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The Hindu
15-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
BJP celebrates CAT order on Urdu clause for Naib-Tehsildar posts in J&K
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (July 15, 2025) held celebrations in Jammu and Kashmir over the Central Administrative Tribunal's (CAT) decision to drop Urdu as a mandatory qualification for candidates applying to Naib-Tehsildar posts in the Union Territory. A bench of the CAT's Jammu Bench, comprising Rajinder Dogra and Ram Mohan Johri, on Monday stayed the operation of provisions in the Jammu and Kashmir Revenue (Subordinate) Service Recruitment Rules of 2009, which stipulated graduation with knowledge of Urdu as a minimum qualification for the post. The tribunal directed the Jammu and Kashmir Services Selection Board (JKSSB) to accept applications from candidates with knowledge of any of the five official languages listed in Jammu and Kashmir. Following the order, the JKSSB on Tuesday deferred the process of inviting applications for the posts. Under the Official Languages Act, 2020, enacted during Central rule, Hindi, Kashmiri, English, Dogri, and Urdu were declared as official languages in Jammu and Kashmir. Prior to the reorganisation of the former State in 2019, Urdu was the sole official language. Celebrations were held at Srinagar's Ghanta Ghar by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, where its president Arun Prabhat welcomed the tribunal's order. He said the government's earlier notification to continue with Urdu as a mandatory subject was discriminatory. 'The notice was anti-Constitution. Our Constitution preamble with Article 14 and 16 are for equal opportunity for all and against any discrimination on the basis of colour, creed or caste. The J&K government notice was discriminatory to four out of five languages declared as official languages here,' Mr. Prabhat said. Reacting to the development, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leader and legislator Waheed Ur Rehman Para accused the BJP of politicising the Urdu language and 'injecting communal overtones into the discourse around Jammu and Kashmir's linguistic heritage'. 'BJP's attempt to view Urdu through a communal lens marks a dangerous and disgraceful new low in our political discourse in J&K. Urdu is not a symbol of any religion but the throbbing pulse of Jammu & Kashmir's identity, echoing collective memories and soulful struggles of our people over centuries,' Mr. Para said in a post on social media platform X. He said that Urdu is the language of poets, courts, revenue offices, administration, and everyday life in Jammu and Kashmir. 'Even more disturbing is the CAT's order staying the requirement of basic Urdu knowledge for the Naib Tehsildar exam — a signal that judicial forums too are beginning to cave under political pressure,' he added. The PDP, Mr. Para said, stood for the preservation of the region's linguistic and cultural identity. 'Urdu must be preserved, not just as a language, but as an embodiment of our shared heritage, administrative continuity & cultural essence that binds every region of J&K together.'
Montreal Gazette
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Montreal Gazette
Letters: A disgrace to Canadian Forces
Letters To The Editor Re: ' All four men in Quebec terror case had military ties: Canadian Forces ' (The Gazette, July 9); ' Army commander was kept in the dark about Ottawa soldiers' 'abhorrent' Facebook group ' (National Post, July 8) I am a PhD candidate studying military culture and gender violence. I am also a veteran. It is incredibly disheartening to see, yet again, stories of the Canadian military dropping the ball. There is no place for antisemitism, misogyny, any other form of discrimination, any kind of racism or extreme political behaviour in our military. It is time to clean up the military once and for all. Many Canadian soldiers wear the uniform proudly, and need to be safe from those who do not adhere to the rules. Victoria Jonas, Beaconsfield Translation requirement is easy to meet Re: ' Official-languages absurdity has shut down a valuable federal resource ' (Opinion, July 8) I was disappointed to read Tom Spears's opinion piece about unilingual postings that were taken down from the National Capital Commission's website. When it comes to commitments to language rights made under the Official Languages Act, which include that public communications on government websites must be in both official languages, Spears asks the wrong question. He wonders why that commitment can't be waived in the name of access to information. Instead, he should ask why that commitment can't be kept. He gives the example of 256 pages of technical information, as if it would make no sense to translate them. If that information is posted by a federal agency in the public interest, the federal government should have the ability to produce a translation. The true scandal here is a possible absence of investment in verified automated translation. The EU has 24 official languages and has the ability to produce highly technical documents in all of them in real time. I was able to produce an accurate translation of Spears's article in five seconds using DeepL Translate. The NCC's decision to take down a section of its website rather than translate all its contents is the issue. It parallels an even more disturbing decision by the Supreme Court of Canada to stop giving access to old unilingual decisions on its website rather than translating them. And let us not forget that despite the constitutional requirement to do so, we have yet to produce an official French translation of a document far more important than any invoked by Spears: the Constitution Act, 1867. Prof. Richard Janda, McGill University, faculty of law, Montreal Illustration may lead to misunderstanding Re: ' Children's book club is latest target of CAQ's identity politics ' (Toula Drimonis, July 4) Regarding the girl in a hijab featured in an illustration promoting a children's book club: In Islam, modesty for men and women is a highly laudable trait. Wearing the hijab is enjoined only after physical maturity. The depiction of a young Muslim reader as a little girl wearing a hijab is unfortunate since it leads to misunderstanding at best, and/or advancing politically motivated agendas of identity. Samaa Elibyari, president, Canadian Council of Muslim Women — Quebec chapter Submitting a letter to the editor Letters should be sent by email to letters@ We prioritize letters that respond to, or are inspired by, articles published by The Gazette. If you are responding to a specific article, let us know which one. Letters should be sent uniquely to us. The shorter they are — ideally, fewer than 200 words — the greater the chance of publication. Timing, clarity, factual accuracy and tone are all important, as is whether the writer has something new to add to the conversation. We reserve the right to edit and condense all letters. Care is taken to preserve the core of the writer's argument. Our policy is not to publish anonymous letters, those with pseudonyms or 'open letters' addressed to third parties. Letters are published with the author's full name and city or neighbourhood/borough of residence. Include a phone number and address to help verify identity; these will not be published. We will not indicate to you whether your letter will be published. If it has not been published within 10 days or so, it is not likely to be.
