The bilingualism bonus is a sum of $800 that is paid to certain categories of public servants. Created in 1977 in the context of linguistic tensions within the federal public service in Quebec, the bonus was intended to be an interim measure, but instead, it has been maintained without being indexed. Today, the bonus costs the Government of Canada more than $90 million annually and represents less than 1% of the average salary a public servant earns. This HillStudy presents the history of the bilingualism bonus and discusses the questions raised about its usefulness and its future as an incentive to encourage bilingualism in the federal public service. It uses archival documents, House of Commons debates and newspaper articles to trace the history from its introduction to the present day, and to summarize its financial impact.
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