Official Languages AMP Regulations — Transport

Summary#

The Canada Gazette published a proposal called the Official Languages Administrative Monetary Penalties Regulations on March 7, 2026. If adopted, the rules would let the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages impose fines on certain transportation companies that fail to meet their French/English service obligations under the Official Languages Act; this is still a proposal, not law, and there is a public comment period of 30 days.

What it does#

• Names the organizations that could be fined: Air Canada, VIA Rail Canada Inc., Marine Atlantic Inc., and the designated airport authorities listed under the Airport Transfer Act.
• Covers all parts of Part IV of the Official Languages Act (communications with and services to the public), including rules that apply when services are provided under contract or by third parties.
• Sets penalty categories and ranges:
  • Type A (contracted services): up to $25,000.
  • Type B (other Part IV breaches): up to $50,000.
  • Type C (issues affecting health, safety or security): $5,000–$50,000.
• Requires the Commissioner to consider listed aggravating and mitigating factors (for example, whether a problem is repetitive, how many people were affected, operational constraints, and whether the entity has fewer than 100 employees).
• Says the Commissioner must first invite an entity into a compliance agreement; fines are meant to be a discretionary last resort.
• Specifies how notices and payments must be handled (methods for serving documents and for paying the Receiver General for Canada), and requires the notice to explain in detail how the penalty amount was calculated.
• Delays the ability to impose fines for Type A violations until one year after the regulations come into force.
• Requires a formal review of the regulations and how they’re working every 10 years.

Who's affected#

• The main businesses named are Air Canada, VIA Rail Canada Inc., Marine Atlantic Inc., and the 21 designated airport authorities that meet the law’s definition.
• The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages will be responsible for running the new penalty process and expects to need additional tools and training to do so.
• The travelling public is the indirect beneficiary — the rules target language service problems experienced by passengers.
• It is unclear from the proposal whether other federal bodies that some stakeholders wanted included (for example, the Canada Border Services Agency or certain port authorities) will be covered — the regulations stick to the entities that meet the specific legal test in the Act.

Why it matters#

• The proposal responds to repeated complaints about poor bilingual services in the transportation sector. If adopted, it creates a clearer financial consequence for failing to offer services in both official languages where required.
• For travellers, this aims to improve access to services in English or French (for example, information desks, signage, or announcements) and reduce the number of language-related complaints.
• For the named companies and airports, it introduces a new risk of fines and a requirement that any penalty be justified publicly in a detailed notice.
• For the public budget and the Commissioner’s office, the proposal estimates implementation and operating costs (the Office estimates about $2.7 million over a 10-year period) to set up and manage the new regime.
• This is a proposed regulation in Part I of the Canada Gazette: it is not yet in force. Public comments submitted during the 30-day consultation can influence the final text.