Canada’s defense minister has announced a review of a directive from 2025 that governs the languages used within military workplaces due to recent concerns. The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces made changes to the language requirements for workplace activities and services, such as internal meetings and documents, in January 2025. Previously, units were categorized as English, French, or both.
A blog post by the DND in late July stated that many organizations and units in unilingual regions faced challenges in meeting their language obligations, leading to complaints and frustration. The directive, known as DAOD 5039-2, took effect in January 2025, aligning internal language requirements with the office location’s language designation under the Official Languages Act. This meant that only workplaces in designated bilingual regions, like New Brunswick, the National Capital Region, and parts of northern Ontario, were required to use English and French exclusively.
The changes did not impact communication with the public or military families. The military continued to promote the use of both official languages to enhance inclusion and uphold Canada’s linguistic diversity. The blog post triggered criticism from advocates and critics of official languages policy, who viewed it as a weakening of French language protections within a major federal department.
In response to the concerns, Defense Minister David McGuinty announced a review of the workplace language designations, emphasizing the importance of examining the application of language-of-work requirements and ensuring they meet operational needs while respecting the language rights of the Defense Team. The timeline for this review was not specified in the announcement.
Following the minister’s statement, the Conservative Party called for an immediate repeal of the changes. They highlighted the importance of ensuring that Francophone members can work, lead, and progress in their careers in French, even in predominantly English-speaking regions.