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The bilingualism bonus given to some federal public servants has recently become an issue again, having appeared in one of the recommendations of the report on language of work, released Sept. 14 by Clerk of the Privy Council Michael Wernick. The report is not just about the bonus, however.

It marks the second milestone in a very necessary and useful conversation on language of work in the federal public service.

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Language of work has been the subject of numerous controversies in the federal public service over the past several years. The required level of language skills, access to language training, the bilingualism bonus and the difficulty many supervisors are having in communicating in the official language of their employees’ choice are all contentious issues.

The report, which is based on public consultations conducted by senior public servants Matthew Mendelsohn and Patrick Borbey, is straightforward in addressing these issues.