A plan from language commissioner Graham Fraser to monitor the availability of bilingual services at Ottawa businesses is drawing heat from several cabinet ministers.
"He's got to look at government programs and make sure they're being delivered in a responsible manner for minority language services," said Tony Clement. "Going after private businesses is a bit beyond his usual reach."
Fraser announced the plan to hire "secret shoppers" to check how well Ottawa businesses are offering services in both official languages last week.
He said the shoppers will be paid for with taxpayers' money and will evaluate restaurants, hotels and government services for how well they offer service in French.
"What this is intended to really do is get a sense of what is the visitor's experience in Canada's capital," he told CTV News Channel last Friday. "It's not just federal institutions (that they visit). . . they arrive at the airport or station, they check in at a hotel, they want to go for dinner. . . there are a mixture of experiences."
Along with Clement, cabinet minister James Moore also criticized the plan which has been met with mixed reactions from Ottawa residents.
"If bilingualism is a requirement, they should be able to prove that on their interview, or not get the job," one said. "(They) shouldn't be spending our taxpayer money to try to impose on everybody's rights to freedom."
"I think it's a good idea for the government of Canada to ensure people in Canada are receiving services in both official languages, because that's very important," said another.
The checks are expected to start August 22 and last until the end of September. Fraser said they don't have power to punish private businesses who don't offer adequate service in French.
With a report from CTV Ottawa's Norman Fetterley
