Canada’s Minister of Defence has announced a review of a directive from 2025 that dictates the language policies within military workplaces due to recent concerns. The Department of National Defence (DND) and the Canadian Armed Forces made changes in January 2025 regarding the languages used for internal activities and services. Previously, units were categorized as English, French, or both.
According to a DND blog post in late July, many organizations in unilingual regions struggled to meet language requirements, leading to complaints and frustrations. The directive, known as DAOD 5039-2, took effect in January 2025, aligning internal language rules with the designated language of the office location under the Official Languages Act.
Under the new directive, only workplaces in officially bilingual regions like New Brunswick, the National Capital Region, and parts of northern Ontario are required to use English and French exclusively. However, these changes do not impact communication with the public or military families. The military still promotes the use of both official languages to enhance inclusivity and respect Canada’s linguistic diversity.
The blog post attracted criticism from advocates and opposition parties’ official languages critics, who view it as a setback for French language protection within a major federal department. Responding to the concerns, Defence Minister David McGuinty stated that a review of workplace language designations will be conducted to assess the application of language requirements and ensure they meet operational needs while upholding the language rights of the Defence Team.
The timeline for this review was not specified in the announcement. The Conservative Party called for an immediate repeal of the changes, emphasizing that Francophone members should not lose opportunities for work, leadership, or career advancement in French just because they are stationed in predominantly English-speaking regions.
