Edmonton, September 28, 2002
Canada's Diversity: in Both Official Languages
Notes for a presentation at "Diversity 2002 - Canada:
Global Model for a Multicultural State"
Dr. Dyane Adam – Commissioner of Official Languages
Check against delivery
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Good morning!
Allow me to start off my presentation today by raising a few questions:
- Do you think that it is possible to be multicultural but only monolingual?
- Can a society promote multiculturalism but insist that only one language be used?
- Can an individual truly embrace tolerance and diversity and not, at least, try to learn another language?
Your scholarly insight and varied human experience would probably lead you to answer these questions in many different ways. What I will do is to contribute my own reflections on the intersection of language and multiculturalism from a particular vantage point - which is that of Canada's Commissioner of Official Languages. I hope that my thoughts will resonate with you and allow us to enter into a stimulating debate on an issue that is central not only to the future of Canada but also to that of many countries around the world.
In the first part of my talk, I will focus on the links between Official Languages and Multiculturalism in the Canadian system. In the second part, I will discuss immigration as a major focal point where Canada's linguistic duality intersects with multiculturalism, and where political action is urgently required.
The terms Official Languages and Multiculturalism both refer to realities and to objectives. They reflect the reality of a country which is neither linguistically nor ethnically homogeneous. But they are also objectives which indicate that Canada does not wish to impose linguistic or ethnic uniformity but rather embraces its diversity with explicit intention. Official Languages and Multiculturalism are, however, also something else: both are very much interdependent and have arisen out of Canada's capacity for constructive negotiation and productive compromise!
From its earliest days Canada has chosen the path of compromise. And the compromise between Canada's two official language communities clearly is one of the most fundamental aspects of Canada. In fact, without this compromise the Canadian federation would never have come into existence. But compromise requires effort. Fortunately, Canadians have, time and again, shown not only a distinct ability but a great willingness to make this effort - and to refuse simplistic answers.
Building a country that recognizes two official languages rather than one is not effortless:
- It means negotiation, respect and vigilance.
- It means not only being sensitive to others but making the effort to understand them, quite literally, by learning their language.
Bilingualism cannot be taken for granted, it means active involvement:
- Today, more than 300,000 students across Canada are making the effort and are attending immersion schools which will equip them with a high degree of functional bilingualism. A further 1.7 million students are enrolled in regular French programs.
- Today, there are schools for francophone minority communities across the country as there are schools for the anglophone minority community in Quebec.
- And today, we have a federal government that supports these efforts while trying to lead by example through offering a linguistically respectful work environment for its employees and rendering services to the public in the language of their choice.
My own role is to act as Canada's Language Coach and to try and make sure that everyone on the team is inspired, motivated and given the necessary tools so they can each contribute towards the equality of English and French in Canadian society.
Like any good coach, I also sometimes have to be stern and remind every player on the team of their respective responsibilities - if anyone from the federal government is listening, they will probably know what I mean...
Coaching Canada on language issues is, however, a mostly joyful experience. In fact, I cannot tell you how satisfying it is for me, as for many Canadians, to see anglophones and francophones in Canada realize that, when it comes to official languages, they are not playing on opposite teams but are working towards the same goal - and that the Commissioner is a coach to both of them rather than a referee between them.
To give you a taste of how Canada's linguistic landscape is changing, let me quote the headline from an article in the Toronto Star in May of this year1. With a hint of astonishment, it read "In Quebec, even Anglos want to protect French." A growing number of Quebec anglophones want to support their community's language but they also understand how much their children benefit from growing up in both official languages, and have therefore become allies in the cause for French in Quebec. Montreal is a case in point. It is the Canadian city with the most bi- or multilingual residents. Half of its population is bilingual, the highest percentage of any city in Canada. But what is even more impressive is the effect that such bilingualism is having on immigrants: in Quebec, almost half of those with a mother tongue other than English or French are, in fact, also English-French bilingual. The rate of such tri-linguals is nine times higher than in Canada in general. It shows how bilingualism is complimentary to the maintenance of other languages2. Everyone stands to gain by maintaining this diversity not only as a cultural feature but also as a prime economic advantage.