Irish Times
27-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Times
‘Urgent need' to implement provisions of Official Languages Act
The Irish language community's 'lack of confidence' in the availability of public services in Irish demonstrates the 'urgent need' to implement provisions of the Official Languages Act, An Coimisinéir Teanga has said. Speaking on the publication of his office's annual report for 2024, Séamas Ó Concheanainn said the absence of a mandatory obligation for Government departments and local authorities to provide fundamental services such as passport, public services card or driving licence applications in Irish is 'a significant concern'. The provision of such services for the Irish speaking community is being 'significantly' hindered by the absence of a formal obligation, Mr Ó Concheanainn said. Another factor cited by the Coimisinéir Teanga is a shortage of qualified staff within public bodies who are proficient in Irish. READ MORE The report cites a 'clear and urgent need' for the full implementation of the new language standards system and the 20 per cent provision of recruits with Irish, elements which were described by the Coimisinéir Teanga as 'the two cornerstones' of the State's first national plan for the provision of Irish language services published last October. Mr Ó Concheanainn, whose role is to monitor compliance by the State and its agencies with language legislation, said a formal investigation carried out by his office into the Department of Foreign Affairs found it had 'insufficient staff' available to provide a telephone service in Irish to members of the public who wished to make a passport application through Irish. The office of the Coimisinéir Teanga received a total of 594 complaints from the public in 2024. While this represents a 6.5 per cent drop on the number received in 2023, the report says the nature of the complaints reflects 'extensive gaps' in current public services in Irish. These include a lack of online services in Irish, a lack of public service infrastructure in Gaeltacht areas, the absence of official forms in Irish, and the failure of State bodies to use the correct Irish form of names and surnames. While welcoming last October's publication of the Government's six-year National Plan for Irish Language Public Services as 'commendable', Mr Ó Concheanainn warned 'the significant improvement' that is required will not be achieved 'without a statutory obligation' on public bodies to provide 'the most basic of public services' such as passport and driving licence applications, in Irish. Mr Ó Concheanainn also said 'strategic workforce planning' that incorporates staff with proficiency in Irish will be necessary on a national basis to meet the State's target of 20 per cent of public service recruits being proficient in Irish by 2030. Highlighting the 'positive impact' that implementation of language legislation has had on strengthening language rights, Mr Ó Concheanainn said the prominence of Irish language across diverse media has 'significantly increased'. Section 10A of the Languages Act requires that at least 20 per cent of advertising placed by all public bodies in any given year is in Irish and that at least 5 per cent of their annual advertising budget is spent on Irish language media. Figures released last year by An Coimisinéir Teanga show that in 2023, public bodies placed advertising to the value of €3.8m on Irish-language media. Irish language advertising to the value of €10.4m was also placed on English-language media as a result of this provision. Publication of the 2024 report was welcomed by Minister for the Gaeltacht Dara Calleary. He said it demonstrates the 'significant progress' that has been made to date. While the report 'identifies some gaps in the provision of Irish language public services', Mr Calleary said he was encouraged that much of the work under way by his department will directly address most of these.
