From the moment they enter through the gates until they board the plane, travelers passing through the country's busiest airports are entitled to service in French. However, in the context of difficult hiring, Pearson Airport adopts a policy that, according to a lawyer, conflicts with the principles of the Official Languages Act.

On December 12, Radio Canada visited dozens of airport restaurants, none of which were able to provide service in French.

But the Official Languages Act is clear, as federal institutions are responsible for ensuring that [...] regulatory services provided to travelers by third parties approved by them for this purpose are offered in both official languages, as stated in the federal law.

These regulatory services include those provided by restaurants, car rental agencies, currency exchange offices, and duty-free shops.

What is active offer?

The active offer of service is an invitation to the public to use one of Canada's two official languages: French or English. The active offer includes a bilingual greeting, such as hello-hi.

In a memo sent to Radio Canada, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) clarifies its expectations from its merchants.

If a person is unable to provide this service, retailers must offer service with access to a real-time translation application available 24/7, as wrote Karen Mazurkiewicz, Vice President of Stakeholder Relations and Communications at the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA).

For its part, SSP Group, which owns many of Toronto Airport's restaurants, said via email that when no staff speak French, employees should call a central phone line so that the manager can take the order or request assistance from the unit manager.

But these practices do not respect the principle of genuine equality enshrined in the Official Languages Act, according to language law expert lawyer Gabriel Poliquin.

The English-speaking client is never placed in this position where they have to call a number to be served in the official language of their choice, the lawyer explained, noting that this puts clients requesting service in French at a disadvantage.

The Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) also did not respond to interview requests we submitted or answer our questions about the use of the translation service by its affiliated restaurants. Radio Canada was unable to secure interviews with the companies owning the restaurants visited.

Despite everything, Me Poliquin acknowledges that the challenges of hiring bilingual employees in environments where French is a minority language place federal institutions in a very difficult position.