Canada’s Minister of Defence has announced a review of a 2025 directive that dictates language use in military workplaces, citing recent concerns. In January 2025, the Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces revised regulations regarding language requirements for internal activities and services such as meetings and documents. Previously, units were categorized as English, French, or both. A DND blog post in late July highlighted challenges faced by organizations and units in unilingual regions in meeting language obligations, leading to complaints and frustrations.
The directive, officially known as DAOD 5039-2, implemented in January 2025, aligned internal language requirements with the language designation of the office location under the Official Languages Act. This meant that workplaces in designated bilingual regions, like New Brunswick and the National Capital Region, had to communicate solely in English and French. The changes did not impact communication with the public or military families. Despite the directive, the military continued to promote the use of both official languages to enhance inclusivity and respect Canada’s linguistic diversity.
Following criticism from advocates and opposition parties, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty acknowledged the concerns and announced a review of workplace language designations. The aim of the review is to assess the application of language-of-work requirements and determine if the current approach aligns with operational needs and upholds the language rights of the Defence Team. The timeline for the review was not specified in the announcement.
In response, the Conservative Party urged McGuinty to immediately reverse the changes, emphasizing that Francophone members should not face limitations in working, commanding, or advancing professionally in French, even in predominantly English-speaking regions.