In a similar fashion, Canadians outside of Quebec are realizing the very real advantages that bilingualism can bring. The bilingual call centre industry in Moncton, New Brunswick, has been copied in small but significant ways in communities in Ontario and Manitoba that have a strong francophone presence. These examples highlight the economic opportunities of a bilingual workforce. The protection and support for Canada's Official Language Minority Communities is a direct investment into the future for all Canadians and goes hand in hand with the promotion of English and French in Canadian society. The recent climax of these positive developments was the adoption of a new Official Languages Act in New Brunswick and the declaration of the City of Moncton as Canada's first bilingual city at the beginning of August. What was particularly gratifying was to see how the anglophone community in Moncton welcomed this step. The president of a local business association expressed the point very succinctly when she said: "We're open for business and we're not just open in one language3."
I do not wish to sing the praises of Canada's Official Languages policy, however, without mentioning that behind every achievement has been hard work, and that continuing efforts are needed all the time to ensure that we progress towards the goal which we have set ourselves.
This will, no doubt, sound familiar to you: the tenacity required to move towards linguistic equality is similar to the resolve that is needed to promote a pluralist society. Like the promotion of Official Languages, multiculturalism is a long-term project and needs active involvement. Respect for diversity means more than passive consumption of difference and multiculturalism goes beyond the occasional trip to an ethnic restaurant.
It is my belief that one of the most basic tests for a society's and an individual's ability to engage with and respect others is the learning of or openness shown towards a second language. Ask yourself how much you have discovered through the languages you have learned and what it has meant to you in terms of your ability to truly access and understand another culture. You will probably agree that bi- or multilingualism is a privileged path towards embracing diversity. Before I move on, let me briefly conclude this first section by stating that a successful Official Languages Policy is the continuing legacy upon which successful Canadian Multiculturalism can be constructed.
Now, what does all this mean for today's worlds of Canadian politics? One of the most fundamental challenges that Canada currently faces is how to ensure social, economic and demographic stability in the face of an aging population. Immigration rightfully occupies a central place in Canada's answer to this challenge. Immigration responds to the needs of Canadian society as much as Canada responds to the needs of immigrants. What is ideally a relationship of mutual benefit does, however, require careful planning and occasional review:
- Yes, Canada does need immigrants but it also needs for these immigrants to settle in communities across Canada, not just in the country's three largest cities.
Many of you will be familiar with the current Canadian debate on how to achieve a better geographic dispersion of newcomers to Canada. But there has been relatively little discussion about how immigration will affect Canada's linguistic duality. Let me therefore add a second point:
- Yes, Canada does need immigrants but it also needs to ensure that English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians benefit in equal measure from their arrival.
Unfortunately, we are currently faced with a glaring imbalance.
- English-speaking Canadians4 are immigrant-rich: one out of every five was born outside Canada.
- But French-speaking Canadians are immigrant-poor: only one in twenty was born outside the country.
This applies both to francophones in Quebec and francophones in other provinces. Anglophone minority communities in rural Quebec, on the other hand, are also facing a shortfall of immigrants. Over the past forty years, the number of anglophone immigrants heading to regions outside Montreal has fallen by half, from 36% to 18%5.
Particularly troublesome, however, is the lack of immigrants for the close to one million francophones who live outside Quebec. They represent about four and a half percent of the population there. It follows that the percentage of francophone immigrants who settle outside Quebec every year should be the same. In reality, though, in 2001 only three percent of immigrants outside Quebec could speak French. And as not all of them will become members of a local francophone community, even more than four and half percent francophone immigrants are needed to support Canada's francophone minority communities.
As things stand, French-speaking Canadians can only draw one conclusion:
Immigration reduces their demographic share within the Canadian population!
This is cause for great concern.
We can, in fact, draw a parallel here: Rural Canada is faced with an aging population6. Not surprisingly, Canadians in mainly rural provinces like Manitoba and Saskatchewan are favourable to more immigration7. They ask what good immigration will do if it only accelerates the growth of Canada's largest cities. Canada's minority francophones are, in fact, in a similar position. And they, too, are concerned about immigration bypassing them.
Immigration must assist all Canadians to achieve their legitimate collective objectives and this does, of course, include the strengthening of Canada's linguistic duality.
Sometimes, the measures that need to be taken can be very simple. Let me give you an example:
The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine and the Société franco-manitobaine have jointly produced a map for new immigrants to help them with their search for permanent accommodation once they have arrived. This map shows the local francophone school bus routes. The idea is simple: before they sign any rental agreements, French-speaking newcomer families need to know whether their children will be able to attend a francophone school in their neighbourhood. This is an excellent service that works both ways: the children can continue their education in French and an important institution within the francophone community gains another family.
