Bilingualism in Canada

Bilingualism in Canada refers to laws and policies of the federal government – and some other levels of government – mandating that certain services and communications be available to the public in both {{ll|English}} and {{ll|French}}.

Support and opposition

Support for bilingualism in Canada is mixed. Some Canadians living in provinces with small French populations resent the federal bilingualism policies as unnecessary and excessive government regulation, and for those opponents, the presence of French on their cereal boxes and other packaging is a constant reminder of the policy. Many French-nationalists in Quebec, though benefitting from the inclusive labelling law, resent the federal bilingualism policies just as strongly, seeing them as an attempt to dilute their language and culture with English (Quebec is officially unilingual French). Quebec's anglophone community, like their francophone counterparts throughout English Canada, tend to be "for" rather than "against" the policy. Support for bilingualism appears to be strongest in the area known as the bilingual belt, covering parts of Ontario, Manitoba, western Quebec and Montreal, and the areas of the Maritimes, and weakest in western Canada, though there are supporters and opponents in every part of the country.

Related Topics:
Bilingual belt - Maritimes

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Groups such as the Alliance for the Preservation of English in Canada, and books such as Bilingual Today, French Tomorrow, have advocated the end of official bilingualism. More recently, the Reform Party of Canada advocated the policy's repeal. In the 2004 election, Conservative Member of Parliament Scott Reid, the party's language issues critic, caused controversy by suggesting that if elected, his party would review Canada's language policy and potentially reduce the provision of bilingual services.

Related Topics:
Alliance for the Preservation of English in Canada - Bilingual Today, French Tomorrow - Reform Party of Canada - 2004 election - Conservative - Member of Parliament - Scott Reid

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French immersion is an optional education programme that supports bilingualism http://www.cpf.ca/English/FAQ/Immersion.pdf. It is a method of language education where the student is taught all subjects in the French language, not just the language itself. Its popularity is viewed by some as support for bilingualism; others view it as elitism in public education. French immersion enrollment has been increasing significantly in most provinces. A similar program of English immersion is also available for French students in Quebec but are often in conflict with the official language policies of the Quebec government

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http://www.montrealmirror.com/ARCHIVES/2003/011603/news1.html

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