Ottawa businesses aren't doing enough to welcome francophone tourists, says Canada's new Commissioner of Official Languages.

Veteran journalist Graham Fraser officially began his new job as commissioner on Tuesday, but already he has upset some members of Ottawa's business community with his comments.

New Official Languages Commissioner Graham Fraser says his first priority is looking after Canadians who speak only one official language.
(CBC)

Fraser said the city's language environment changes markedly between Parliament Hill and the Sparks Street Mall, a historic pedestrian district popular with tourists.

"You walk from an area where there is rigorous respect for both official languages to an environment that is overwhelmingly visually English-speaking," Fraser said.

He added that unilingual francophones visiting their capital might be taken aback by the English signage on the stores.

Sparks Street is lined with historic stone buildings that now house offices, shops and restaurants.

"What kind of welcome am I getting as I walk past these storefronts?" he asked.

Sparks Street is lined with stone buildings built in the late 19th century and early days of the 20th century. Now, they house offices, restaurants and shops.

Some have signs in English only, while others have signs in both English and French. Inside, some of the staff are bilingual, while some speak only English.

The manager of the mall, Sharon McKenna, said francophones have not complained to her about that.

'I don't think people are going to Sparks Street just to see the French language.'-Sparks Street manager Sharon McKenna

"I don't think people are going to Sparks Street just to see the French language," said McKenna, who added the street is very bilingual anyway.

She said making the place more French would destroy the heritage and character of a street that existed before Parliament Hill.

The street was built by Nicholas Sparks in 1848. Sparks served on Ottawa's first municipal council when the city was still called "Bytown."

Sparks Street was closed to vehicle traffic in the mid-1960s and now people stroll over its pink bricks on foot only.

Fraser said he will keep talking about the issue of bilingualism among private businesses even though he has no authority over them.

He said his first priority is protecting the rights of Canadians who speak only one official language — the goal of Canada's Official Languages Act, passed in 1969.

"The law exists to ensure these people receive an equal level of service in the language of their choice," he said.

He noted that there are four million Quebecers in the country who speak only French and another 20 million Canadians who speak only English.