Canada's official language minority communities wish to recruit and integrate immigrants. They are looking towards the federal and, in some cases, the provincial governments to help them devise the appropriate recruitment and integration schemes so that immigration can be become a tool for community development.
I am cautiously optimistic that we will attain this objective. In June of this year, a new immigration law took effect in Canada which marked the most important overhaul of its immigration policies in 25 years. For the very first time, the new Immigration and Refugee Protection Act contains an explicit commitment by the Canadian government to support the vitality and development of Canada's official language minority communities.
The regulations which accompany the Act give greater weight to immigrants who know both official languages than what had originally been proposed. Originally, immigrants who are fluent in both official languages were only going to receive 25% more points for speaking the second language compared to speaking only one. Like many other Canadians, I felt that linguistic duality among immigrants deserved greater recognition. Fortunately, both the Committee on Citizenship and Immigration and the Immigration Minister shared my conviction and being bilingual now adds 50% to an immigrant's language points.
These are small but significant advances which send out an important message:
The English and French languages are meeting places for newcomers and Canadians. Neither of Canada's official languages is the property of any particular ethnic group and both are waiting to be filled with the voices of many diverse origins.
Today, Canada's Francophonie is as much made up of the descendants of French settlers who came here 400 years ago as of those who have come here from Africa and the Caribbean much more recently. But Canada's Francophonie is also made up of English speakers who use the other official language at work, with their partner or are sending their children to French Immersion schools. And it is made up of those who are rediscovering and regaining French by encouraging their children to attend francophone schools - a particularly Canadian phenomenon known as Refrancisation.
In spite of many challenges, Canada has been able to build, maintain and increase the momentum around its linguistic duality. According to recent surveys8, 82% of Canadians are in favour of the policy of bilingualism and 86% think that it is important for their children to learn a second language. 75% of English speakers choose French for their children and 90% of French speakers choose English.
Let me conclude my remarks.
Discussing the intersection of Official Languages and Multiculturalism brings us very close to the core of Canadian identity and to what makes this country unique. I am convinced that the openness and respect that Canadians have historically shown towards the linguistic duality of their country, and to which they remain attached, is one of the best foundations upon which a multicultural society can be built and expanded. What we do need to do, however, at this particular juncture in time, is to ensure that both the English and the French pillars of the Canadian foundation are reinforced equally through immigration.
The theme of this last day of your conference is "Multiculturalism and Bilingualism: The Next Generation" and the organizers have asked us to reflect on what Canada's potential is to be a leader in setting and advancing a multicultural agenda. My answer to you would have to be that Canada has, in fact, acted as a multicultural leader since long before the term "multiculturalism" was even coined. Its achievements in accommodating two large language groups have been exemplary and demonstrate that it is possible to build a society on constructive compromise and respect.
When a society gives itself lofty ideals such as bilingualism and multiculturalism, it needs to make sure that these are transformed into a reality at the grassroots level and become anchored in daily practice. Canada's official languages are a most vocal and convincing expression that the values of bilingualism and multiculturalism have taken root and that Canadians stand to make great strides yet in the building of a pluralist and bilingual society.
Thank you!
Notes
1 Patriquin, Martin. "In Quebec, even Anglos want to protect French". The Toronto Star. May 11, 2002.
2 Statistics Canada. "1996 Census: Mother tongue, home language and knowledge of languages". The Daily, December 2, 1997. Online: http://www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/971202/d971202.htm
3 "Moncton first to declare itself officially bilingual city". Saint John Telegraph-Journal, August 7, 2002.
4 Information on English-speaking and French-speaking Canadians are based on Statistics Canada (1996) data on First Official Language Spoken.
5 Statistics Canada, 1996 (in: Commissioner of Official Languages. 2002. Immigration and the Vitality of Canada's Official Languages. p. 56.)
6 Lewington, Jennifer. "Canada facing age crunch". The Globe and Mail, p. A1. July 17, 2002.
7 According to an Ipsos-Reid poll released May 6, 2000, 48% of all Canadians approve of Canada's immigration policy but 56% in Manitoba and Saskatchewan do. Similarly, while 59% of all Canadians believe that immigrants "contribute to Canada's economy" rather than "act as a drain on the economy", in Manitoba and Saskatchwan this percentage is 68%.
8 Centre de recherche et d'information sur le Canada. Portraits du Canada 2001. Montreal, 2002.
