open Secondary menu

Descriptive text of "Bilingual services" video

The animation starts:

Two dialog boxes appear on the screen, one in blue with Bonjour! and the other in red with Hello! Then the text appears on the screen.

"Canada has two official languages – English and French. While you watch this video, make a note of the things you can do to ensure that people are served in the official language of their choice."

The following scene shows a polling place with an election officer, an elector and posters.

"Electors and visitors to the polling place have the right to be served in the official language of their choice. Posters must be displayed in both languages - French first in Quebec, English first everywhere else."

Two forms appear on the screen.

"Forms and other information must be easily available in both languages."

The scene shows a deputy returning officer while "Hello, bonjour" appears on the screen.

"Serving electors and visitors is easy enough if you can speak both languages, just start with 'Hello, Bonjour' – or 'Bonjour, Hello' in Quebec - then use whichever language the person wants to use."

A guide is presented on the screen while the text is displayed as you go.

"If you don't speak both languages, there are still several things you can do to respect this value while serving people. They are explained in the guidebooks, but here are the basics: Always greet people with 'Hello, Bonjour' – or 'Bonjour, Hello' in Quebec.
There may be someone else in the polling place who can take over from you;
Several tools are available to help with translation; the supervisor has a phone number to call for more help if needed.
In the guidebooks, you'll find more information on what to do if an elector wants to be served in an official language you don't use yourself.

The animation ends.