Withdraw DAOD 5039-2
Petitioners ask the Minister of National Defence to withdraw DAOD 5039-2, reinstate official bilingual designations for units whose missions warrant them, strengthen institutional French capacity, and base the review on official‑language obligations with measurable public reporting.
Why we would sign this petition
- Reinstating official bilingual unit designations would create institutional supports so members can serve, be led and advance in French, helping preserve French vitality within the CAF.
- Tying bilingual status to mission or national/training/operational roles would provide a predictable language environment for postings and training.
- Making the review rest on official‑language obligations with measurable objectives and public reporting would increase accountability and let the public assess progress.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Reinstating unit‑level designations could limit flexibility to set language of work by geography or shifting operational needs, complicating deployments and staffing.
- Creating and sustaining institutional French capacity and formal designations may demand significant staffing, training and administrative resources, posing trade‑offs with other defence priorities.
- Emphasizing unit designations might not fully address individual language rights or operational effectiveness; targeted recruitment, language training or local arrangements could be more practical.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Minister of National Defence English and French are Canada’s official languages, and the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), as a national institution, have a responsibility to respect and promote both official languages; DAOD 5039-2 eliminated the language designations of military units and organizations and introduced an approach where the language of work depends primarily on their geographic location; Members of the military are posted according to service requirements and do not always choose the region in which they are called upon to serve; The vitality of French within the CAF requires more than the recognition of individual rights and depends on a genuine institutional capacity that enables military members to serve, be led, and advance professionally in French; The Minister of National Defence has announced a review of language-of-work designations and their implementation; and Bilingualism is an institutional obligation and an operational and strategic asset that strengthens the CAF’s leadership and effectiveness. We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Minister of National Defence to: 1. Withdraw DAOD 5039-2 in its current form; 2. Reinstate a system that allows military units, organizations and establishments to be designated as officially bilingual where their mission, national mandate, training responsibilities or operational requirements warrant it; 3. Take the necessary measures to ensure a strong and sustainable institutional presence of French and to strengthen bilingualism as an operational and strategic capability; and 4. Base the announced review on the CAF’s official languages obligations and operational requirements, publish its findings, establish measurable objectives, and publicly report on the results.
Government response
No government response is available yet.