Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages

The Senate Standing Committee On Official languages (OLLO) is a standing committee of the Senate of Canada responsible for examining issues of Francophone culture in Canada, especially in regard to the Official Languages Act. It is mandated to study, as the Senate may decide, bills, messages, petitions, inquiries, papers and other matters relating to Canada's official languages generally.

Organization

Senate rule 12-7(5) mandates the OLLO to study matters relating to official languages generally. The committee may study bills affecting the Official Languages Act (OLA), its application, modification, and associated regulations and directives.[1]

The OLLO has a counterpart in the House of Commons Standing Committee on Official Languages (LANG).[2]

Members

Committee membership as of 6 March 2026:[1]

Caucus Member Province
  Independent Senators Group Allister Surette, chair NS
  Conservative Rose-May Poirier, deputy chair NB
  Progressive Senate Group Amina Gerba[a] QC
  Progressive Senate Group Danièle Henkel QC
  Independent Senators Group Tony Loffreda QC
  Independent Senators Group Lucie Moncion[a] ON
  Canadian Senators Group Rebecca Patterson[a] ON

Former members:

Caucus Member Province
  Independent Senators Group René Cormier NB
  Canadian Senators Group Gigi Osler MB

The Representative of the Government in the Senate and Leader of the Opposition in the Senate are both ex-officio members of the committee.

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Gerba, Moncion and Patterson were among the nine original members of the committee.[1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Senate Standing Committee on Official Languages (45th Parliament)". Senate of Canada. 6 March 2026. Retrieved 6 March 2026.
  2. ^ "The first federal parliamentary committee exclusively responsible for studying official languages is created". Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages. 25 July 2024.