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"Francophone Communities Outside Quebec:
at the Heart of the Canadian Ideal"
Notes for an address to the
Institut franco-ontarien
Sudbury, Ontario
December 13, 1996
Introduction
Linguistic duality has built our country. It has allowed us throughout our
history to build bridges between Canadians. It has helped our federation to
become a universal example of tolerance, openness and generosity.
I want to talk about that linguistic duality with you, about the great wealth
it represents, the advantages it gives to all Canadians and the tolerance it
fosters, and the need to strengthen that tolerance. I want us to examine
together the current situation of Francophone minorities outside Quebec, without
whom our linguistic duality would no longer have the same meaning. I hope that
our examination will be neither complacent nor defeatist. We will also look at
the realities you have to deal with and the assets at your disposal.
I am especially pleased to be talking about the importance of the future of
our linguistic duality today with members of the Franco-Ontarian community,
which constitutes the strongest French-language minority in the country. The
Institut Franco-ontarien, which is celebrating its 20th birthday, is reflective
of your community: courageous, determined, an example for all Canadians.
Linguistic duality: a source of dialogue and tolerance
Our official languages, one of Canada's strengths, are among the most widely
spoken languages in the world. They greatly contribute to Canada's economic,
social, cultural and international success.
French and English are recognized languages of the United Nations and NATO.
French is the official language of no fewer than 33 countries, and English, 56.
Some 800 million people in the world speak English, and 180 million speak
French. Canada is a member of both the Francophonie, which includes 49 countries
and governments, and its Anglophone counterpart, the Commonwealth, which
comprises 50 countries. In this era of market globalization, Canada's bilingual
character facilitates trade ties with all those countries. In a highly
competitive market, a bilingual work force is an asset that can make all the
difference.
According to Jean Laponce, a political science professor at the University of
British Columbia and the University of Ottawa:
"Having English and French as its two dominant languages makes Canada
unique among democratic industrialized states, the very states that are at the
core of the world communication system."
Linguistic duality does not only help to create economic wealth. It also lays
the foundations of a tolerant society. Linguistic duality has helped us greatly
to show more solidarity and openness to diversity. That spirit of tolerance,
which we all cherish today, stemmed precisely from the need for the English and
French to find ways to take advantage both of their respective identities and of
the complementarity of their cultures. It has not always been easy, there have
been dark pages in our history and many injustices committed against some
communities, such as the unfortunate passage of Regulation 17 in Ontario in
1912.
The early history of our Confederation, however, must be judged against
attitudes prevailing elsewhere in the 19th century. The linguist Jacques Leclerc
prepared an overview in 1986 of linguistic situations throughout the world,
based on an analysis of some 6,000 languages and 170 sovereign states. According
to Leclerc, "In the 19th century, centralizing authoritarianism, which
consists of unilaterally imposing a single language throughout a territory and
ignoring linguistic pluralism [...] was the order of the day."
The values of tolerance which we now feel are essential were simply not at
that time. A number of countries then, including France and the United States,
had active policies of cultural assimilation, notably through a "one size
fits all" system of mandatory education. Fortunately, Canada rejected that
system. We can see today how much our linguistic duality gives us a clear
advantage as human beings in comparison with citizens of unilingual countries.
The close proximity of another language encourages us to become open to a
whole cultural universe. Language is a means for transmitting cultural and
social values. Learning a second language such as French allows Anglophones to
incorporate cultural elements and values from other parts of the world, such as
Switzerland, Haiti or Cameroon. As the writer Antonine Maillet so eloquently
puts it, "Every time you look at the world and life and humanity through
the key, which is language, you discover another profile, another vision of the
same world... So learning another language makes you bigger, gives you a wider
vision [....]"
The cohabitation of our two linguistic communities has helped us to welcome
with greater tolerance and openness our fellow citizens from all continents. In
that respect, Canada's bilingualism and multiculturalism, rather than
conflicting with each other, complement and mutually strengthen each other. That
is why it would be so regrettable for Canada to break up because of its
linguistic aspect, when it is that very aspect that has helped it so much to
become a model of openness celebrated throughout the world.
We must preserve and continually improve that spirit of tolerance. For if
intolerance were to prevail today against linguistic duality, an essential
aspect of our country, it would turn on our multicultural component tomorrow,
and we would thus lose the soul of Canada.
