Official Languages Penalties Erratum

Summary#

This is an erratum published on March 21, 2026 that updates the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement attached to the Official Languages Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations under the Official Languages Act. The correction changes how penalty types are described and replaces the table that shows the penalty ranges. The item is sponsored by the Department of Canadian Heritage.

What it does#

• Corrects wording in the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement that explains how the Commissioner will set monetary penalties.
• Removes a clause that had said contract-provided services would get more lenient penalties “with the exception of breaches involving health and safety.” The updated wording simply says contract services would be treated more leniently (no exception for health and safety is mentioned).
• Simplifies the legal references used to define three violation categories (Type A, B and C) in the analysis text.
• Replaces the penalty-range table with new figures:
  • Type A: Up to $25,000
  • Type B: Up to $50,000
  • Type C: $5,000–$50,000
• Notes that the HTML version of the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement has already been updated.

Who's affected#

• Organizations and contractors that provide services covered by the Official Languages Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations, such as transportation and other service providers that must respect official-language obligations.
• Entities that provide services on behalf of federal institutions.
• The travelling public, especially passengers where health, safety or language services are at issue.
• The Commissioner and staff who apply the penalty framework will use this corrected description when explaining how penalties are decided.

Why it matters#

• The corrected text changes how readers and regulated organizations should understand the analysis of penalties. In plain terms, the analysis now reads as if contracted service providers are treated more leniently even for health‑ and safety‑related breaches (the prior text had carved out an exception).
• The new table makes the maximum and minimum penalty ranges clear: $5,000–$50,000 for the most serious category and lower caps for others. That helps organizations judge the possible financial risk of violations.
• This is a correction to the explanatory statement (the Regulatory Impact Analysis Statement), not a separate new law. The change affects how the government explains and justifies the penalty approach, which can shape expectations and compliance behavior.