It’s time to get serious about the Official Languages Act

On Sept. 9, 1969, Canada’s first Official Languages Act came into effect. The goal of the legislation—and of the updated act, which replaced it in 1988—was to achieve substantive equality for English and French within government, but also before the courts and in Canadian society. Has this goal been met? As we say in French, poser la question, c’est y répondre—asking the question is answering it. Not only is Canada nowhere near substantive equality of English and French, but also the status of French as a legitimate official language is once more being questioned in various regions. Arguments on the cost of bilingualism—which conveniently omit the benefits of Canada having two official languages—are once again surfacing. Francophone minority communities in a number of provinces—among them Manitoba, Nova Scotia, and Ontario—are still reeling from government decisions that have eroded their rights or institutions in some way, shape, or form. How did we get to this point? The fact that for 50 years, the Official Languages Act has not been taken as seriously as it could have been certainly hasn’t helped. Neither has the propensity of successive governments to spend more time justifying language obligations rather than promoting the advantages of bilingualism for Canada. While the act has undeniably allowed official language minority communities to achieve some measure of progress over the years, French in 2019 remains treated more as a language of accommodation rather than an official language of Canada. Just ask most travellers who have tried to obtain services in French at the airport in Ottawa, Toronto, or Vancouver. Just ask most public servants in the national capital who have tried to exercise their right to work in French. The 50th anniversary of the Official Languages Act should be celebrated as the milestone that it is, but it is also an opportunity to put an end to five decades of inadequate implementation, poor understanding of language obligations by federal institutions, and sometimes the outright lack of a will to comply with the act. Every official languages commissioner, from Keith Spicer in 1970 to Raymond Théberge in 2019, has copiously used words like “stagnation,” “inefficiency,” “lack of coherence,” and “lack of leadership” in annual reports to Parliament. The inescapable conclusion is that the main obstacle to the implementation of the act is the act itself. Only through a thorough and complete overhaul can the Official Languages Act’s issues be resolved. A modernized act would designate a central hub within government with the authority to set out guidelines for federal institutions and keep them accountable. It would create an administrative tribunal with the authority to hear complaints on violations of the act and the power to issue sanctions. It would require Supreme Court justices to be able to understand both official languages. It would provide more opportunities for Canadians who want to learn their second official language to do so. A modernized Official Languages Act would also send a strong and much-needed message on the status and legitimacy of French as one of the official languages of Canada. Of course, some will ask: why should Canadians and taxpayers care about linguistic duality? They should care because chipping away at one of Canada’s core values is like pulling on a thread in a piece of fabric: you never know what you’re going to cause to unravel. In a time when intolerance and hate speech are on the rise in various parts of the world, it is worth reasserting what we stand for as a country: that our two official languages, our commitment to reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples, and our growing diversity are part of what makes us successful. They should care because outside Quebec, the bilingual labour force accounts for 10 per cent of Canada’s GDP; because no less than 430,000 French-language businesses generate economic activity valued at $130-billion; because worldwide, the use of French is forecast to grow exponentially in the coming decades, reaching an estimated 715 million speakers in 2050—French is spoken on every continent, in some 80 countries. Simply put, having the ability to conduct business and trade in English and French gives Canada a competitive edge in the world market of the 21st century. This is an asset that needs to be nurtured and grown. French is part of Canada’s future as much as it is part of its past. This is ample reason for our country to get serious about our official languages. Jean Johnson is president of the Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne du Canada, a national organization representing Canada’s Francophone minority communities. The Hill Times