Indeed, it is to preserve tolerance and openness that I am so opposed to
secession, the very dynamic of which is a source of division. Secession is the
kind of divisive issue that can plunge the most tolerant populations into
intolerance. The threat of secession is not only creating an unhealthy split
between Quebec Francophones and Quebec Anglophones, but is also aggravating
tensions between Canadian Anglophones and Francophones outside Quebec. Some of
you may have some experience of this. Secession would have serious consequences
not only for French-language minority communities, which would be cut off from
the only majority Francophone society in North America, but for all Canadians as
well.
The situation of French outside Quebec
That Francophones outside Quebec account for only 3.6% of the Canadian
population overall obviously does not make things any easier for them. Some
disgruntled observers conclude from that that there is no longer any future for
them, and that assimilation is inevitable. To back up their pessimism, they
always trot out the same series of statistics comparing mother tongue and
language spoken at home. And, indeed, Statistics Canada data do indicate that,
outside Quebec, French is the language spoken most often at home for 3.2% of
Canadians, whereas mother-tongue Francophones represent 4.8% of the population.
The same situation can be seen in Ontario: whereas Francophones represent 5% of
the province's population, 3.2% of Ontarians speak French most often at home.
But those numbers have to be looked at in the proper context! The indicator of
language spoken most often at home does not, in and of itself, make it possible
to conclude that there is assimilation. Someone living in an English-speaking
city with an English-speaking spouse is likely to use English at home more
often. That doesn't mean, however, that that person no longer uses French or is
not passing that language on to his or her children.
It is true that the relative demographic weight of Francophones outside
Quebec is dropping: from 7.3% in 1951 to 4.8% in 1991 for Canada not including
Quebec, and from 7.4% to 5% in Ontario during the same period. That drop is due
in large part to a lower birth rate and the strong attraction of English for
immigrants. And yet, despite that drop in the relative demographic weight of
Francophones outside Quebec, and despite the "no future outside
Quebec" doomsayers, the actual number of Francophones outside Quebec, based
on mother tongue, rose from 721,000 to more than 976,000 between 1951 and 1991,
an increase of 35.4%. In Ontario, for example, the total number of Francophones
also continues to rise, from 341,000 in 1951 to more than 503,000 in 1991, an
increase of 47.5%; by comparison, Quebec Anglophones have seen their numbers
increase by only 12.2% during the same period. That increase is especially
visible in urban regions: Statistics Canada reports higher numbers of
Francophones outside Quebec in 19 out of 20 metropolitan regions in Canada
between 1986 and 1991.
Nevertheless, beyond Statistics Canada data and quantitative indicators, the
living proof of the vitality of your Francophone communities is, in fact, their
very vitality itself. No matter where they are, be it in Ontario, New Brunswick,
Alberta or elsewhere in Canada, your communities display remarkable energy and
great determination, as evidenced by your cultural, social and economic
institutions. Your contribution to Canada is invaluable.
No matter what the writer Yves Beauchemin may have to say, the
Franco-Ontarian community and Francophones outside Quebec are far from being
"warm corpses"! The very opposite is true. One need only think of your
institute, created by a handful of idealists 20 years ago, which is a haven for
Franco-Ontarian research. The many literary awards garnered by Franco-Ontarian
writers are a testimony to your vitality. In 1996, the poet Andrée Lacelle won
the Trillium literary award for her collection Tant de vie s'égare. In 1993,
François Paré won the Governor General's Award and Radio-Québec's Signet d'or
award for Les Littératures de l'exiguité, and Daniel Poliquin took the Signet
d'or for L'écureuil noir. In 1988, playwright Jean-Marc Dalpé won the Governor
General's Award for his play Le Chien, and Michel Ouellette received the
Governor General's Award for Frenchtown in 1994. And there are so many others,
such as Patrice Desbiens, Andrée Christensen, Roger Levac and Paul Savoie...
More and more Franco-Ontarian authors, writers, poets, novelists and playwrights
are known not only in Ontario and elsewhere in Canada, but also beyond our
borders.
The Toronto French Book Fair has been going strong since 1992.
French-language publishing companies are becoming increasingly numerous, such as
Prise de Parole (Sudbury), Les éditions du Nordir (Hearst and Ottawa), Les
éditions du Vermillon (Ottawa), and Les éditions David (Orléans). And let's
not forget the professional theatre companies, such as the Francophone theatre
company of Sudbury and the Théâtre du Nouvel Ontario founded here in Sudbury
25 years ago, and the numerous Francophone festivals such as Ottawa's
Franco-Ontarian festival, LeFranco, which is the foremost French-language
cultural event of its kind in North America.
