CHAPTER II - CONCLUSION
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This chapter discussed the relevance of the official languages program in the context of globalization, the reform of parliamentary institutions and other major influences.
It began with an outline of some proposals for the reform of the Canadian federation, specifically the Senate, federal spending power, and other government transformations. The Commissioner notes that the desire to renew the Canadian federation is legitimate, but it may have assimilating tendencies, and services may suffer if the needs of official language communities are not taken into consideration. The federal government must therefore demonstrate judgment and more awareness of its responsibilities towards Canada’s linguistic duality as it commits to reform projects.
This chapter then reflected on the interaction between linguistic duality and cultural diversity as a follow up to previous reports. Canadian reality is marked by the growing influence of the allophone population. Even if the majority of this population, which continues to increase, can speak one of the official languages, the Canadian identity is still going through a period of change. The Commissioner is therefore asking decision-makers to review how linguistic duality and cultural diversity can contribute to an inclusive vision of identity and citizenship in the Canada of tomorrow to allow for full participation by all. The Commissioner urges the federal government to fulfill its rightful leadership role in this respect.
