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CONSTITUTIONAL CONFERENCE
SUB-COMMITTEE ON OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

NOTE BY SECRETARIAT

This paper on Procedures and Organization
was prepared by the Secretariat for discussion
of the First Meeting of the Sub-Committee on
Official Languages. While it does not cover
the complete spectrum of procedural and
organizational matters, it does indicate the
history of the formation of the Sub-Committee
and raises the three questions most relevant
to the smooth operation of the affairs of this
Committee.

THE ORGANIZATION AND PROCEDURES
for the
SUB-COMMITTEE ON OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

The purpose of this paper is to raise a number
of organizational and procedural matters relating to the
Sub-Committee on Official Languages establishes at the
first meeting of the Continuing Committee of Officials
at Mont Gabriel, May 29 & 30, 1968.

A- BACKGROUND

Members of the Sub-Committee will recall that the
subject of Official Languages figured prominently in the
discussions in February. At that time the Premiers and
Prime Ministers developed the Consensus on Language Rights
(CC/I/R/1). Clause 3 of the Consensus reads as follows:

Establishment of a special committee to examine
the Report of the Royal Commission on Bilingualism
and Biculturalism and the views expressed at this
Conference on the Report, and on other matters
relating to language rights and their effective
provision in practice, and to consult on methods
of implementation including the nature of possible
federal assistance, and on the form and the method
of constitutional amendment.

The verbatim transcript of the February Conference will
be available shortly. In the meantime your attention is
drawn to the Note circulated to the members of the Continuing
Committee by the Secretary (CP/I/Sec/DI/1) which includes a
summary of views on Official Languages expressed by partci-
pating governments at the Constitutional Conference.

The Conference Conclusion on the continuing machinery
for constitutional review (CC/I/R/2) gave the Continuing
Committee authority to set up sub-committee on specific
questions, with the approval of the Prime Ministers and
Premiers, and listed Official Languages as one of the
specific questions to be examined. Accordingly at its
first meeting The Continuing Committee established the
special committee on Official Languages as a sub-committee
of the Continuing Committee (see CP/1/SR, 12-6-68).

B- COMPOSITION

1. Members- On the basis of the information received to
date the Sub-Committee on Official Languages will consist
of the following representatives:
Federal Government
-J.S Hodgson (Chairman)Director.
Secretariat on Bilingualism, Privy
Council Office.
-R. Elie, Associate Director,
Special Secretariat on Bilingualism,
Privy Council Office.

Newfoundland
-P.J. Hanley, Deputy Minister of
Education
Prince Edward Island
– L. Mosse, Deputy Minister of
Education
Nova Scotia
-I.G. MacLeod, Administrative
Assistant to the Premier
-J.A.Y. Macdonald, Deputy Attorney
General
New Brunswick
-A. St. Onge, Consultant on French
Curriculum, Department of
Education
Québec
-G. Frégault, Deputy Minister of
Cultural Affairs and Commissioner
General of Cooperation with
other Governments
-M. Beaulieu, Director of the French
Language Bureau, Department of
Cultural Affairs
-J. Robichaud, Senior Counsellor,
Department of Intergovernmental
Affairs
Ontario
-C. Beer, Federal-Provincial Affairs
Secretariat, Department of Treasury
& Economics
-D. Omand, Executive Director,
Personal Development, Department
of Civil Service.
Manitoba
–
Saskatchewan
–
Alberta
-J.J. Frawley, Special Counsel
Colombie-Britannique
–

2. Secretary -As agrred at the first meeting of the Continuing
Committee the Secretariat of the Conference is to provide the
Secretary for this and all other sub-committees. For the
Sub-Committee on Official Languages the Government of New
Brunswick has agreed to second to the Secretariat M. Pierre
Vachon to serve as Secretary of this sub-committee. In
addition Mr. J.E. Cote of the staff of the Secretariat will
act as Assicuate Secretary.

C- PROCEDURES

1. Record of Proceedings. The Continuing Committee of
Officials decided on the form of summary record to be kept
of its deliberations. This form of record is the one used
in CP/I/SR, 12-6-68. This particular form may not be the
most appropriate one for this sub-committee and members may
wish to review the type of record to be kept of their
deliberations.

issued a Note (CP/Sec/NA/3) outlining the sytem of coding
by which all documents will be registered. Documents of the
Sub-Committee on Official Languages will begin with the
symbol OL/. When members are able to provide the Secretariat
with copies of documents intended for the Sub-Committee in
advance of meetings, these will be registered and distributed
by the Secretariat. Documents made available at meetings
will be registered by the Secretariat after the meeting.
Documents will not only be identifiable by their code numbers
but also by cover pages in a colour chosen for each sub-
committee.

3. Correspondence. In order to ensure that comprehensive
up-to-date records are available in the Secretariat, it is
essential that copies of all correspondence with the Chairman,
the Secretary and, whenever possible, between members of the
sub-committee be sent to the Secretariat at P.O. Box 488,
Terminal “A”, Ottawa.