Ottawa, November 19, 2007
Official Languages in University
Notes for an address to Carleton University’s
Department of French
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I am very happy to be here today. It is such a pleasure to see so many young people interested in learning French. This is the first time back at Carleton University for me as Commissioner instead of as an adjunct professor, a position I was named to in 2002. However, I did not come today to speak about journalism, except to highlight the importance for Canadian journalists and students from this faculty and the School of Journalism and Communication to be fluent in both official languages. After all French, like English, is a Canadian language, and both official languages should have an important place in all Canadian universities.
Let me remind you of a few historical facts to help you better understand the current situation surrounding linguistic duality.
In 1963, the Government of Canada created the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism. In the recommendations it made in 1965, the Commission proposed a bold new partnership between English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians. In future, the Government of Canada would function more effectively in French, and the predominantly English-speaking provinces would be encouraged to offer more public services in the language of the minority, where demand was sufficient.
In 1967, Pierre Elliott Trudeau, then Minister of Justice, defined language rights as two-fold: the right to learn and the right to use. The entire edifice of language rights constructed over the four decades since then rests on these two pillars.
The first federal official languages act was adopted in 1969. It proclaimed the equality of status of English and French in all federal institutions. It also spelled out the demographic criteria for the delivery of federal services in both languages. The Act was amended in 1988 to include new standards and rules governing, among other things, language of work and the equal participation of Anglophones and Francophones within the public service.
The Act also created the position of Commissioner of Official Languages and defines the related responsibilities. This ombudsman is above politics and acts as the “active conscience” of Canadians in official languages matters. As Commissioner, I report directly to Parliament. My duties fall under two headings: promotion and protection. The trick is to be both fair and firm when I make assessments and propose recommendations. I have only held this position for a year, but I believe I have been “active” throughout this period. I have presented my vision for official languages many times, and I have listened to citizens, who have shared theirs with me.
In 1982, a new constitutional document, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, consolidated equality and language rights. It also recognized the right of Anglophones and Francophones in minority communities, regardless of where they lived, to manage their school systems and to have their children instructed at the primary and secondary level in the language of the minority, where numbers warrant.
Finally, in November 2005, the Canadian Parliament strengthened Part VII of the Act. This part deals with the federal government’s commitment to fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society. It also commits the government to supporting the development of official language minority communities.
In my last annual report, I presented the performance evaluations of 37 federal institutions out of a total of about 200. According to observations on service to the public, offices designated bilingual delivered federal government services to official language minority communities in the official language of their choice nearly three times out of four. This result, however, is not sufficient: the government should not tolerate a 25% failure rate.
Forty per cent of jobs in the federal public service (the country’s largest employer) require the knowledge of both languages. Unfortunately, each year, the Office of the Commissioner receives complaints from members of the public who have not been able to obtain services in the official language of their choice.
Since the adoption of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, all provinces have successfully implemented minority-language primary and secondary education systems. However, let’s not forget that some of these provinces only did so after official language minority communities initiated legal proceedings. There are also universities and community colleges in several provinces in which the language of instruction is the language of the minority. The language of instruction plays a key role in community development. By giving everyone an opportunity to learn in the official language of their choice, all Canadians are given similar education and work opportunities.
What remains undefined in the Constitution, however, is the right to learn the second official language. Yet becoming proficient in the other official language is critical to ensuring that the right to use really means something. We need stronger leadership from governments and learning institutions to change this situation and provide incentives to high school students to keep studying both official languages.
However, a worrying trend is emerging in Canada’s English-language universities: a majority of them no longer require the knowledge of the second official language as an admissions requirement. I was even told that the president of one Canadian university described French as a “foreign language.” Incredible, isn’t it?
With the disappearance of this requirement, young people are seldom encouraged to remain in French immersion. In some high schools, students are advised to drop French immersion for less demanding courses in order to improve their chances of gaining admission to the post-secondary institution of their choice. This is a horrible predicament: dropping out of a more difficult program means getting better grades in a less demanding course. It is absurd that the future of bilingualism in Canada should rest on the shoulders of our young students. While more and more bilingual students, like you, flock to English-language colleges and universities, very little is being done to provide encouragement, except in some predominantly bilingual or French universities.
The situation is a paradox. What can we do to turn things around? We need to remind students of the advantages of knowing the second official language. Since we live in Ottawa, we immediately think of the possibility of being hired by the federal government, the country’s largest employer, but this is not the only advantage of being bilingual. Knowledge of our two official languages is a key asset to our mobility, our awareness of cultural realities and our greater opportunities on the international market. In short, learning French opens the door to the reality of our own country and to the world.
It is important to keep up French-as-a-second-language learning opportunities at the post-secondary level in light of the increasing number of high school graduates coming from immersion and other French-as-a-second-language education programs at the secondary level. The arguments in favour include the new socio-economic realities of globalization and the increasing demand for skills related to the knowledge economy. There is also the fact that the federal government will need a larger pool of bilingual recruits for its public service renewal project.
The increase in the rate of bilingualism among Anglophones can be attributed to the improvements in core and immersion second-language programs. This rate, however, could be much higher. During my meetings with people from across the country, I have seen that the success of French-as-a-second-language programs is limited, not because of a lack of enthusiasm on the part of young people or a lack of will on the part of their parents, but because of a lack of resources. English-speaking students who want to learn French are denied access to programs because of the restricted number of spaces, a lack of funding or a shortage of qualified teachers.
I was therefore pleasantly surprised by the approach taken by the Edmonton Public School Board. After witnessing a decline in immersion enrolment, the School Board determined what was needed to provide quality second-language education. At the end of its study, the Board established 14 criteria to improve the program, including support from the School Board, principals, teachers, parents and the community, as well as greater financial support. There is nothing magical about this approach; it is, in fact, quite reasonable, but it remains the only one of its kind in Canada.
