Vancouver, October 20, 2007
Moving Forward: Making Bilingualism Happen
Speaking notes for an address at the Annual General Meeting
of Canadian Parents for French
Graham Fraser – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Dear Parents and Friends,
Thank you for inviting me. As you know, Canadian Parents for French was conceived in the office of the first Commissioner of Official languages, Keith Spicer. Since then, OCOL has considered Canadian Parents for French one of its closest partners, and in my tenure as Commissioner, I hope to maintain and strengthen the ties between our two organizations.
Since 1977, your work encouraging Anglophone parents to consider French second language education for their children, both in and out of the classroom, has shown impressive results.
Bilingualism has increased. Across Canada, one high school student in four is bilingual, in large part thanks to improvements in core and immersion programs, exactly the kind of approach you’ve been promoting for 30 years now.
The details of such progress are worth looking at more closely—even if many of you know these statistics by heart already.
The 2001 Census showed that the rate of bilingualism among English-speaking teenagers aged 15 to 19 outside Quebec is about 15 per cent. This is more than twice the bilingualism rate of their parents! In Quebec, more than four in 10 French-speaking teenagers are bilingual, as are 83 per cent of English-speaking teenagers. This is a great source of pride for our young generation of Canadians.
But why stop here? Today I want to talk to you about working together to put more energy back into FSL education.
I want us to think about our real success stories. Consider the Edmonton Public School Board, for example. Its approach to language teaching is one of the most comprehensive in the country. It has produced terrific results and has attracted attention from other boards across the country.
After witnessing a decline in immersion enrolment, the School Board did an analysis of what was necessary to provide quality second language education. They ended up with 14 criteria:
1) Positive district support
2) Positive principal support
3) Competent, enthusiastic teachers
4) Positive community support
5) Integral part of regular program
6) Sufficient instructional time
7) Clear and relevant curricular expectations
8) Students engage in interactive learning
9) Quality learning resources
10) Well-articulated programs
11) Professional development
12) Promotion and marketing
13) Student access, support and recognition
14) Financial support
They then took measures to ensure those criteria were met. The effect on teachers—and the quality of the teaching—was almost immediate.
And this is in Alberta.
Today, there is a general goodwill toward bilingualism that certainly was not there when CPF started its work 30 years ago. That means we don’t have to approach bilingualism as gingerly as we did in the 1970s.
The Commissioner’s annual reports aren’t front-page news any more—and that’s not really a bad thing. Language is not a hot button issue. The political parties agree on the goal—even when they disagree about how to get there. This improving public environment opens doors to advocates for quality official language education. It’s easier to catch the ear of education ministers now that the debate has shifted from the legitimacy of bilingualism to the best teaching systems.
Before talking about our work together, let me first tell you a bit about myself and about my vision for bilingualism. I’ll also tell you about the work of my Office and how you can help.
I began this job a year ago, after a career as an author and journalist. My early contact with Quebec’s Francophone society had a profound effect on me, so I seized the opportunity to cover Quebec politics throughout the late seventies and the eighties.
I decided early on that I wanted to spend my professional life learning things and then sharing them with others. As Commissioner, I have visited Francophone and Acadian communities across the country, as well as Quebec's Anglophone communities. Had St. John's not been fogged in, I’d have been in all 10 provinces. I have also visited two of the territories. I was in Whitehorse the day before yesterday, in fact.
During my travels, I have been struck by the different ways in which each of these communities expresses its vitality. Let me give you some examples.
- Here in British Columbia, I spoke with an economic development officer about the work being done in the area of tourism; and the subsequent increase in the number of French-speaking tourists, the only growth sector in British Columbia’s tourism industry.
- In Saskatchewan, I heard about the close cooperation between the University of Regina’s Institut français and the federal public service, as well as the development of an "urban village" concept to make the community more visible.
- In Sudbury, I’ve seen the difference that institutions like Collège Boréal and Laurentian University can make for the entire community.
- In Toronto, I met representatives of organizations that reflect the demographic transformation of a new Francophone community meeting new challenges.
- In Quebec, I witnessed the Anglophone community’s efforts to redefine its place in a society, which has transformed so greatly in two generations.
- In Acadia, I renewed my acquaintance with the enthusiasm of the Acadian culture and the richness of its history.
By learning French as well as English, our children gain access to the energy and opportunities associated with official language communities across Canada.
Everywhere I travel, I take a simple message: English and French are Canadian languages. It is true that nearly 150 languages are spoken in Canada, including Aboriginal languages that were spoken well before Europeans arrived. But it is through our two official languages that our national dialogue takes place.
In fact, if Canadian society had not been built around two national language communities, the very idea of multiculturalism would probably not have been accepted as readily. Next week, I will be hosting a discussion forum on the Perspectives of Canadians of Diverse Backgrounds Towards Linguistic Duality. I hope to learn more about how individual Canadians view and live linguistic duality.
In 1987, in a speech at the Forum on Citizenship Education, then Secretary of State David Crombie made some remarks that still resonate today.
He said: “If anybody says to you that there is some difference between multiculturalism and two official languages, let me tell you that they are nurtured at the same wellspring, make no mistake about it. And that is diversity. If we do not respect one another’s diversity, then our ability to be able to live with some kind of harmony will be diminished around the world.”
