(RECORDING)

*** PLEASE NOTE that this session was recorded in the language

in which it was presented ***

New Brunswick is the only province in Canada to be recognized as officially bilingual under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Constitutional provisions on official languages have been interpreted as imposing obligations on provincial institutions, as opposed to the individual agents or officers thereof. In this session, speakers will provide an overview of the history and scope of New Brunswick’s constitutional equality of official languages and will explore the theme of equality of status in the context of institutional obligations. The panel will also discuss the ongoing litigation surrounding the appointment of the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick and citizens’ rights to receive services in the official language of their choice. 

Chair: Candice A. Pollack, NB Health Council
Panelists: Shirley C. MacLean, K.C., Commissioner of Official Languages; Michel Doucet, K.C., Université de Moncton; Basil Alexander, University of New Brunswick; Érik Labelle Eastaugh, Université de Moncton; Kerri Froc, University of New Brunswick