That same vitality can be seen at the economic level as well. Francophones
own more than 7,500 stores, businesses and companies in Ontario. The Francophone
business community is coming closer together: in particular, the Chambre
Économique de l'Ontario, which was established four years ago, not only links
businesspeople within the province, but also fosters contacts with other
Francophone organizations in Quebec and the other provinces. The first Forum of
Francophone Businesspeople and Elected Municipal Officials in Canada was
recently held in the Beauce region of Quebec, attracting more than 200
participants from across Canada to discuss ways to maximize opportunities for
doing business in French in Canada and abroad. Francophone entrepreneurship
outside Quebec accounts for 348 Francophone cooperatives, with $3.9 billion in
assets, $327 million in investments and 20,000 Francophone entrepreneurs.
Realities you have to deal with and assets at your disposal
Francophone communities outside Quebec need to be vibrant and dynamic,
because the realities of today constitute a major challenge:
- Secularisation, which has transformed the social structure and facilitated
interlinguistic marriages.
- Communications, in which English is dominant everywhere, from television
to the Internet.
- A falling birth rate, which cannot be offset by immigrants, who are
naturally attracted by the language of the continent.
- Urbanization, which has made it more difficult to forge community ties and
has attracted young people to large Anglophone cities.
And yet, you are not unequipped to deal with those realities. First and
foremost, as I have said, you have your extraordinary vitality. Moreover, you
can count on the values of tolerance and respect you have been able to develop
alongside the Anglophone majority. Those values are certainly being tested
today, by the host of reactions that the threat of secession is generating in
the country. Nevertheless, the vast majority of your English-speaking fellow
citizens want to help you and are proud of their country's Francophone
dimension.
When you appeal to their hearts and their finer feelings, Canadians are
generous people. According to a new book by Angus Reid entitled Shakedown: How
the New Economy is Changing Our Lives, more than 85% of Canadians "believe
that English and French Canadians can live harmoniously under one flag."
Another poll (Compas, May 1995) indicates that three out of four Anglophone
Canadians want their children to learn French.
A second asset is that more of your Anglophone fellow citizens now speak
French than ever before in the history of our Confederation. According to
Statistics Canada, close to 2.8 million young Canadians were enrolled in French
or English second-language programs in 1995, 77.2% in French. Those classes are
yielding tangible results: the proportion of bilingual 15- to 25-year-olds rose
from 16% to 23% between 1981 and 1991. The highest rate of bilingualism is found
among Anglophones in the 10 to 14 and 15 to 19 age groups, at 14.8% and 16.7%
respectively. A record 313,000 young Anglophones are now in French immersion
school, compared with 38,000 in 1977. That means there are now 10 times as many
French immersion students as there were 20 years ago!
A third asset you have is the charters. Your rights have never been better
established than since the introduction of the Official Languages Act, the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and the Constitution Act, 1982. Since
the Constitution Act, 1982, French-language educational services have been more
available. Francophone school management is a fact of life in New Brunswick,
Prince Edward Island, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Yukon, and is close to
being introduced in Nova Scotia. It is unfortunate that Francophone communities
in some provinces have to go to court to have their rights respected. The
federal government will continue to support the full implementation of your
rights in all provinces and territories.
Finally, you have another asset, which is the support of the federal
government. That doesn't mean that the provinces don't have to help you, but you
know that the Prime Minister and the federal government will always have a
special responsibility in respect of this country's official-language
minorities. It is true that you are often hurt by budget cuts. We have had to
make difficult but necessary decisions to reduce the deficit, which had reached
record levels, and to put our fiscal house in order. All federal departments and
agencies have had to deal with budget cuts. It is impossible to spare
Francophones outside Quebec, but we have always sought to ensure that your
communities are given equitable support.
The federal government's support to official-language minority communities
takes account of the sociological context. You, as Francophones outside Quebec,
are a minority in your own province, a minority within Canada and a minority
within the English-speaking North American continent.
Our policies seek to help you in four ways. First, through support for
official-language education. Next, through support to your communities
themselves, through equitable representation of Francophones within the public
service and federal institutions, and finally, by availability of federal
services in French.
Since 1970, in accordance with the recommendations of the Royal Commission on
Bilingualism and Biculturalism, the federal government has financially assisted
the provincial and territorial governments so as to give members of
official-language minority communities the opportunity to study in their own
language and to enable young Canadians to learn French or English as a second
language. Those two elements -- minority-language instruction and
second-language education -- correspond to our vision of Canada. Through the
Official Languages in Education Program, some 161,000 Francophone elementary and
secondary students can study in their own language in some 700 Francophone
schools outside Quebec. In addition to giving young Canadians the opportunity to
learn French or English as a second language, it has supported the development
of existing institutions such as the University of Ottawa, and has also made it
possible to expand the network of Francophone post-secondary institutions.
