French victory in the federal bureaucracy

The right to work in the Federal Public Service in France received strong support from the Federal Court of Appeals, which ruled in favor of Andre Dionne, a former public servant who has been fighting for his right since 2010.

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In a decision released Wednesday, Judge Marion Rivollen of the Court of Appeals overturned a federal court decision dating back to 2019, which became a setback for the plaintiff.

Mr. Dion has served as Superintendent of Financial Institutions (OSFI) in Montreal, a position that requires regular communication with monolingual Anglophone specialists in other offices throughout the country.

Eleven years ago, before taking great action and suing his employer, the situation prompted him to complain to the Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages.

In 2019, Federal Court Judge Peter Annis ruled that while the authorities in both regions, one bilingual and the other linguistic, the winning language is the language used in the bilingual area.

In his judgment, Justice Rivollen said the employer had “failed in his linguistic responsibilities” and that Justice Annis had “erred” in his decision against Mr. Dionne.

The Commissioner for Official Languages ​​welcomed the “historic” decision, which “guarantees the right of bilingual or federal government employees to work in the official language of their choice, whether bilingual or not.”

“For the first time,” Raymond Theberg said in Micromassage, “the right of a federal civil servant to work in the official language of his choice in a bilingual designated area.”