The 2001 census showed that outside Quebec, 15% of Anglophone youth between 15 and 19 are bilingual. In Quebec, this rate increases to 83%. Outside Quebec, nine out of 10 Francophone youth are bilingual, as opposed to only four out of 10 in Quebec. For the country as a whole, this means that one high school student in four is bilingual, which is impressive. However, we still have a long road ahead. Five years ago, the Action Plan for Official Languages set out an objective of 50%. We are far from reaching this goal.
The federal government created the Action Plan for Official Languages in 2003 as a way of rectifying the situation: one of the objectives is to once again increase the number of students enrolled in immersion programs and to double the number of bilingual young Canadians by 2013. The Plan was given a $137 million budget over five years for second-language instruction. In his Speech from the Throne last month, Prime Minister Harper stated that he would follow up on the Plan, but the details still remain to be specified.
According to the data we have on hand, additional efforts are needed if we want to meet the 2013 objective:
- Provinces and school boards must be more accountable for the funds they receive from the federal government for official-language instruction.
- We need to create incentives to keep students in French learning programs, whether they are immersion, intensive or core programs.
- Finally, Canadian universities must recognize that English and French are Canadian languages and not foreign languages. They must also provide students with opportunities to learn the other official language or improve their language skills, whether in the classroom, through summer jobs or through exchange programs.
This last point is one that is very important to me. When will we all recognize that our country has two official languages, English and French? Only when we accept this fact will we be able to move ahead and make real progress.
The Office of the Commissioner will soon undertake a study to better understand the challenges facing Canadian universities with regards to French-language learning opportunities.
In light of the increasing number of graduates from immersion programs and other French-as-a-second-language education programs who wish to continue their language learning, we must succeed in filling the gaps, defining best practices and determining the improvements to make to the post-secondary education system so we can meet the needs of these young people.
In addition to the points I have just mentioned, others still need to be addressed:
- Universities need to be flexible and innovative to adapt to the ever-changing needs of their student client base. It is not up to the students to adapt to university requirements. For example, courses offered in French could be adapted to the content of various disciplines, or joint diplomas or specialization programs could be offered in the second language.
- A certificate or accreditation system needs to be set up to formally recognize students’ language skills. Many post-secondary institutions already offer these certificates or accreditation programs. Glendon College’s Bilingual Excellence Certificate is one such example.
A formal certification could also be used for language evaluation in the Government of Canada’s hiring process. Of course, setting up an evaluation process for the various university programs could be costly, but in the long run, it could be a real advantage. - Universities must increasingly focus their recruiting efforts on bilingualism and implement bilingual marketing campaigns that focus on the demand for language skills in public and private sectors and the many benefits of learning a second language.
- Universities must establish ties with communities. This type of support could prove beneficial in several areas: resources, jobs, internships, etc.
- Finally—and this point is very important—universities need more funding to enhance bilingualism.
During her mandate, my predecessor, Dyane Adam, often spoke about the role of universities in the advancement of bilingualism. She pointed out that we expect our universities to do more with fewer resources. To meet ever-increasing demands, she recommended that official-language instruction occur over a longer period in more areas of activity, from preschool to university.
Many universities already stand out in terms of bilingualism: York University’s Glendon College, the University of Ottawa, the University of Sherbrooke, the University of Montréal and McGill University, among others. Each of these institutions encourages their students from all faculties to perfect their knowledge of both official languages throughout their studies.
As students of Carleton’s Department of French, you already recognize the importance of learning or perfecting your knowledge of what is, for some, your second language, and others, your mother tongue.
You, who study in Ottawa in a majority English-speaking university, are undoubtedly among the first to recognize the value of this education and the richness it provides you. Culturally, the student population is becoming increasingly diverse. By offering concrete opportunities to learn a second language, Carleton University can become an example of how cultural diversity and linguistic duality are complementary.
Bilingualism is an asset not only on a cultural level, but also on a personal and professional level. Your language skills contribute to your personal development and can help you learn other languages. Not to mention that they can also be useful on your travels, whether to Quebec, New Brunswick, Europe or Africa. What's more, the National Capital Region is an ideal place to practice French since it is home to a large Francophone population.
In the workplace, bilingualism is in demand in all areas of activity: in the business world, communications, education and international trade.
Finally, in my opinion, if we want to encourage bilingualism at the university level, it is important to establish a number of partnerships to offer students a range of opportunities to perfect their skills. This is in fact very important for students enrolled in French programs who, as is the case here at Carleton, are part of a minority community.
Such partnerships could be established with other universities, other areas in the country or foreign institutions. They can also be established with organizations from different levels of government and local businesses to provide students with internship possibilities in their second language.
Initiatives in other countries can serve as inspiration. In Europe, the Erasmus program has been enormously successful in helping students who want to learn another language and get to know another culture. This program allows them to continue their studies and work for one semester in another European Union country. While a number of Canadian universities offer similar programs, they are much less accessible and many improvements are still needed.
Conclusion
Before ending, I wish to congratulate you on the support you provide, as students and teachers of French, to the expansion of our two official languages, and I encourage you to keep lobbying to ensure your programs continue to exist and grow.
Finally, I invite you all, both students and teachers of French, to participate in the Congrès mondial de la Fédération internationale des professeurs de français, which will take place in Québec City from July 21 to 25, 2008 as part of the city’s 400th anniversary celebrations. This milestone event will bring together Francophones and Francophiles from across the country. You will be able to witness first-hand the current diversity of the Canadian Francophonie, of which you all are part.
If time permits, I will now answer some of your questions.
Thank you.