Given this, I want to congratulate CPF for reaching across ethno-cultural boundaries and engaging Canadians of various origins who want to learn their country's two official languages. We must develop a welcoming environment for immigrants, for First Nations and for parents who use other languages at home, so that they feel empowered and encouraged to learn English and French, or to support their children in doing so.
The Official Languages Act is first and foremost a matter of respect—respect for our heritage and for federal public servants who have the right to work in the language of their choice. Above all, it means respect for Canadians who, in many regions of the country, have the right to receive federal government services in the official language of their choice.
Although the Act is not about making every Canadian bilingual, it has resulted in many of us learning our other official language. The major reason why there are not more people enrolled in language courses is not demand—British Columbia is a great example—but resources. Parents should not have to participate in lotteries to get their kids into language programs. Nor should they have to put them on a 60-minute bus ride. I met a young person recently who told me that in Grade 9, she had to choose between music and French. She doesn’t regret taking music—she is a parliamentary intern and plays jazz—but she resents having had to make that choice.
We need to widen access to French second language programs. Happily, the number of immersion students has held at 300,000 for over a decade and coverage is slightly up, but we can do better as a society.
We also need to create more FSL learning opportunities outside the classroom to build better bridges between communities and emphasize the cultural component of language learning. Learning a language is a very physical activity; it needs constant practice. What better way to practise than by participating in the life of the local Francophone community?
CPF has done a terrific job building support for French second language education among parents. Clearly, parents play a crucial role in guiding their children’s education. If parents believe French is important, they will communicate that to their children. CPF is a shining example of how parents are working to change the system for their kids.
We must also work to keep an eye on the government’s commitment to renew the Action Plan for Official Languages, a five-year program introduced in March 2003. That plan included the ambitious goal of doubling the rate of bilingualism among young Canadians, so that every second young Canadian would be bilingual by 2013.
The Action Plan expires March 31 of next year. I know some of you are concerned we will lose momentum. So am I. In my first annual report, I asked the government to continue supporting the momentum that was gained in those five years. I was delighted to see that the government made a commitment in the Speech from the Throne to renew the Action Plan. But the Speech from the Throne is a menu, not a meal.
It will also be important to negotiate a new agreement for the Official Languages Education Program, working closely with the federal government and the provinces.
The government has given important indications that it is sympathetic to our cause. Prime Minister Stephen Harper often starts his speeches in French. He sent a very powerful message when he told the Australian parliament, in French, that Canada was born in French. This was repeated in the Speech from the Throne. His Minister for La Francophonie and Official Languages, Josée Verner, has said the Action Plan represents a floor not a ceiling.
We have the wind at our backs. We have 30 years of progress to bolster us. I say we up the ante. It’s time for a new initiative, one that will succeed the Action Plan, one that will consolidate what we have gained and one that will help us move forward. I am hoping that the commitments announced in the Throne Speech will be followed by a comprehensive initiative.
At the same time, we must keep pressing the government to fully implement Part VII of the newly strengthened Official Languages Act. Part VII commits the government to, I quote, “enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.”
Part VII is good news. It’s a definite win for the advancement of bilingualism. In 2005, the Clerk of the Privy Council wrote to all federal institutions to ask them to examine their mandates and consider how Part VII applies to them. Many of them turned to us looking for advice, which has led to productive exchanges.
A lot of what I’ve been talking about involves much more than simply getting our kids to learn French, as crucially important as that is. But CPF has always been able to see the big picture, which is not just about high school kids learning French; it is also about university students keeping up their French and employees using French on the job.
That’s why, in 2004, CPF was a key partner in an OCOL symposium, entitled Vision and Challenges for the 21st Century.
We brought key actors together to discuss issues and propose solutions, so we can move toward achieving one of the Action Plan’s key goals: doubling by 2013 the number of young Canadians with knowledge of their second official language.
After that symposium, Canadian Parents for French went knocking on doors with symposium publications in hand to convince provinces and territories that they are key players in teaching young people to speak French. Your perspectives and your hard work have been indispensable. The premiers are on board and have expressed their support.
I can honestly say we wouldn’t be where we are today, were it not for your tireless efforts every step of the way.
Conclusion
Today, 70 percent of Canadians support bilingualism. More and more of us are speaking both languages, some very well, some as best we can. We are so very, very close.
Yes. The path is a little rocky at times. Yes, the situation can be complicated and frustrating. But let’s not forget how far we’ve come.
We’re getting there. We’re getting there together.
You have my support as Commissioner of Official Languages. I believe in supporting quality French second language education across Canada. I will continue to visit communities across the country and listen to what you have to say.
In return, I need you to keep telling me what’s on your mind.
And don’t stop there. Keep talking to your provincial governments, keep talking to the media. Talk to federal institutions about their new obligations under Part VII.
Keep busting those myths you hear about immersion, and keep working with post-secondary institutions to reinforce teacher training for FLS.
Above all, keep talking—in both official languages!
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in your AGM. I would be happy to hear any comments you may have or to answer a few questions.
