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Health Canada Status Report 2005/06 in support of Part VII of the Official Languages Act
Principal Achievements
First Nations And Inuit Health Branch
A. Awareness
Training, information, orientation, awareness & communication activities carried out in house in order to educate employees and/or senior managers of Health Canada about linguistic duality and the priorities of OLMCs; senior manager performance contracts and recognition programs; taking the viewpoint of OLMCs into account during research, studies and investigations.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
Employees and senior managers are aware of the importance of promoting the bilingual character of Canada. Branches, division and/or regions are informed about linguistic duality and OLMCs and they understand their responsibilities to OLMCs. They consult on a continous basis with OLMCs with regard to new priorities, initiatives, policies and programs. |
1. Raised awareness on Part VII of the Official Languages Act (OLA), and provided information sessions to employees and senior managers. |
1. Information sessions were provided to regional management throughout the year. In the Quebec region ten people attended such a session. |
2. Articles published in the branch newsletter, News to use informed FNIHB staff about linguistic duality and OLMCs. * (additional activity not identified in original plan) |
2. An article on the new policy to improve health access for official language minority communities was published in News to use for the benefit of all FNIHB employees. | |
| 3. British Columbia-Yukon regional office kept employees informed of their OL obligations. | 3. FNIHB's 2004-2005 Action Plan - Part VII was made available to all FNIHB employees via the FNIHB Portal. | |
| 4. Information sessions were held for the management team in the FNIHB Quebec and Atlantic regions concerning the provisions of the Official Languages Act . | 4. BC and Yukon staff were kept informed of OL developments and new policies. | |
| 5. In Atlantic and Quebec regions, all FNIHB employees were provided information on the provisions of the Official Languages Act . | 5. On going process by the regional director during Management meetings. | |
| 6. All new employees received this information as part of their orientation. | 6. On-going process; managers informed their respective team members on this subject matter. |
B. Consultations
Activities (e.g. committees, discussions, meetings) through which Health Canada consults the OLMCs and dialogues with them to identify their needs and priorities or to understand potential impacts on their development; activities (e.g. round tables) to explore possibilities for cooperation within the existing mandate of Health Canada or as part of developing a new program or new policy; participation in consultations with OLMCs coordinated by other government bodies; consultation of OLMCs by regional offices to determine their concerns and needs.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
The OLMCs have the opportunity to make their needs known and to explain obstacles to accessing Health Canada's programs . The OLMCs are part of the regular clientele of the regional offices and are taken into consideration when new departmental programs and policies are implemented. |
1. In FNIHB's Atlantic Region, the official languages needs of the one francophone First Nations community were surveyed. |
1. Community provided information as to its official language needs. Community's OL needs were met. |
| 2. In FNIHB's Quebec Region, consultation was carried out with at least one English-speaking First Nations community in order to assess its needs in terms of official languages. | 2. Program officers visited the communities on a regular basis and ensured that the OL needs were known and met. |
C. Communications
External communications activities to inform OLMCs about the activities, programs and policies of Health Canada and to promote the bilingual character of Canada; inclusion of OLMCs in all information lists and distribution lists; use of the Health Canada's Web site to communicate with OLMCs.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
|
OLMCs receive up-to-date information on Health Canada's programs and services by various vehicles of communication. Health Canada becomes a regular user of OLMC media by buying antenna time and advertising space from them. |
1. All communications from the branch were done in both official languages and provided to communities in the official language of their choice. * (additional activity not identified in original plan) |
1. Written communications produced by FNIHB's Finance Directorate were in both official languages; the communities selected their preferred language according to their needs. |
2. The 2006-2007 advertising campaign to recruit nurses to FNIHB was prepared and published in monthly professional nursing journals and daily newspapers in both official languages. * (additional activity not identified in original plan) |
2. All project reports, policies, program initiatives, education materials produced by the Office of Nursing Services were prepared and distributed to FNIHB regional nurses in both official languages. | |
