Canada’s Minister of Defence has announced a review of a 2025 directive that governs the use of languages in military workplaces due to recent concerns. The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces made changes to language rules in January 2025, affecting the languages used in internal meetings and documents for workplace activities and services.
Previously, military units were designated as English, French, or both, leading to challenges in meeting language obligations in unilingual regions. The new directive, DAOD 5039-2, implemented in January 2025, aligned internal language requirements with the office location’s language designation under the Official Languages Act. This meant that only workplaces in designated bilingual regions, such as New Brunswick and the National Capital Region, were required to communicate solely in English and French.
The changes did not impact communication with the public or military families. The military continues to promote the use of both official languages to enhance inclusion and respect Canada’s linguistic diversity.
Following criticism and media attention, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty acknowledged the concerns and ordered a review of workplace language designations. The review aims to assess the application of language-of-work requirements and determine if the current approach aligns with operational needs while upholding the language rights of the Defence Team.
No specific timeline was provided for the review. The Conservative Party has called for an immediate repeal of the changes, emphasizing the importance of maintaining French language protection within the federal department and ensuring equal professional opportunities for Francophone members regardless of their posting location.