The two official languages of Canada are English and French. Office of the Commissioner of Official Languages, an office of the Canadian government, is responsible for achieving the objectives of, and promoting, Canada's Official Languages Act.
The 1988 Official Languages Act mandates this office and its commissioner, who holds office for seven years. Its mission has three main objectives: ensuring the equality of English and French within the Government of Canada and institutions subject to the Act; preserving and developing official language communities; and ensuring the equality of English and French in Canadian society at large.
From 1999 to 2006, the commissioner was Dr. Dyane Adam, who was born in Casselman, Ontario, and holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa. After the federal election of January 2006, Prime Minister Stephen Harper requested that Dr. Adam prolong her term by a few months to give him time to find a suitable replacement. On September 13, he nominated Graham Fraser for the post.