| 3. The information provided on the Health Canada website pertaining to nursing job opportunities was provided in both official languages. Nurses could submit a web-based nursing job application to Health Canada in either language of choice. | 3. In the Office of Nursing Services, telephone and electronic communications with the public and communities were provided in the official language of caller/correspondent. | |
| 4. Projects financed by FNIHB's regional offices were in conformity to the provisions of the Official Languages Act in regard to the development of information and communications tools intended for the public as well as in regard to the delivery of health services funded by Health Canada. | 4. On-going process. Services were offered according to needs. |
D. Coordination And Liaison
Coordination of activities (research, studies, meetings, etc) carried out by Health Canada itself along with other federal departments or other levels of government; participation in activities organized by other federal departments or other levels of government, etc; participation of official languages champions, national and regional coordinators, etc., in various government forums.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
|
Coordinators are using the best practices that have been presented at various forums, retreats or at meetings of national coordinators responsible for section 41 of the OLA. Health Canada is working with multiple partners to meet the priorities of the OLMCs. |
1. Consultation and communication activities were carried out on a regular basis between the branch OL coordinator and the OL contact persons who have been identified in each FNIHB directorate and regional office. |
1. Minutes from OL conference calls were disseminated to all the regional contacts on a regular basis. Discussions on OL presentations took place between the OL coordinator and OL regional coordinators. |
2. In order to share best practices with the directorates and regional offices, the FNIHB OL coordinator participated in various departmental and interdepartmental forums, retreats and meetings responsible for section 41 of the OLA. *(additional activity not identified in original plan) |
2. The information on the following programs: the Regional Partnership Funds and the Official Languages Innovation Fund was forwarded to all regional contacts. Information on the IPOLC was provided to all regional contacts and the appropriate departmental officer in charge of the program was identified in the accompanying e-mail. The branch OL coordinator participated in the yearly retreat in Ottawa and also attended on a regular basis the bi-monthly meetings. | |
| 3. New OL coordinator for Quebec Region as well as new FNIHB OL regional contact appointed. Appropriate opportunity to set up a strong working relationship between the Quebec region reps. and the Branch OL Coordinator. | 3. This situation provided the FNIHB OL Coordinator the opportunity to establish a strong OL networking team relationship with the Quebec region representatives. |
E. Funding And Program Delivery
Implementation of Health Canada's programs and delivery of its services; funding, alone or in cooperation with other federal departments/agencies of OLMC projects; inclusion of needs of OLMCs when delivering the department's programs and services.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
|
The OLMCs have access to Health Canada's programs. The department takes account of the geographical dispersion of the OLMCs in delivering its programs. |
1. Programs provided by FNIHB were oriented towards a First Nations and Inuit clientele. FNIHB's Quebec and Atlantic regions served OLMCs. |
1. There is no existing data to that effect at this time. |
| 2. Where applicable, through its contribution agreement process, FNIHB ensured that the needs of an official language minority group within a contribution recipient's service population were met. This was done through assessment of the recipient's service population and, if warranted, by the inclusion of an official language clause in the agreement. | 2. Written communications produced by FNIHB's Finance Directorate are in both official languages; the communities selected their preferred language according to their needs. |
F. Accountability
Activities through which Health Canada integrates its OLA section 41 implementation work with the department's planning and accountability mechanisms (e.g. report on plans and priorities, departmental performance report, departmental business plan, status report on implementation of section 41 of the OLA, etc); internal audits and evaluations of programs and services, regular review of programs and services and of policies by senior managers of Health Canada to ensure implementation of section 4 of the OLA.
| Main expected results for the period covered by the action plan | Main activities carried out for the year covered by the status report | Progress (results) achieved for the year covered by the status report |
|---|---|---|
|
Systematic evaluations and regular internal audits are being made and they always include criteria pertaining to the way policies, programs and services have affected OLMCs. |
1. OLA, section 41 to be implemented in the Branch's operational process. *(additional activity not identified in original plan) |
1. Program officers are reminded to take consideration of section 41 - Part VII when dealing with Branch policies, programs and services. |
| 2. The Quebec Region data bases were updated in order to reflect the information pertaining to the language spoken in the serviced communities. | 2. The information was updated. |
