Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute

The Official Languages and Bilingualism Institute (OLBI) (French: Institut des langues officielles et du bilinguisme) is a language institution affiliated with the University of Ottawa, in Ottawa, Canada. Its mission is to promote excellence and innovation in the fields of bilingualism and language acquisition, thus helping the University fulfill its role to "further bilingualism and biculturalism and preserve and develop French culture in Ontario."

Specifically, creating the Institute would allow the University to achieve the following objectives:

1. Strengthen the bilingual image and character of the University of Ottawa nationally and internationally, and express in concrete terms its commitment to the social and human values underlying bilingualism and biculturalism;
2. Recognize—and continue to build on—the vital role played to date by the Faculty of Arts and, in particular, by the Second Language Institute in promoting bilingualism and Canada's official languages;
3. Highlight, strengthen and expand teaching and research not only in language acquisition and teaching, but also in language planning;
4. Actively promote skill and expertise in language acquisition and teaching, and in language planning; share this body of knowledge with the entire university community, throughout Canada and abroad.