Premier Dennis King is responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs for Prince Edward Island. He is also the President of the Executive Council and the Minister responsible for the Indigenous Relations Secretariat.

Created in 1989, the Acadian and Francophone Affairs Secretariat advises the government on the provision of programs and services in French in order to align them with the priority needs of the province’s Acadian and Francophone community. The Secretariat is also responsible for implementing the French Language Services Act and its General Regulations[1] [2].

The French Language Services Act requires the creation of an Acadian and Francophone Community Advisory Committee. This committee, composed of ten bilingual ministers appointed by the Minister, provides advice to the Minister on the priorities of the Acadian and Francophone community in terms of services, designation and delivery of French services and on any other issue affecting the community.

[1] Government of Prince Edward Island, Acadian and Francophone Affairs Secretariat, 2012-2015 Strategic Plan. Page consulted online on November 2, 2016.

[2] Government of Prince Edward Island, Acadian and Francophone Affairs, French Language Services Act - 2015-2016 Annual Report. Page consulted online on December 6, 2016.

The French Language Services Act was adopted in 1999 and revised in 2013. The Act governs the use of official languages in the delivery of services to the public, communications, correspondence, consultations between the government and the general public and road signage. It also calls for Acadian and Francophone community representation to be taken into account when making appointments to councils, agencies, commissions and organizations.

The Act stipulates that government institutions must offer designated public services in the official language of the client’s choice. The public must be informed of this option and the services must be of comparable quality in both languages. This also applies to services offered by a third party.

Each institution must appoint a French services coordinator and every year it must prepare a French services plan and report. The Act also requires that members of the public be able to submit a complaint if they feel the Act is not being respected.

The Act is accompanied by General Regulations that specify which government institutions are subject to the Act and what services are designated.