Collège Boréal in Sudbury, Collège des Grands-Lacs and Cité collégiale,
institutions that did not exist only a few years ago, will help to advance
knowledge of and use of French among Canadian young people.
Our government also provides direct support to official-language minority
communities through Canada-community agreements. The agreements were initiated
in 1988 with Saskatchewan's Francophone community and enable communities to make
decisions that affect their development and reflect the needs of their members.
The Canada-community agreement with Ontario, the last to be signed, will provide
more than $18 million to Ontario's Francophone community and will help it to set
development priorities. Through the Department of Canadian Heritage, the federal
government supports official-language minority community media such as TFO, the
French-language service of TV Ontario, as well as weekly newspapers.
The federal government has very specific obligations under the Official
Languages Act, particularly with respect to equitable participation by members
of official-language communities in federal institutions. The federal government
is continuing its efforts to ensure that participation of federal employees
reflects the presence of the two linguistic communities. Francophones have
maintained their presence despite the reduction in the size of the public
service. As of March 31, 1996, 29% of federal employees were French-speaking and
71% were English-speaking. We know that Francophones make up 25.2% of Canada's
population and Anglophones, 74.3 %.
We also have obligations pertaining to the availability of federal services
in French. The situation is not perfect. In his 1995 annual report, the
Commissioner of Official Languages noted that the Ontario public was
experiencing proportionally more frequent problems than in the other provinces.
Federal institutions have taken action and progress has since been made with
respect to three indicators of public service: service in person, service by
telephone and active offer of services. The improvements were highlighted in the
latest report by the President of the Treasury Board: service in person and by
telephone is now available in 98% of offices that are required to provide
services in both official languages, compared with 85% and 88% in 1994 and 1995
respectively. With respect to active offer of services, the percentage of
offices fulfilling their obligations has risen from 53% to 97%.
Another example is labour market agreements transferring active employment
measures to the provinces. Those agreements, one of which has just been
concluded with Alberta, will stipulate that all signatory provinces must provide
services in French where there is a significant demand. The Government also
takes official languages considerations into account in connection with
privatization measures, on a case by case basis. For major privatization
operations, privatized organizations have been made subject to the Official
Languages Act, in whole or in part, as is the case with Air Canada, CN and Nav
Canada. Under the Act, Internet sites of federal offices must be designed in
both official languages and provide information in French and English.
Guidelines will help federal institutions to understand clearly and fulfil this
requirement.
Progress has been made, but there is room for improvement. In 1996, the
Government published the results of the first phase of an audit on service to
the public that was conducted between January and March 1995 in some census
areas. The Government intends to continue its audits.
Your federal government is providing you with support, a framework and tools,
but your vitality comes first and foremost from within yourselves.
Conclusion
Our linguistic duality has fostered the emergence of a tolerant society which
we must strengthen. Canada itself is a major challenge which we must never take
for granted. And your communities are at the heart of the Canadian challenge.
You are the very essence of the Canadian ideal. It would be very difficult to
find your equivalent elsewhere in the world in this century, when the number of
languages spoken is getting smaller, rather than larger, for the first time in
the history of humanity.
While there are now only 20 million Europeans who speak a minority language
in their own country, compared with 50 million at the turn of the century; while
there are now 20,000 people in Ireland who can speak Irish, compared with 6
million of their ancestors in the 18th century; while there are now only 25,000
Austrians who speak Slovenian, compared with 100,000 in 1880; while there were
only 7,000 Germans who spoke Friesian in 1925 and there are even fewer today,
whereas there were 52,000 two centuries ago; and while a paltry 1% of the Welsh
population knows Welsh, whereas two thirds of the population spoke Welsh in
1840, in this country called Canada, there are now and still will be in the next
century strong Francophone communities outside Quebec who speak French. In the
next century, they will still express an irreplaceable facet of the culture and
history of our country. They will become stronger, because this is Canada, the
country of tolerance.
Which Canada do we want to prevail: that of Regulation 17, or that of the
Charter of Rights and Freedoms; that of Francophone communities outside Quebec
left to their own devices, or that which supports them; that of French not
recognized in federal institutions, or that of the Official Languages Act?
The Canada that will prevail is the Canada of openness and tolerance, the
Canada of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the Canada of official languages,
and the Canada of the Franco-Ontarian community.
Check against delivery.
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