelines if fewer candidates meet the language threshold at the time of appointment; this assumes a smaller eligible pool and is not quantified (assumption flagged).
• The phrase “speak and understand clearly” is subjective and may create uncertainty about how proficiency is measured and who decides compliance (s.2).
• Focuses only on English and French; it does not address Indigenous languages or signed languages, which some argue are also important in public life (bill text is limited to the two official languages).