Complaints Mechanism - French Language Services Act
The French Language Services Act establishes a complaints mechanism to ensure that the government institutions that are subject to the Act comply with it.
How can I use the French Language Services Act complaints mechanism?
You can use the complaints mechanism to make a complaint when a government institution subject to the Act does not comply with its obligations regarding designated services, written correspondence or public consultations under the Act.
This means that you can make a complaint when:
- A designated service is not provided to you in French.
- The quality of a designated service provided to you in French was not comparable to the quality of that service in English.
- A government institution did not take the measures set out in the French Language Services Act General Regulations to make it known to the public that a designated service was available in a person’s choice of English or French.
- A government institution did not respond to your written correspondence in French.
- A government institution did not provide the public with an opportunity to participate in a public consultation in French.
How can I make a complaint?
To be valid, a complaint must be made within 60 calendar days following the incident. Before you make a complaint, you should read the information on this page. Afterward, you can make your complaint online.
If you prefer not to make your complaint online, you can fill out the PDF complaint form (listed under Resources) and send it to the French Language Services Co-ordinator for the government institution concerned by your complaint (see table below).
| Government Institution | Name | Contact information |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture | Angela Birch | 5th Floor, Jones Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-213-0471 angelabirch@gov.pe.ca |
| Economic Development, Innovation and Trade |
Logan Macmillan
|
5th Floor, Shaw Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-620-3974 lmacmillan@gov.pe.ca |
| Education and Early Years | Paul MacLeod | 1st Floor, Sullivan Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-288-1067 pmacleod@gov.pe.ca |
| Environment, Energy and Climate Action | Tony Sturz | 4th Floor, Jones Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-569-7529 avsturz@gov.pe.ca |
| Executive Council Office | Jay Young | 5th Floor, Shaw North Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-368-4502 jaysyoung@gov.pe.ca |
| Finance | Kara Jain | 3rd Floor, Shaw Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-213-2137 karajain@gov.pe.ca |
| Fisheries, Tourism, Sport and Culture | Janelle Arsenault Je parle français |
5th Floor, Jones Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-626-9226 (cell) janellearsenault@gov.pe.ca |
| Health and Wellness | Matthew MacDonald | 4th Floor, Shaw Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-213-4438 mattdmacdonald@gov.pe.ca |
| Health PEI | Elise Arsenault Je parle français |
16 Garfield St P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-854-7441 elisearseanault@ihis.org |
| Housing, Land and Communities | Ashley Eastman Je parle français |
Aubin Arsenault Building 3 Brighton Road Charlottetown, PE C1A 8T6 902-218-4178 ameastman@gov.pe.ca |
| Human Rights Commission | Brenda J. Picard | 9 Pownal Street P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-368-4134 bpicard@peihumanrights.ca |
| Innovation PEI | Mathieu Foran Je parle français |
94 Euston Street, 1st Floor P.O. Box 910 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7L9 902-213-4024 mrforan@gov.pe.ca |
| Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission | Daniel Arsenault | 5th Floor, Suite 501 134 Kent Street P.O. Box 577 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7L1 902-892-3501 darsenault@irac.pe.ca |
| Island Waste Management Corporation | Molly Pendergast | 110 Watts Avenue P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-368-5619 mpendergast@iwmc.pe.ca |
| Justice and Public Safety | Danielle Gillan | 4th Floor, Shaw Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-368-4586 dmgillan@gov.pe.ca |
| Liquor Control Commission | Connor Wilkinson | 3 Garfield Street Charlottetown, PE C1A 6A4 902-368-5716 cmwilkinson@liquorpei.com |
| PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation | Noëlla Richard Je parle français |
P.O. Box 159 Miscouche, PE C0B 1T0 902-432-2881 noellarichard@gov.pe.ca |
| Public Service Commission | Tara McGuirk Je parle français |
1st Floor, Sullivan Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-368-4168 tmcguirk@gov.pe.ca |
| Social Development and Seniors | Melanie Melanson | 2nd Floor, Jones Building P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-218-2051 (cell) mdmelanson@ihis.org |
| Transportation and Infrastructure | Erin MacNeill Je parle français |
500 Queen Street P.O. Box 2000 Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8 902-213-2746 emacneill@gov.pe.ca |
| Workers Compensation Board | Dominique Chouinard Je parle français |
14 Weymouth Street Charlottetown, PE C1A 7L7 902-388-8671 dxchouinard@wcb.pe.ca |
| Workforce, Advanced Learning and Population | Jocelyn Harnois |
Atlantic Technology Center
|
Who will address my complaint?
The complaints mechanism has two levels – the French language services co-ordinators and the Complaints Officer. This means that:
- Your complaint will be addressed by the French Language Services Co-ordinator for the government institution concerned by your complaint;
- If the co-ordinator doesn’t dismiss nor resolve your complaint, they will refer it to the Complaints Officer;
- If your complaint is dismissed by the Co-ordinator and you ask for a review of the dismissal, the Complaints Officer will have to confirm the dismissal or resolve your complaint.
To better understand the complaint process, take a look at the snapshot of the complaint process.
The Complaints Officer is Ms Julie Gilman. You can contact the Complaints Officer by mail or email using the following contact information:
Complaints Officer
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
What will happen after I make a complaint?
Once your complaint is received, you can expect an acknowledgement of receipt within 15 days. The goal is to address the complaint within 60 days.
Where can I get more information about the complaints mechanism?
You can contact the Acadian and Francophone Affairs Secretariat at:
Acadian and Francophone Affairs Secretariat
PO Box 2000
Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
agentplaintes@gov.pe.ca