Official Languages duties moved to Heritage

Summary#

This is the Order Transferring from the Minister of State (Official Languages) to the Minister of Canadian Heritage the Powers, Duties and Functions Under the Official Languages Act (SI/2025-41). It moves responsibility for administering the Official Languages Act from the Minister of State (Official Languages) back to the Minister of Canadian Heritage. The order was made as P.C. 2025-421 on March 14, 2025 and registered in the Canada Gazette on March 26, 2025.

What it does#

• Transfers the powers, duties and functions under the Official Languages Act from the Minister of State (Official Languages) to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
• Does this under the authority of the Public Service Rearrangement and Transfer of Duties Act.
• Notes that those responsibilities had previously been moved to the Minister of State by P.C. 2021-946 (October 26, 2021).

Who's affected#

• Directly affects the two ministerial offices: the Minister of State (Official Languages) and the Minister of Canadian Heritage.
• Affects federal departments and staff who work on official languages policy and programs, because their reporting and oversight will be handled by a different ministerial office.
• May be noticed by organizations and members of the public who interact with the federal official-languages system (for example, those using programs or filing concerns under the Official Languages Act), since the responsible minister and departmental lead have changed.

Why it matters#

• It changes which minister is officially responsible for administering the Official Languages Act. That affects where decisions, program leadership and public accountability sit in government.
• For most people this is an administrative shift and not a change to the law itself. For groups that work on bilingualism or rely on federal official-languages programs, it can affect who they contact for policy, funding or complaints.