Ottawa: The Federal Treasury Board says it has no plans to expand bonuses to employees who speak English and French – to those who know an Indigenous language.
The bilingualism bonus is an extra $800 employees who specialize in Canada’s two main languages if they have the opportunity to work in a position that meets the demand for English and French.
In view of the difficulties faced by some indigenous public servants with regard to language, it was proposed by senior civil servants last year that those who understand indigenous language should also be given a similar bonus.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada, a union representing more than 120,000 federal employees under the Treasury Board, had proposed to keep a similar allowance for those who use indigenous language during their work.
National president Chris Aylward said that the union has identified that there are 500 federal employees who use indigenous language at work.
He said that it is a discriminatory practice, if such a bonus is not kept for such employees.
He said the union, which has been discussing new contracts with the government for over a year, is also recommending an increase in the bilingual bonus from $800 to $1,500.