Canada’s Minister of Defence has announced a review of a directive from 2025 that determines the languages used in 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 documents. Previously, units were classified as English, French, or both, causing challenges in meeting language requirements for organizations in unilingual regions. The directive, officially known as DAOD 5039-2, aligned language requirements with the office location’s designation under the Official Languages Act. This meant that only workplaces in bilingual regions like New Brunswick and the National Capital Region were mandated to use English and French exclusively. The changes did not impact communication with the public or military families. Despite this, the military still promoted the use of both official languages to enhance inclusion and respect for Canada’s linguistic diversity.

Following a blog post that raised concerns and criticism from advocates and opposition parties, Minister of National Defence David McGuinty announced a review of the workplace language designations. The review aims to assess how language requirements have been implemented and whether they meet operational needs while respecting the language rights of the Defence Team. The timeline for the review was not specified. In response, the Conservative Party called for an immediate repeal of the changes, emphasizing the importance of Francophone members being able to work and advance professionally in French, even in predominantly English-speaking regions.