Cision Canada
20-06-2025
- Politics
- Cision Canada
Statement from the Commissioner of Official Languages on the coming into force of changes to increase the language requirements for supervisory positions and on the right of federal public servants to work in the official language of their choice Français
GATINEAU, QC, June 20, 2025 /CNW/ - Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada Raymond Théberge made the following statement today regarding the coming into force of changes to increase the language requirements for supervisory positions and on the right of all federal public servants who work in designated bilingual regions to work in the official language of their choice: "I'm very pleased that amendments to the Official Languages Act have come into force that now confirm federal public servants' right to work in the official language of their choice in regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes, regardless of the linguistic identification of their position. This means that even federal public servants who are in a unilingual position identified as English Essential or French Essential still have the right to be supervised in the official language of their choice. "In another highly anticipated change, effective today, the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat has raised the language requirements for bilingual positions that involve supervising staff in regions designated as bilingual for language-of-work purposes. The minimum second language proficiency level for these positions has been raised from BBB to CBC. "My predecessors and I have made repeated recommendations on the need to raise the minimum bilingualism requirements for supervisors and to strengthen the language rights of all federal public servants in designated bilingual regions. After all these years, these are two major gains in terms of recognizing public servants' language-of-work rights. "That said, I'm still concerned about what might happen to employees who are supervised by incumbents of unilingual supervisory positions or by incumbents of bilingual positions who do not meet the CBC second-language requirement. It's important to note that the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat is leaving it up to federal institutions to identify and implement administrative measures to protect public servants' language-of-work rights. "In my 2024–2025 annual report, which I tabled in Parliament earlier this week, I've recommended that by September 30, 2026, the President of the Treasury Board implement a monitoring mechanism for federal institutions to ensure that they take and maintain measures to protect the language rights of public employees in designated bilingual regions who are supervised by incumbents of unilingual positions or by incumbents of bilingual positions who do not meet the CBC second-language requirements. "I'd also like to mention that many public servants are still reluctant to file a complaint when their language rights are infringed for fear of damaging their work relationships. We therefore need to continue to monitor the situation closely to ensure that these new changes are fully implemented throughout the federal public service. I'm counting on all public service executives and managers to make the necessary changes and help to ensure full respect for their employees' language rights."
CTV News
17-06-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Official Languages Commissioner concerned about bilingualism in the public service
Commissioner of Official Languages of Canada Raymond Theberge holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Tuesday, May 7, 2024. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press) Canadian Official Languages Commissioner Raymond Théberge says he is concerned about the federal government's inability to comply with requirements regarding employee bilingualism, as dictated by the Official Languages Act. In his annual report, released on Tuesday, the commissioner notes that progress has been made following his recommendations but says what he describes as a systemic problem remains very real. He points out that of the five recommendations affecting all of the institutions concerned, four have been partially implemented, while the fifth has not been implemented at all. 'Federal institutions have had two years to act on my recommendations. I must therefore urge these institutions to put in place more formal plans and mechanisms to support the full implementation of my recommendations,' he writes. Unilingual supervisors Théberge places particular emphasis on the issue surrounding second language proficiency among public service supervisors. The report comes three days before the Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat was set to move forward with its plan to 'raise the minimum second language proficiency requirement for bilingual supervisory positions that oversee staff working in a region designated as bilingual for language of work purposes.' He points out that 'all supervisors in designated bilingual regions — not just those in bilingual positions — must have the necessary skills to respect the right of employees to be supervised in the official language of their choice.' Théberge says he sees these changes as 'a step in the right direction, but I am concerned about the fate of staff supervised by unilingual incumbents or those who do not meet the language requirements.' He adds he is concerned that the responsibility is being placed in the hands of the federal institutions themselves. He says he is recommending that the Treasury Board president 'establish a monitoring mechanism for federal institutions, which will have to ensure that measures are put in place and maintained to protect the language rights of employees in designated bilingual regions who are supervised by unilingual incumbents and by those who do not meet the language requirements.' He points out that, under the modernization of the Official Languages Act, 'the right to work in the official language of one's choice will apply, as of June 2025, to all public servants whose position is located in a bilingual region for language of work purposes, regardless of the linguistic designation of their position.' The commissioner acknowledges that 'its implementation will not be without challenges. Measures will have to be taken to ensure that employees are well-informed of their rights and supervisors of their obligations.' 700 bilingual offices At the same time, amendments to the Official Languages Regulations have led to a review of their application based on the 2021 census, in order to confirm which offices should be required to offer services in both official languages. The commissioner notes that the Treasury Board Secretariat expects approximately 700 offices to be designated to offer bilingual service. However, he laments, implementing these new offices could prove difficult. 'According to my contacts in the regions, managers point out that they expect difficulties in recruiting bilingual staff and that language training budgets do not allow for a rapid increase in their bilingual capacity.' At the same time, he notes that budget cuts have been affecting the federal public service for several months. 'Unfortunately, experience shows us that, in such a context, it is too often the official language obligations that are considered superfluous in federal institutions and end up being subject to budget cuts,' he said. He is recommending that all federal administrators 'ensure that their organizations respect and take into account language obligations and rights when implementing budget cuts in the federal public service' by May 30, 2027. Privy Council: lack of accountability Théberge also reprimanded the Privy Council Office — which is, in a sense, the prime minister's department — after investigating the State of Emergency Commission, which was tasked with assessing the merits of declaring a state of emergency to end the occupation of Ottawa by truckers and other protesters. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 17, 2025.
