Kelly Burke took office as Canada’s eighth Commissioner of Official Languages on March 30, 2026.

A native of Cornwall, Ontario, and a member of both the English‑ and French‑speaking communities, Kelly Burke embodies Canada’s linguistic duality. She holds a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor in Education from Queen’s University, a Bachelor of Laws from the University of Ottawa and a Master of Laws from York University with a specialization in labor law and alternative dispute resolution. Ms. Burke has been a member of the Law Society of Ontario since 1996.

For more than 25 years, the former French immersion teacher has dedicated her professional life to advancing official languages and defending language rights. An experienced bilingual lawyer and administrator, she has held several senior positions in Ontario’s public service, including at the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and the Ministry of Francophone Affairs, where she co-chaired the Ministerial Conference on the Canadian Francophonie. 

From 2020 to 2023, Ms. Burke served as Ontario’s Commissioner of French Language Services and as Vice Chair of the International Association of Language Commissioners before taking on leadership roles in the post-secondary sector.

Recognized for her leadership, her ability to engage in dialogue and her commitment to a truly bilingual Canada, Ms. Burke is approaching her new role with a focus on modernizing the language policy framework and on strengthening community vitality across the country.

Additional information on the Commissioner

About the Member's Office

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages supports the Commissioner of Official Languages in his mission as an agent of Parliament to ensure that the main objectives of the Official Languages Act are met:

• Ensure the equality of English and French in federal institutions
• Support the preservation and development of official language minority communities in Canada (English-speaking communities in Quebec, and Francophone and Acadian communities outside of Quebec)
• Advance the equality of English and French in Canadian society, taking into account the diversity of provincial and territorial language policies
• Promote the future of French across Canada, including in Quebec
• Clarify the official languages obligations of federal institutions

The Commissioner’s mission is also to ensure that the rights and obligations set out in the Use of French in Federally Regulated Private Businesses Act, which was adopted in 2023 and will become effective on a date to be set by decree, are recognized.

To support the Commissioner in fulfilling his mission, the Office of the Commissioner has two main areas of activity that go hand in hand and complement each other: compliance and promotion.

Key Information on the Language Situation in this Country/Region

Today, Canada has two official languages—English and French—as well as over 70 Indigenous languages and more than 200 immigrant languages. It was established on the ancestral lands of Indigenous peoples (First Nations, Métis and Inuit), colonized by the British and French in the 16th and 17th centuries, and became a new home for immigrants (mainly European and American until the mid‑20th century; immigration has since become increasingly diversified).

In Canada, the progressive recognition of English and French as the country’s official languages evolved over a period of just over 150 years with the adoption of:

• the Constitution Act, 1867, at the time of Confederation, which allowed the use of either English or French in debates and required documents to be drafted in both languages in Canada’s Parliament and federal courts, as well as in the legislature and provincial courts of Quebec;
• the first Official Languages Act at the federal level in 1969, which recognized the equal status, rights and privileges of the official languages within Parliament and the Government of Canada, particularly with regard to federal communications and services, and created the position of Commissioner of Official Languages;
• a revised Official Languages Act in 1988, which broadened the scope of language of work and participation of English-speaking Canadians and French-speaking Canadians in the federal public service, and enshrined the federal government’s commitment to foster the development of official language minority communities and to promote the use of English and French in Canadian society; and
• a modernized Official Languages Act in June 2023, which aims to ensure substantive equality of English and French through the promotion and protection of French to meet 21st century challenges, which recognizes the declining demographic weight of French‑speaking minorities (outside Quebec) and which enshrines the federal government’s commitment to reversing it.

In response to the 2021 Census question on first official language spoken:

• 76.1% of respondents in Canada indicated English, and 22.0% said French;
• 84.1% of respondents in Quebec indicated French, and 14.9% said English; and
• 94.4% of respondents in Canada outside Quebec indicated English, and 3.5% said French.

The Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages also reports on official languages issues in Canada in its various products, including its publications (annual reports, studies, other reports, audits, etc.), its tools and resources (infographics, language census data tables, guides, best practices and others), and its press releases, speeches, articles and op‑eds.