Official languages of Canada
16. (1) English and French are the official languages of Canada and have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and government of Canada.
16.1 (1) The English linguistic community and the French linguistic community in New Brunswick have equality of status and equal rights and privileges, including the right to distinct educational institutions and such distinct cultural institutions as are necessary for the preservation and promotion of those communities.
22. Nothing in sections 16 to 20 abrogates or derogates from any legal or customary right or privilege acquired or enjoyed either before or after the coming into force of this Charter with respect to any language that is not English or French.
The Official Languages Act is a Canadian law that came into power in 1969 which gave English and French equal significance in Canada's government. In the Canadian Charter under Official Languages Rights in sections 16 to 22, it deals with citizen's rights about the use of two official languages in Canada. It protects many citizens to use either a English or French language in Canada, if they cannot speak one or the other. The two languages both have an equal position in all terms of use by all federal societies and organizations. Provincial governments in Canada all have a responsibility to protect and support these rights. This section of the charter gives Canadian citizens opportunities to use or communicate with either English or French in any type of proceedings and receive available services in either language.
Case Study Analysis
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlebois_v._Saint_John_(City)
Charlebois v. Saint John
My case study that I analyzed was about a citizen who was concerned about the equality of the major two languages used in Canada. Mario Charlebois, a Canadian citizen protested against city of Saint John for not using the French language in court proceedings. The hearing was on October 20, 2005. He declared that the city failed to provide bilingual services which violated the Official Languages Rights in his case. He stated that there was a violation of Section 16, 16.1 and 22. The trial judge and the New Brunswick Court of Appeal determined that the municipalities aren't institutions which later had a change in deliberation. It deals with the requirement for citizens to be able to use one of the official languages in types of proceedings. It brought up consideration of whether a municipality is a provincial institution. The decision was made by the Supreme Court of Canada which resulted as "no statutory obligation on municipalities for bilingualism in court proceedings". It was acknowledged that the responsibilities for municipalities are more restricted than institutions.
Charlebois v. Saint John
My case study that I analyzed was about a citizen who was concerned about the equality of the major two languages used in Canada. Mario Charlebois, a Canadian citizen protested against city of Saint John for not using the French language in court proceedings. The hearing was on October 20, 2005. He declared that the city failed to provide bilingual services which violated the Official Languages Rights in his case. He stated that there was a violation of Section 16, 16.1 and 22. The trial judge and the New Brunswick Court of Appeal determined that the municipalities aren't institutions which later had a change in deliberation. It deals with the requirement for citizens to be able to use one of the official languages in types of proceedings. It brought up consideration of whether a municipality is a provincial institution. The decision was made by the Supreme Court of Canada which resulted as "no statutory obligation on municipalities for bilingualism in court proceedings". It was acknowledged that the responsibilities for municipalities are more restricted than institutions.