Ottawa, February 19, 2021 — Canadian Parents for French was gratified upon reading the reform document, “English and French: towards a substantive equality of official languages in Canada” recently shared by the Honourable Melanie Joly, Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages. The document outlines the Government of Canada’s position towards modernizing the Official Languages Act to better reflect today’s Canadian society, proposing a series of changes to establish linguistic balance and six guiding principles to advance the equality of status of the official languages over the next 50 years.
The document recognizes that English-speaking families are looking for French language learning opportunities for their children, they want to take greater advantage of Canada’s official bilingualism and should not be deprived of equitable access to second-language learning opportunities and the possibilities related to these opportunities.
CPF has long advocated for recognizing the role of Bilingual Canadians acting as a bridge to social cohesion and for strengthening the language of the Act to be inclusive of all Canadians, the role of the Commissioner of Official languages and the Minister’s role in working with provincial / territorial governments.
CPF is pleased to see the Government of Canada’s ambitious goal of addressing the issue of the English-speaking majority access to opportunities to learn French. We welcome language to explicitly recognize in the preamble of the Act, the importance of accessing opportunities to learn a second official language for all Canadians and the role played by Canadians who, by speaking both official languages, contribute to the mutual appreciation between the country’s two major linguistic communities.
The unacceptable state of affairs of waiting lists in French immersion programs across the country has long been detrimental to fostering bilingualism in Canada and we applaud the leadership being demonstrated in outlining clear efforts needed to remedy it—a commitment to go further in working cooperatively with provincial and territorial governments to ensure the principle of equality of opportunity and the realization of the vision of a bilingual Canada.
“We fully support the proposed amendments which reflect our organization’s recommendations in striving to ensure every Canadian has the right to learn French and to speak both official languages. We are hopeful that all Canadians will be able to identify with the objectives of the modernized Official Languages Act by strengthening the commitment under Part VII of the Act, and in particular the administrative proposals, to encourage cooperation between federal, provincial and territorial governments with respect to the promotion, access and provision of quality programs for learning French as a second language. Language within the Act, recognizing the importance of a training and recruitment strategy for French-language teachers and developing a framework for the recognition of teaching diplomas to support mobility across Canada will help strengthen the path to bilingualism and ensure linguistic duality thrives in Canada,” said Nicole Thibault, National Executive Director, Canadian Parents for French.
“Our two official languages are an essential tool and a gift that support the inclusion of all Canadians into our diverse society. Setting out an overarching vision within a modernized Official Languages Act will ensure the opportunity for all Canadians to learn their second official language and affirm the benefits of a bilingual and multilingual Canada,” said Derrek Bentley, National President, Canadian Parents for French.
Canadian Parents for French looks forward to working with the Government of Canada to support the modernization of the Official Languages Act and working collaboratively with all stakeholders to provide more second language learning opportunities for all those who call Canada home.
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Canadian Parents for French is a nationwide, research-informed, volunteer organization that represents 25,000 members across Canada and champions the opportunity to learn and use French for all those who call Canada home.
For more information, please contact:
Marcos Salaiza, National Coordinator, Communications and Government Relations
Tel: 613.235.1481 x222 Email: msalaiza@cpf.ca